Chapter 116 Second Dante
Isabella POV
He didn't come to greet me as I walked into the restaurant. All he gave me was a handsome smile. “You look nice.”
“Thanks.” I sat across from him, wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a cardigan. It was warm that afternoon, but not warm enough to leave the house without some kind of sweater. “You do too.”
He was wearing a deep blue blazer and a white V-neck and his brown eyes were playful as he grabbed the bottle of wine and poured me a glass. “What were you doing today when I called?”
“Painting.”
“Cool, did you finish that painting I saw last week?”
“I did and I have eight which I’m ready to send to my parents to display at the winery.”
“Eight?” he asked incredulously. “That’s a different painting every day.”
“I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands…” I wasn’t sleeping because I couldn’t stop dreaming about Dante and I didn’t like to watch TV because there was always a romantic storyline somewhere that made me miss the man I couldn’t have.
“What have you been doing?”
“I worked a lot this week and had a date on Wednesday then went out with some
friends on Friday…it passed in a blur.”
He told me the truth so casually, and this transparency was nice maybe we really could be friends. “How’d the date go?”
“Well.” He drank from his glass and didn’t elaborate and that told me he slept with her, but he was too much of a gentleman to
actually say it.
“Are you going to see her again?”
He shook his head. “No. I enjoyed her company, but we didn’t hit it off that well.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged. “They say there’s a lot of fish in the sea, but that doesn’t mean there’s plenty of fish that are right for you…” He swirled his wine
and took another drink. “What about you?”
“What?” I asked blankly. “Any dates?”
“Oh.” I laughed. “No, I’m not going to date for a long time even our date was such a disaster… I’m so not ready. I promise you, I’m polite, interesting, and spontaneous. You just didn’t catch me at my best time.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I don’t think our date was that bad. You’re being a little hard on yourself.”
“You’re just being nice.”
“If I were, why would we be sitting together right now?”
I didn’t have a rebuttal to that. “Honestly, I have no idea why you want to see me again.”
“I like you,” he said. “You’re honest, interesting and gorgeous…what’s not to like?
I’m not interested in seriously dating you when you’re hung up on some other guy, but eventually, you’re going to be over him so I’m basically holding my place in line until you’re ready.”
“That’s a long time to wait…”
“I’m still living my life and not making any sacrifices.”
His implication was clear, that he was still having lots of sex with lots of women and that was fine by me. I was touching myself and thinking about Dante every night.
“Well, I could use a friend right now. It’s been a rough month.” I finished my glass of wine then refilled it.
“How are your restaurants doing?”
“Great. I usually stop by each one before noon and check on things. Then I go to the gym, the grocery store, etc.”
“I heard you opened all those businesses on your own.”
He nodded. “Didn’t take a cent from my father.”
“Any reason why?”
“Just wanted to prove I could be successful on my own and I think my father.was offended in the beginning, but now I can tell he’s very proud. He tells people that every chance he gets, which is why you must know about it,” he
said with a chuckle.
“My mom told me my father thinks very highly of you because of that.”
“That’s quite a compliment coming from a man like him. He has the most.successful winery in all of Italy and it’s only forty years old.”
“My father has always been a hard worker.”
“I see a lot of him in you.”
“Really?” I asked. “People say I’m a perfect blend of both my parents.”
“I mean in personality, you’re headstrong, disciplined, and hard-working the Conti qualities.”
I felt my cheeks redden. “Thanks…”
We had our dinner and talked about sports, the opera, and music. It started to feel like two friends just spending time together. He was a family friend, so being close to him wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
“Can I ask you something personal?”
There didn’t seem to be any secrets between us anymore. “Sure.”
“You love this guy?” He asked it bluntly, his eyes watching mine with intense focus.
I didn’t squirm under the stare or consider what my answer would be. I went with the truth. “Yes.”
“He loves you?”
“Very much.” He was the first one to say it, but I think I was the first one to feel it.
“And you really can’t work it out?” he asked incredulously. “There’s something that strong keeping you apart?”
I wouldn’t tell Damian the specifics because it was too risky and It would be devastating if he mentioned anything to my parents. “Unfortunately there’s no way to compromise. There’s no way to overcome it…we just can’t be
together.”
“That is unfortunate,” he said seriously. “Do your parents know about this?”
“My mom does a little. I’m sure she mentioned some of it to my father, but we’ve never had a real conversation about it. I’m not a private person and I’ve always been open with my parents, but I don’t want to waste their time
and energy on a man who won’t be around for the long haul, so I’d appreciate it if you kept all of this to yourself.”
“Of course. I just feel bad for this man. He’s lucky enough to have your love, but he can’t really have you.”
I felt bad for both of us. “I’ve never been in love, but if I were, I imagine I would do anything to be with her…and wouldn’t let anything stand in my way.”
I was sitting across the table from a handsome man, someone I would have fallen for if Dante had never come into the picture. I’d probably be smitten, gushing about him to my mother and friends. I would have kissed him by now if he hadn’t kissed me, and I’d be struggling to keep my legs closed as long as possible but now…I didn’t feel anything.
He was the total opposite of Dante, the exact thing I wanted in a partner but there wasn’t that pull that I felt with Dante.
What I had with Dante was deep, passionate, and powerful. It was the strongest emotion I’d ever felt. Could I really walk away from that for something safe?
Wasn’t love innately unsafe?
Wasn’t it supposed to break your heart?
Damian studied my face. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah…I just lost my train of thought.”