Fire In the Kitchen (19 page)

Dante closed his eyes as he recalled her running out into the night to face her broken dreams.

“I didn’t. She left, so I left, too.”

Sophia leaned forward and put her hand on his forehead.

“Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

Dante sighed. “She’s the opposite of what I’ve been looking for in a woman, but she’s gotten under my skin. Besides, they were starting to ask me to do things that didn’t sit right with me.”

“Like what?” Sophia asked.

“The sponsors insisted I use their products while I’m cooking.”

“Oh dear.”

“Not only use them, endorse them.”

“Couldn’t you compromise? Use a few items but insist on using things from the local farmers as well?”

Dante turned to look at his sister and shrugged.

“Tried that, hated doing it.”

“Of course you did.”

“For a man who has always thought of himself as fairly intelligent, I’m bloody stupid, aren’t I?”

“Didn’t they have a clause about the endorsements when you signed the registration forms in the beginning?”

“I was running late and didn’t read them. I just signed my life away to the commercial bastards.”

“
Merda,
” Sophia swore.

“I will find another way to help the local cause.” Dante sighed. “Hopefully after I’ve won Cassidy back and proven to her I’m not normally such a jerk to women.”

“But you never tell them you love them,” Sophia replied. “I’ve had many of your past girlfriends tell me so.”

“They are not words you toss around in the air to see what happens when they fall on a person. How many times do we have to have this conversation?”

Dante thought about Cassidy’s fair skin and full mouth. Her clumsy ways and easy laugh. But it wasn’t love; that wasn’t how he felt about her. It couldn’t be. The real reason he’d left the competition was he didn’t want to use their products on the show. Cassidy leaving had just given him a way out.

Quit lying to yourself, Dante.

They fell silent again and watched the gentle ocean waves until they were interrupted by a waiter. He coughed politely to draw their attention.

Dante smiled at him. “Another full house tonight, Ulio?”

The waiter nodded, but looked ill at ease.

“Double-booked an ocean view table again?” Dante said.

The waiter wrung his hands. “The police are waiting in the lobby to speak with you. They said it’s important.”

“The police?” Sophia put her hand over her mouth as she stood. “What’s wrong? I knew I shouldn’t have left the kids with that new babysitter. She had too many piercings.”

Dante got to his feet at the same time and put a reassuring hand on her arm.

“Stop thinking the worst. Everything’s fine. Wait here.”

Dante walked to the reception area and shook his head when he noticed Sophia was following him.

The policemen’s somber expressions matched their dark uniforms. The taller one spoke to Dante without waiting for formal introductions.

“Mr. Cristiani, we need you to come with us down to the station.”

They stood in what was left of their beloved Cuckoo Café. Forensics had come and gone. Cassidy would never find the smell of an open fire or potbelly stove welcoming again. The residual smell of smoke, that stale smell, it was like an unfriendly ghost come back to haunt them. The pictures of her family were gone, the mismatched tables, chairs, unusual mirrors, cuckoo clocks, everything.

Her mouth was dry. She reached into her backpack and took a long swig of water as she walked around, examining what was left. Her feet crunched on blackened timber that dissolved under her boots like a packet of crisps. She pondered why she’d never put her recipes into a computer instead of leaving them in the handwritten notebooks her father had started. So much for her cookbook dream.

Gary entered with her mother, who was normally so strong, sobbing in his arms. Cassidy rushed over to comfort her, part of her envying the tears she was unable to shed.

They formed a hug triangle.

“You shouldn’t be here, Mum,” Cassidy said. “Gary told me the pregnancy is taking a lot out of you because of the complications.”

“I tried to tell her,” Gary said, “but she’s stubborn.”

“As if you could keep me away.”

“Did you call the doctor to check her over?”

“Yes, he did, Cassidy, and I’m fine. Stop worrying about me. Please.”

“Gary?” Cassidy looked at him.

He knew what she wanted to know. “Baby’s okay.”

“Did you call the insurance company?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes, we’ve got a mile of paperwork to fill in, and I don’t know how we are supposed to prove purchases. All the invoices were in the café. Talk about Catch 22.”

“That’s the least of our problems. We might be struggling to get any payout from them,” Gary said.

“What did forensics find?” Cassidy asked.

“Broken window out the back, and some idiot put an aerosol can in the microwave. Must have set the timer long enough to get out.”

“What?” Elizabeth’s legs gave way and Cassidy noticed she was very pale. They held her up.

“Let’s get out of here. She shouldn’t be breathing in all this bad air,” Gary said as they made their way out the back doorway that had once contained a door.

Cassidy’s heart was palpitating, but she needed to stay strong, otherwise she’d fall apart.

“I don’t believe it,” she said. “I just don’t believe it. Why? Why now?”

* * * *

A pin had been stuck in all her dreams for the future. Settled in her childhood bedroom, Cassidy didn’t know what was supposed to come next.

Her eyes were tired, but her smile was genuine when she saw her mother at the doorway. There were boxes in every room except this one. As usual, her mother had been thoughtful and left her to sort through her old things before they moved. Although Cassidy knew she’d miss living above the café, her teenage room gave her comfort as she stared at a poster of Zac Efron.

“Hey, momma bear.”

Cassidy patted the bed and indicated for Elizabeth to lie down next to her.

Her mother joined her, grabbing a fluffy zebra-patterned cushion and propping it behind her head.

“It’s so awful,” she said. “Who could possibly hate us enough to do such a terrible thing?”

An image of Valerie appeared in Cassidy’s mind. She shook the thought away.

“Mum, it’s done. We have to get on with it, and
you
have to stop being upset with me for leaving the competition. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t feel I had to.”

“There’s nothing we can do until we sort out the insurance,” her mother said.

“Did they say how long we have to wait?” Cassidy frowned.

“Could be weeks. Maybe they won’t pay at all.” Her mother’s voice broke. “I can’t believe your father and I worked all those years to give you this gift and now it could be worthless.”

“Why wouldn’t they pay?” Cassidy asked, feeling a wave of panic rise from her stomach to her chest. It was as if her nerves had risen dangerously high, as though she was leaning over a tall building without a safety rail.

“They probably think one of us did it because the café was heritage-listed.”

“That doesn’t make sense, Mum.”

“Think about it, Cass. We could have decided it was an easy way to build a much more modern eatery in its place, keep up with the new café down the street.”

“But we’d never have wanted to lose our café’s soul. The additions I wanted to make next door would have added to it, not taken it away. The preliminary plans would prove that.”

“I know it, you know it, but the fact someone put an aerosol can in the microwave tells the police a different story. I’m just guessing that’s what they could be thinking.”

Cassidy sat up and pushed her fists into her eyes. But it was impossible to hide from herself.

“What type of person would do that?”

Gary came into the room with a glass of water for Elizabeth.

“Whoever the bastard was,” he said, “they set out to annihilate the place.”

“Do you think it was kids? Teenagers on drugs?” Cassidy asked. “How are we going to fix this? It’s a nightmare.”

Gary walked over and kissed the top of his wife’s head, handing her the glass.

“It’s too early to say,” he said, looking at Cassidy. “Don’t worry. We hadn’t changed the insurance over to your name yet, so it’s not your problem to fix. We’ll get a loan and help to rebuild until it comes through. We can move later.”

“That’s not fair,” Cassidy said, squeezing her fingers against the bridge of her nose. She was starting to comprehend why her mother loved this man so much. “You’ve got your own plans that include the new baby, when it comes along. The café was Mum’s past, you moving away together is her new future.”

“We’ll be fine. You’ll never stop being part of her future—nor mine for that matter. It doesn’t stop my business brain from ticking, so we can have both. I’ll consider it a challenge.” Gary stretched out both hands for them to grab to get up from the bed. “Come on, you two, dinner’s ready.”

The tantalizing aroma of her mother’s roast dinner made Cassidy ravenous. She hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch, an unusual occurrence, because eating good food for her seemed more natural than breathing. Her stomach made loud noises, as if agreeing with her thoughts.

As they walked out of the bedroom, the phone rang.

“Of course someone’s calling us, it’s dinner time,” Cassidy said as she ran to get it in the hallway. “
Down But Not Out
residence, how may I direct your call?”

“Cassidy, is that you?”

She’d know his voice anywhere—its deep, sultry tone that promised everything but was always ever so slightly out of her reach. Her heartbeat accelerated and she moistened her lips before readying herself to speak to him. She held onto the hall table for support and took a deep breath.

“Dante. Hi.”

“
Grazie a Dio
.” He sounded as if he was speaking through his teeth. “Finding your phone number wasn’t easy. Are you okay?”

“Just. I’m blaming myself for the fire getting out of control. If I hadn’t joined that damned competition, the café could still be in one piece because I might have known something was wrong from living above it.”

“I doubt it.” Dante’s voice was husky.

“Am I in a lot of trouble back there?”

“No more than I am.” He sighed. “I left shortly after you.”

“What?” Cassidy dropped the phone in her surprise and it clunked onto the table. She picked it up again. “Oops. I know why I left, but why would
you
be so stupid?”

“I couldn’t do it without you,” he said, melting her heart. “
Mio tesoro.”

“So what will they do now? Just have a grand finale with Carlos and Frederick?” Cassidy said, allowing the feeling of his need for her to sink in and do a dance with her emotions.

“They might have to,” Dante said. “But I think they know watching Frederick cook is as exciting as eating plain boiled rice.”

There was a long silence.

“Dante? Are you still there?”

“I’m here,
bella.
” His voice had become so faint, Cassidy had to strain to hear him. “I’m so sorry about your café. It’s all my fault.”

“I don’t understand, Dante. You’re not making any sense.” Cassidy wanted to reach out and hold him, tell him everything was going to be all right, even if she didn’t yet know why she wanted to comfort him. “Talk to me,” she said softly. “The only person who seemed to hate me in that place was Valerie. Do you think she had anything to do with it?”

“Valerie?” Dante sounded surprised. “No, but I need to talk to you about Carlos.”

“What?” Cassidy swiped her hand across her eyes. She was tired, feeling stressed again, and none of what he was saying made sense. “I don’t care if he wins. Let him have it. My life as I knew it has been burned beyond recognition.”

“Carlos was in custody,” Dante said.

“Police custody? Why?”

“He set the fire that burned your café down.”

Shock set in.

The phone fell out of Cassidy’s hand again, but this time she was unable to pick it up. Gary and her mother saw her and rushed over. As Gary helped her onto a chair, Elizabeth picked up the phone. “Who is this?” she said. “What did you just say to my daughter? Hasn’t she been through enough?”

“Mum, don’t. It’s okay. I’ll explain later.” Cassidy reached out to get the phone back. “Can you give me a few minutes? Dish up, I’ll join you soon.”

She spoke into the mouthpiece again after they’d walked away, throwing worried looks over their shoulders. “You still there?” Her voice sounded low, in control, but her hand clenched the hand piece so tightly it felt like it was locked in a splint.

“Was that your mother?” Dante said. “Please apologize to her on behalf of my family.”

“Apologise.” Her voice raised a notch and her skin felt as if someone was sticking needles into it. “Like mine, her life’s just been completely derailed. I don’t think an
I’m sorry
from the Cristiani family is going to cut it.”

“You’re right.”

Cassidy felt her racing heart start to subside and she took a deep breath before responding. “I really don’t want to have this conversation over the phone. Where are you?”

Dante coughed. “I’m out front.”

“Wait there.” Cassidy hung up and took a quick look in the mirror. Angry at herself for checking her appearance, she still ran her fingers through her hair. She yelled out to her mother and Gary that she’d be back and raced out the front door.

He met her halfway up the path, arms outstretched. She wanted to fight him, but she couldn’t. His familiar face reminded her of the special moments they’d shared. She sunk into his bear hug and breathed him in. They didn’t speak for several moments. All she wanted to do was smell his wonderful scent and hold him while he held her. Curiosity won and she broke away first. “Why? Why did Carlos do that to us?”

“I asked him the same thing when I bailed him out.”

Cassidy leaned back and pushed her palms against his chest to create a distance. “You did
what?
”

“I needed answers.” Dante didn’t pull her back, but led her to the low brick fence instead and urged her to sit. “I had to know everything before I came to see you.” He sat beside her. “To try and make you understand that when he set the fire he acted impulsively, to get back at me. I’m sorry you got caught in the crossfire.”