Blind Love (30 page)

They sat in companionable silence for a minute or two before she asked, “Would your decision be easier if I looked like Jenny and had a little girl who needed a new daddy?”

He couldn’t answer.

Long after Catherine went back inside, Tony sat beside the pool with Riley’s head on his lap. Catherine loved him. She hadn’t said the words, but she didn’t have to. He knew.

She’d made her point on the show. Physical appeal wasn’t the most important thing in a relationship, but there was more to Jenny than physical appeal.

Was it enough to give up Catherine’s love?

Chapter Seventeen

A
fter spending a restless night agonizing over his decision, Tony called Nick. “I don’t know what in the hell to do, Nick. I love them both. Jenny is everything I’ve ever dreamed about, but I can’t get Catherine out of my head. I’m crazy about her.”

“What does Aunt Sophia say?”

“She won’t commit to either one, but I know she likes Catherine.”

“Tony, everybody in the family likes Catherine.”

Tony blew out a breath. “She thinks Jenny’s ex is still in the picture. I don’t know if she’d just trying to confuse me or if she knows something I don’t.”

“So check it out. The producer was supposed to have the women investigated before the show. Get the detective’s name and phone number and give him a call. Do it now, before you make the wrong decision.”

“Nick, you’re a genius.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said with a little laugh. “That’s why I married Cara.”

Tony had had never seen Nick happier than he was with Cara and their baby boy. Nick had married the wrong woman the first time. Now he had a great woman in his life. Cara didn’t flaunt her money, and she didn’t make Nick feel any less important because he wasn’t a rich man. She quietly helped the family when there was a need, but she didn’t lavish expensive gifts on them. Cara might have come into the family as a poor little rich girl, but to the Donatelli family, she was simply Nick’s wife and the mother of the youngest Donatelli.

Tony wanted a woman who would take her place in the family as if she’d always belonged. Like Cara had. Catherine had a ton of money, but he couldn’t let that influence his decision. He had a little money saved up, and he was strong and healthy. He liked the kind of work he did, building someone’s new house or making an existing home better. If he had to sit behind a desk all day, he’d go out of his mind. Nick had put him in charge of a crew, and Tony was a good supervisor. His men respected him, and he’d never had a lick of trouble from them.

He wanted the woman he loved to be proud of the work he did, not to be disappointed because he didn’t make more money or because he didn’t own his own company.

Catherine was okay with his profession, but Jenny hadn’t said a word about it. Would she be satisfied with a carpenter husband?

He had to find Henry and get the information he needed. Tony searched the house and found Henry in the study. “Henry, I need to see the detective’s reports on Jenny.”

“Why?”

“There are things I want to know, and I’m not sure I’ll get the right answers from her.” Tony glanced around to make sure the camera wasn’t on him. “I want to know if Jenny still has a man in her life. She told me one thing and Catherine another. I want to know the truth, and I want to know how she’s been living. Does she work? Does she live with a guy or what?”

Henry stared at him, and Tony realized that Henry couldn’t believe any man would consider choosing Jenny over Catherine. “I understand Mitzi told some of the girls who you were,” he said. “Is that what this is about?”

“I need to know if she’s interested in me or money.” He’d been dreaming about a woman like Jenny for years, and now that he’d found her, he couldn’t send her away without a good reason.

Henry shook his head. “I’m sorry, Tony. I can’t give you what you want.”

They put him on this stupid show to choose a woman and now they wouldn’t help him learn the truth? To hell with that. “Let me put this another way. Until I get the information I need to make an informed decision, I won’t make a decision.”

Henry threw his pen down on the desk. “We’ve put too much into this show to lose it at the end.”

“Then give me what I need.” He’d put Henry in a tough position, but Tony knew he’d come through.

He had to.

<>

Catherine dressed in jeans and a T-shirt for her date with Tony. She took a wind breaker along. It could be cool out on the boat. Tony seemed preoccupied on the plane ride, and she knew it was because of Jenny and her birth control pills. Saying anything to him now could make things worse. He might think she was taking unfair advantage by trying to influence his decision, when all she wanted to do was help him make the right decision. She wanted him to be happy with his decision.

She’d die inside if he chose Jenny.

The plane landed in Gig Harbor at noon, and a limo drove Catherine and Tony and the ever-present crew to Nick and Cara’s house. It was a fairly remote location overlooking Puget Sound. The house was striking on the outside, with a lighthouse-like structure on the left corner. It was the first time Catherine had been to this house. She’d always visited with Cara at the estate or in Santa Barbara.

The two cameramen and director followed them inside and down three half-levels to the living and dining rooms. A wall of glass overlooked the water, and a switchback trail led down to the beach about twenty feet below. A beautiful yacht was tied up to the dock.

After greeting their host and hostess, Tony and Catherine sat with Nick and Cara in the sunroom that wrapped around the kitchen and dining areas. The spa gurgled behind them, and little Max slept in a wicker bassinet in the corner. Max had his knees drawn up under him, and his diaper-clad behind stuck up in the air. Catherine wanted to hold him and cuddle him, but even if he wasn’t sleeping, the cameras were present, and the crew had already been instructed not to take his picture.

“This is an awesome house,” said Catherine. It wasn’t a mansion like her home in California. It felt more like a family home, a place big enough to have family dinners, but not big enough to accommodate twenty overnight guests or entertain hundreds of people.

“Tony’s brother designed the house,” said Cara, “and my husband and his cousins built it. Tony did all the finish work. I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out.”

After a pleasant lunch at the house, Tony and Catherine and the crew stepped on board the
Maxine II
and shoved away from the dock.

Catherine looked around the main cabin. A beautiful white leather sofa curved around a built-in teak coffee table.

Tony sat in the pilot’s seat and guided the yacht out into Puget Sound. Catherine stood by his side. “My father used to have a yacht, but it was nothing like this. This is awesome. I could live on here.”

“Nick lived on a boat for a couple years way back when. He used to take me and my brothers and the kids in the family out fishing. Sometimes we’d just cruise around.”

The sun broke through the clouds. Lush green hills dotted with homes framed the sparkling water. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water.

Catherine pointed out the window on the starboard side. “Is that a whale? Look, there’s another one.”

Tony put the engine on idle, and they drifted and watched the orcas play in Puget Sound. “There’s a baby whale. See.” He put his arm around Catherine’s shoulders and pointed. One cameraman moved to the other side to get a better shot of the baby whale.

Catherine leaned into Tony and whispered, “I’d love to make a baby with you, Tony.”

“Catherine,” he whispered. He gave her such a look of love it brought tears to her eyes. She knew in that moment that if the camera crew wasn’t with them, he’d set the anchor, take her into the V-berth, and make love to her. She’d give him a baby. She’d give him ten if he wanted them.

After cruising around the sound for a couple hours, talking and laughing and enjoying their time together, Tony brought the boat back to the dock. The crew seemed confident that they’d gotten some great shots, so everyone was happy.

On their way back to the plane, the limo stopped at the house Tony shared with his mother. His sister Maria and her four children lived there now.

He held hands with Catherine and showed her through the house, which was kind of small for a big family. “When I was a kid, there were six kids living in this house—seven with Nick—and the basement wasn’t finished. I added the bedroom and bathroom downstairs and finished the playroom a couple years ago.

“After my mother’s stroke, we didn’t want her living alone. After I went to California, she stayed with Nick and Cara, but now that Maria and the kids are here, they keep an eye on her.”

“You take care of your mother?”

“Of course. That’s what family is all about. Taking care of each other.”

Catherine hoped the camera caught that statement, because it defined Tony’s character. He didn’t mooch off his mother. He took care of her because he loved her.

<>

Back at the estate in California, Tony showered and put on his new suit for dinner. A tray of appetizers sat on the coffee table in his sitting room, a bottle of champagne chilled beside the table, soft music played, and the room glowed with candlelight. It was a setup for seduction, and Catherine would love it. He’d love it, too, if they could get rid of the extra people in the room.

Catherine tapped on the door and he opened it. She wore a slinky green dress that matched her eyes and brightened her red hair. The dress had a neckline low enough to make him salivate. “Wow, look at you. You’re absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you, Tony. You’re looking pretty good yourself.”

Her nipples poked at the thin fabric, and he wanted to touch them, taste them, and make love to her right that minute. He wondered if she was wearing anything under that dress. The way the fabric slithered over her body, he doubted it. She had him hard already, and all he’d done was look at her.

She glanced down and blushed a little, which he found charming. He kissed her gently, saving the good stuff for later. And there would be a later if he had to drop-kick that damn camera out the window.

Catherine held both Tony’s hands and stalled for time. Could he sit down with an erection that size? Probably not. The dress she’d saved for the final date had done the trick. He didn’t have to tell her he wanted to make love to her. She saw it in his eyes and felt it in the slight trembling in his hands.

He poured her a glass of champagne and they stood gazing at each other before he touched his glass to hers. “To love.”

“To love,” she whispered, and tasted the champagne. “Mmm, good.”

He set the glasses on the table. “Dance with me.”

“I’d love to.”

This dance was nothing like the one at the costume party. The tender way he held her and the sensuous way they moved together felt so right. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.

Someone from the kitchen staff brought up dinner, and they fed each other bites of lobster. It tasted delicious, but Catherine’s appetite wasn’t for food. Tony wasn’t an actor, and he couldn’t fake this. It was more than seduction. It was love.

But did he love her more than Jenny?

After dinner, Tony took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. He and Catherine kicked off their shoes and sat on the sofa together listening to soft music and talking.

“How many kids do you want, Tony?”

“As many as my wife is willing to give me. Two, six, twelve—”

“Twelve?”

His eyes sparkled. He was teasing her. She cocked her head. “Would you settle for four?”

He rubbed her shoulder. “That’s a nice round number. Two boys and two girls.”

“What if they’re all girls?”

“My mother would love it. She only has one granddaughter so far.”

“What about you, Tony? Would you love daughters?”

“And their mother,” he murmured, and kissed her.

“That’s enough,” said the director. He motioned to the cameraman. “Ross is so hot he’s sweating all over the camera lens.”

Catherine blushed, and Tony burst out laughing. He whispered in her ear, “He’s not as hot as I am right now.”

She whispered back, “If you do this with Jenny, I’ll smash that camera over your head.”

“Hey, no ultimatums.”

“I don’t like sharing. How would you like it if you were in my shoes? How would you feel knowing I was doing this with another man?”

“I’d be green as hell.”

She stood. “I think I’d better say goodnight.” She wanted to stay with him tonight, but if she did, he might feel obligated to sleep with Jenny tomorrow night.

Tony groaned, and the cameraman, already halfway out the door, said, “If you don’t want her, there are at least four guys on the production staff who do.” He looked straight at Catherine. “Including me.”