Casa Parisi (27 page)

"How did you get through the downstairs door?" Juliet opened the door a crack and peered out. She was being rude, but she had no idea how to prevent the ugly scene that was fated to unfold. Humiliating Lucia by leaving her in the hall with the door closed was heartless, but letting her in was even more heartless.

"Someone opened the door just as I got there," Lucia explained.

Juliet let the door swing open. "I guess you might as well come in."

Lucia smiled at Juliet as she passed her and then clamped her hand over her mouth and gasped when she saw Andre. As if she didn't believe her eyes, she looked at Juliet and back at him a second and third time. All the color drained out of her face and when she spoke her voice sounded strangled. "I shouldn't have come."

"Andre and I were just talking." Juliet knew how the whole thing must have looked to Lucia and it broke her heart to see how hurt she was. If only she could run to her, take her in her arms and let her know that everything was all right.

"So I see." Lucia's eyes were glued to Andre's overnight bag.

"I'm forgetting my manners," Juliet said. "Lucia, this is Andre Du Bois. Andre, this is my boss, Lucia Parisi."

"The owner of Casa Parisi Vineyards. Pleased to meet you." Andre extended his hand. "Juliet has told me a lot about you."

Lucia grasped his hand. "Nice to meet you." Her hand was in his, her words were for him, but her eyes were on Juliet. "I have to go." She yanked her hand from Andre's and was out the door before anyone could react.

Juliet rushed into the hallway and down the stairs in pursuit of Lucia with Andre on her heels. She called out, but Lucia kept on running. She'd had a head start and Juliet was unable to catch up with her. When Juliet reached the sidewalk she saw Lucia getting into her car and pulling away. Feeling sick to her stomach, she went back inside.

"What was that about?" Andre had stalled mid-way down the stairs. "I saw how she looked at you when she came in. It was almost like--" He stared at Juliet, his mouth open. "I really am dense. It's her isn't it? She's the one you're in love with."

"Yes." Whether she liked it or not, he knew the whole truth now. She fought back tears, her head splitting and her stomach in knots. "I refuse to stand out here on the stairs and discuss this with you."

Andre climbed the stairs and went back inside. Juliet followed him.

"You're a lesbian?" Andre asked the instant the door was shut.

"If feeling the way I do for her makes me one then I am one." This wasn't a good time to comment on his powers of deduction so Juliet didn't. She bore him no ill will and when he left her apartment, he would be out of her life forever.

"You knew this and you never told me? What kind of person are you?" Andre was beginning to show some anger. He stood in front of her, a bit too close for comfort.

"I wasn't trying to deceive you." Juliet stepped away from him. "I didn't know until recently. That's why I wanted to talk to you."

"This is great, just great." He shook his head. "My girlfriend's a lesbian."

"I'm not your girlfriend, Andre." Juliet went to the chair she'd occupied earlier. "I know you're shocked, but I don't know what else to say." Juliet's own anger was near the surface and not far behind it were tears of despair over Lucia's unexpected visit. She had to get rid of him and soon. She was close to breaking down and she didn't feel like doing that in front of him.

Andre stayed where he was. "Have you had sex with her?"

"Andre! How dare you ask me that?"

"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry."

Finally the tears came. "It's not about sex, it's about love. It's about who I am. You can only lie to yourself for so long and then you have to face facts. I know now that I can only love a woman. I can't explain it any better than that."

"What if it doesn't work out with her?"

"Maybe it won't, but I have to own who I am."

"So, you're saying it's over between us?"

"That would be the general idea." Juliet's patience was wearing thin. What could she add that would make him accept what she was saying? He'd come to see her hoping for a different outcome and he was having a hard time switching gears.

"I don't know," Andre said. A lengthy silence ensued. "I pride myself in being a liberal guy. I have nothing against homosexuals, but--"

"You never thought I was one," Juliet finished for him.

"That's about the size of it."

Juliet had heard enough, had said enough. She brushed the tears from her face, got herself composed and went over to him. If he wasn't going to leave on his own she'd have to throw him out. She opened the door and said, "I wish you the best, Andre, I really do. Have a safe trip."

He reached to take her in his arms. "Come on Juliet. You're confused and if we talk this out I know you'll be able to see that. A lot of women believe they have feelings for another woman at one time or another, but they find out it was something else."

"How the hell would you know how women feel? Or how I feel?" Juliet extricated herself from his clutches and picked up his bag which she tossed into the hall. "It's time for you to leave. Goodbye and good luck."

"You could be making a huge mistake." He moved to the door.

"It's a mistake I'm willing to make and it's none of your concern. Now, go!" She put her hand on his lower back and gave him a shove in the right direction.

"Okay, but I--"

Juliet never heard another word. She shut the door and leaned against it, waiting until she heard his footsteps fade, until he was gone. Her sense of relief greatly outweighed the regret she felt at having to hurt him. He was out of her life and she was free to let go of the tight grip she'd had on her emotions. Turning so that her back was touching the door, she slid to the floor and sobbed with her face buried in her hands.

What a shitty day, she thought, as her tears subsided. Her head was pounding and her thoughts were no longer on Andre. They were all about Lucia and how she must have felt when she saw Andre there. She could only have come to one conclusion and as erroneous as it was, it must have hurt her terribly.

Sabrina jumped up and settled on Juliet's mid-section as if to comfort her.

"I'm glad you're here, little puss." Juliet rubbed her cat's head. "I've made a mess of things, but I'm going to go to her and I'm going to make it all better. I'm going to explain and I know it will be all right." She got to her feet and ran into the bathroom to wash her face.

WHEN JULIET GOT to Lucia's cottage, she was frustrated to find that Lucia's car was not in the driveway. No lights were on inside the cottage, either. She called Lucia's land line and let the phone ring ten or eleven times before giving up. Lucia's cell phone was on voicemail, forcing her to leave a message asking Lucia to call her even though she knew it was futile. As a last resort, she called the one person who might have an idea where Lucia had gone.

Luke answered on the third ring.

"I'm at Lucia's house, but she's not here," Juliet said. "I need to talk to her as soon as possible. It's important."

"Didn't she go to see you earlier?"

"She did, but--"

"If it makes any difference she told me about you and her."

"It does," Juliet said. She had to fight to hold back the tears from coming again. She went on to give him a brief overview of the incident at her apartment. "I was ending my relationship with him, but she didn't know that and she misunderstood."

"That doesn't sound like it went well."

"Not at all. I have to find her, Luke. Do you know where she is?"

"I haven't seen or heard from her since she went to see you," Luke said.

"Do you think she's at that bar she goes to?"

"Maybe. I can't think of anywhere else she's go. I'm not sure I remember the name, though--a man's name. Johnnie's? No, that's not it. George, Georgie's? Yeah, that's it, it's Georgie's."

"Do you know where it is?"

"I do. I had to pick her up there once when she had car trouble." Luke gave Juliet the directions.

"Thanks, Luke. I'm sure I can find it." Juliet didn't have a pen or paper and no GPS in her car, but she knew Ithaca well enough to grasp what he'd told her.

"No problem. Listen, about you and Lucia."

"Are you upset about it?"

"Do you want the truth?"

"Of course." Juliet dreaded what he might say.

"You're a part of our family and you're a nice person."

"Why do I get the feeling you're leading up to something bad?"

"It's not bad," Luke said. "I just don't want to see her get hurt."

"That's the last thing I'd ever want to do."

"If you really mean that, then I'm happy about the two of you."

"I swear to you, Luke, I mean it."

"You'd better. My sister's important to me and if you broke her heart, I'd have to take you out to the vineyards and whip your butt."

Juliet laughed. "I'm sure that won't be necessary."

"I hope not, because I'd do it."

After bringing the conversation to a close Juliet got on the road. Traffic was light and it didn't take her long to get into Ithaca. She weaved through the streets until she reached the outskirts of town and then she turned left onto the unmarked road Luke had told her to be on the lookout for. Less than a mile later she spotted the faded wooden sign for the bar.

Georgie's was set back from the road, partially concealed in overgrown shrubbery. Juliet parked her car and entered the dimly lit bar. Once her eyes adjusted, she started searching for Lucia, trying to be inconspicuous as she scanned the women on the dance floor and in the adjoining rooms. Just like the time in Atlanta, she was about to call it a night when she caught a glimpse of Lucia in a dark corner of the bar.

As she got closer, she saw that Lucia was whispering in the ear of a young woman. She had her hand on the woman's shoulder and their gestures and expressions spoke of more than a friendly exchange. Before Juliet got to her, Lucia threw a few bills onto the bar, took the girl by the hand, and dragged her away.

Juliet pursued, intercepting the two of them on the dance floor. A flash of pain sliced through Lucia's features when she recognized Juliet, replaced immediately by a mask of tightly contained anger. Stupidly, Juliet had imagined Lucia falling into her arms with a sigh of relief and she realized that wasn't going to be the case.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lucia demanded.

"I went to your house and you weren't there." Juliet told herself to get on with it. "I called Luke and he said you might be here. I wanted to talk to you."

"Don't bother." Lucia's face barely moved as she spoke. "You don't need to explain a thing to me. Not a fucking thing."

"But I do. It's not--"

"I said forget it," Lucia interrupted. "You shouldn't have come here."

The woman whose hand Lucia held said, "Do you want me to get lost?"

"No," Lucia said. "You're not going anywhere. She is."

"Lucia, please listen to me," Juliet pleaded.

"Save your breath. I'm not interested." Lucia dismissed Juliet with her hand. "Don't you have anything better to do than to follow me around in lesbian bars? I've got a date and you should go home to your boyfriend." Lucia spun around and hurried off, dragging the young woman behind her.

Juliet froze as she watched them flee to the other side of the dance floor. She had anticipated the anger and resistance, but not Lucia's icy dismissal. Jealous and wounded, she kept her eyes on them, wanting to look away but incapable of doing so. Her heart hurt as she watched Lucia take the young woman in her arms.

Willing her legs to carry her out of there didn't work. She couldn't move, couldn't end her misery and couldn't take her eyes away as Lucia kissed the woman's neck and whispered in her ear. She wanted to be the one Lucia was holding so close, the one who got to hear her whispered words, the one who felt those soft lips brush her ear.

The woman nodded and Lucia guided her off the dance floor. Juliet soon lost sight of the two of them and realized she was standing alone in a crowd of dancers. She guessed what would happen next. Lucia would pay for a room and she would have sex with that woman. They would kiss and touch each other and be in each other's arms. And as for her, she ought to go home where she belonged.

Lucia had wanted to hurt her and she had succeeded, but Juliet didn't blame her for lashing out at her the way she did. Lucia believed Juliet had deceived her, had lied about her feelings, and had chosen Andre over her. She'd been terribly hurt and she needed to close down and act tough as though it didn't matter.

There was nothing left to do but leave. Lucia wasn't interested in working things out, not tonight, and Juliet had no alternative but to wait until she was ready, if she ever was. Upset and emotionally drained, Juliet left the bar and went home.

ON MONDAY MORNING, Juliet went to work, but never ventured outside of the wine cellars. Seeing Lucia on a Monday was unlikely and based on what had transpired the night before, Juliet certainly didn't expect to see her on this particular one. That was all right with her because she was in no mood to face Lucia, Luke, or any other member of the Parisi family. The last few days had driven home the value of the age-old wisdom of never mixing business with pleasure. Too bad she hadn't heeded its warning.

It seemed the Parisi family didn't care to come near her, either, because she spent the entire day in seclusion until late in the afternoon when Luke showed up in the lab. He sat on one of the stools at the counter and studied her.

"What have you been up to?" he asked.

"I've been making wine."

Luke smiled. "Wow, no kidding."

Juliet softened a bit. No use taking her troubles out on him. "I finished bottling the Parisi Cabernet."

"Did it turn out as good as we thought it would?"

"Better, I think. It's dry and complex but it also has nice balance. The amount of oak flavoring is perfect in my opinion." She poured a small amount in a plastic cup and gave it to him. "Taste it and let me know what you think."