“I need your opinion on a few items of clothing. Mainly, where you could see yourself, or someone else, wearing it in San Diego.”
“I can do that,” Chloe said with a laugh.
Brooke turned the phone around and showed her the dress.
“Oh . . . uhm.”
“I know.”
Chloe hummed, took a breath. “Wait. I could see that up in La Jolla, or Del Mar. The golf functions at Torrey Pines at an evening event.”
Brooke hadn’t thought north of San Diego. The places Chloe described were a bit more upscale. A lot of old money.
“Okay, what about this?” Brooke held up a blazer with hard lines and big buttons.
“Actually, I like that. I would totally wear it with jeans and a T-shirt. No bra.”
“No bra? Why?”
“Because it’s edgy. Like daring someone to look close.”
Brooke smiled. “I like it.”
The last thing she showed Chloe was a dress that looked more like a sack than something anyone would wear.
“I got nothing,” Chloe said, laughing.
“Me either.”
“But if you can get me that blazer, I’d totally take it.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Brooke dropped the sack dress on her bed. “How is everything there?” She hadn’t heard much from Luca outside of a few text messages. Mainly good mornings and good nights.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “As good as can be, considering. We’re all pretty anxious.”
Brooke narrowed her eyes. “About what?”
“Antonia. Luca’s going to talk to Franny tonight.”
Hearing Luca’s ex-wife’s name had Brooke stopping cold. “What?”
Chloe shook her head. “Wait . . . you don’t know?”
“Don’t know what?”
“Luca hasn’t told you?”
“Luca hasn’t told me what? What about Antonia?”
Chloe pulled the phone away from her face. “Damn it. I thought for sure Luca would have said something to you by now.”
The skin on Brooke’s arm started to crawl. “Tell me what, Chloe?”
“Antonia is back.”
Brooke turned, felt the bed on the back of her knees, and sat. The woman Luca had loved, who had given him his daughter, has returned and he couldn’t be bothered to tell her. “How long has she been there?”
“A couple of days. I’m sure Luca has a reason for not—”
Brooke forced a smile to her face. “I’m sure he does.” A knot formed in the back of her throat. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Thank you for your help.”
“No problem. Brooke, are you okay?”
No. She wanted to crawl into a corner and hide. “I’m fine. Crazy busy.”
“If you need any more help, let me know.”
“I will. Thanks.”
Brooke dropped her phone on the bed and squeezed her eyes shut.
The hardest day of Luca’s life was the one where he had to tell his little girl that her mother was gone. When Franny asked when she was coming home, Luca had told her he wasn’t sure.
Every day Franny asked about her mother.
Eventually those days spread out and turned into weeks, then a month would go by. And then one day she simply stopped.
He sat with her at their dinner table, just the two of them. With family around them all of the time, it was a rarity that they enjoyed a meal only father and daughter, so Franny was eating it up.
As always, Franny had a lot of things to talk about.
Her teacher, the other kids, the playground problems. The schoolwork itself was never a part of the conversation.
Once dinner was nearly done, Luca forced her attention on what he had to share.
“I have some exciting news.”
Franny’s chin lifted and her attention narrowed in. “I get to have a puppy?”
Oh, how he wished that was the case.
Luca took a deep breath. “Your mama is in town.”
Franny’s smile slowly fell, her eyes blinked several times. “What?”
“Your mother, Franny. She’s in San Diego and wants to see you.”
He watched his daughter deflate in the chair. The fork in her hand fell to the table, and her lower lip quivered. “Where has she been?”
Luca opened his arms and Franny moved into them, her head instantly on his shoulder.
“I don’t really know, tesorina. But she is excited to see you. Do you want to see her?”
He felt her head nod against his chest. Her tiny voice broke as she asked her next question. “Why did she leave, Papa?”
“I don’t have all these answers. Maybe someday I will. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” Dear God, don’t let him eat those words.
Franny pulled away, her eyes damp with tears.
It killed him to witness.
“I don’t remember what she looks like.”
Luca forced a smile to his face. “Well, you have her eyes. She has long dark hair, and is tall, like you will be when you’re older. Your mother is very beautiful, like you.”
“I’m scared, Papa.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be right there the whole time.”
“When will I see her?”
He’d give her time to think about it, change her mind. If Franny hesitated at all, he’d make Antonia fight to see her.
“Tomorrow after school.”
She snuggled close. “I love you, Papa.”
“I love you, too.”
By the time Luca snuggled Franny into bed and lulled her to sleep, it was after nine. He checked his phone to see if Brooke had sent him any messages.
It was already after eleven where she was, and chances were she was already in bed.
Instead of a phone call, he sent her a text.
I hope you had a good day.
He looked at his words, thought about how to tell her about Antonia. The last thing he wanted to do was add any stress to Brooke’s week. He knew how important this job was for her. And what could she do for him or Franny anyway other than worry? Once she was home, he knew she’d have advice. Practical advice that he really wanted to hear. Considering he’d already made decisions based on what he thought Brooke would do, he felt she was whispering in his ear. But damn, he wanted to hear her voice and share all of this with her.
If you have time, and things aren’t too crazy, call me.
Luca pressed send and put his phone aside.
Brooke woke to Luca’s text at six in the morning. There was an early team meeting before bringing Downes in.
When she wasn’t actively working, she was thinking about Luca and what was going on at home.
It was stressing her out.
She hated the childish insecurity that hovered around every thought and every hour that he wasn’t actively trying to get ahold of her.
And how was Franny? The girl must be so confused. The more Brooke thought about it, the more it pulled her out of her work, and that wasn’t something she could afford right now.
Brooke walked out of her room and over to Nayla’s for the Zoom call with Portia. En route, she texted Luca. Pivotal meetings this morning. I’ll call this afternoon.
It was the best she could do. She wanted to add “I miss you.” Or “I’m thinking of you.” But felt they were half bullshit. She did miss him but was ticked he hadn’t told her about Antonia more than she missed him. Yes, she was thinking about him . . . about how hurt she was that he was keeping secret something so huge in his life. While both statements were true, they were charged with a whole lot of bullshit.