Top Dog

And that was exactly what I needed.

I walked in and out of shops, finding nothing in particular that I wanted to purchase. But walking through the racks of clothing and seeing all the shop mannequins made me smile. I didn’t need material possessions. I’d always been more of a window shopper. I was more prone to spending hundreds of dollars on a decadent meal before I’d ever spend it on clothes.

Though I was quick to sink that kind of money into Matteo’s wardrobe.

I found myself in Times Square, looking up at all the colorful billboards advertising new television shows and Broadway stage plays. Times Square was my favorite place to be at night. There was an unexplainable magic to it. Most people thought low-lit restaurants and silken cloth-covered tables was romantic, but not me. Put me in the middle of Times Square with people smiling and laughing and enjoying themselves, and I was in heaven.

But a familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts and sent fear shooting down my spine.

“Julia?”

I turned around at the sound of Romeo’s mother. My eyes fell on her as she approached me with a smiling face. No one would ever think the woman was almost sixty years old. Her face was almost wrinkle-free, and her tanned skin made her blue eyes shine. Her dark brown hair had a salt-and-pepper look, and it hung down past her shoulders. Her hips were wide from giving birth, and her shoulders were strong from supporting the kind of family she did. Her eyes were forward, but her smile was kind, and she was everything that reminded me of my own mother.

I guess it came with the territory of the men they married.

“Mrs. Martine. What are you—”

“Please, call me Luisa,” she said.

“Luisa,” I said with a soft smile. “What brings you out to Times Square?”

“I needed to get out a bit. Get some fresh air after everything that happened.”

“I’m surprised you’re not with Romeo right now,” I said.

“I was. He kicked me out. Said I was hovering too much. But little does he know that Antony is sitting in the driveway in a car right now.”

“He’s what?” I asked with a grin.

“Yep. I slipped an old baby monitor under Romeo’s bed. Antony has the other end of it. If something happens to Romeo, his brother will be there to help him.”

“You never stop being a mother do you? No matter how old the babies get,” I said.”

“You are right about that she said with a smile. “I was about to go get some coffee. Would you like to join me?”

I looked behind me at the coffee shop Luisa was referring to, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. There was something in the way she looked at me; like she knew my deepest, darkest secret. Did she know about Romeo and me? What we were doing and what we were trying to accomplish?

Did she know about Matteo?

I didn’t want to sit down and have coffee with her. This wasn't prompted or scheduled. And I didn’t want to ruin anyone’s plans. I knew Stefano was closely orchestrating this idea of peace, and an impromptu conversation could ruin all of it. Plus, it was Matteo’s grandmother, and there was a chance she didn’t even know she was a grandmother. And if she did know, then she might try to corner me and get me to admit it.

There were so many things that could go wrong with this cup of coffee, but I couldn't say no. Even as a child, Luisa had always been kind to me. Accepting of me despite who my father was. There were many times I’d come over to see Romeo when I was first crushing on him, and she let me in without a second thought. Fed me. Allowed me to stay as long as I wanted.

She knew.

There was no way she didn’t know about Romeo and me.

“Come along,” Luisa said. “I won’t bite.”

She took my arm and linked it with hers before we started for the coffee shop. I gripped my purse tightly and looked around, trying to see if anyone was watching us. With the antics she was pulling on Romeo while out, I couldn’t put it past my uncle to do the same thing. To have someone watching me in case something went wrong.

“One cup of black coffee and whatever this young woman wants,” Luisa said.

“Oh no. I can get it,” I said as she fished for her wallet.

“And throw one of those pastrami sandwiches of yours into the mix,” she said. “Are you hungry, Julia?”

I actually was.