Chapter Thirty Five
Carly
Sometimes, change can be a great thing. Sometimes, it can be scary as hell. I’ve kept my heart protected for a decade and all it took was one look from Gio and those walls crumbled. I needed some advice and the one person I could always depend on to be straight with me was just a phone call away.
“Hi, Mama.”
“Carly. This is a nice surprise. I was just thinking about you and Eli.”
“That must be why my ears are burning.” It had been a running joke in our household growing up and we both laughed. I winced when my laugh ended on a sob.
“Carly Annabel Ballentyne, what on earth is wrong? Don’t you tell me ‘nothing’, either. I can hear it.”
“I don’t know where to start, Mama. It’s a long story.”
“You start at the beginning,mia figlia.”
A sigh escaped me as I slumped down on the sofa. “The club I work at was recently sold. The new owner is...something else. He’s got a wicked sense of humor, he’s smart, he actually cares about the employees, and he’s sexy as hell.”
“You’re attracted to him but he’s your boss, so you’re worried about losing your job over it.”
“It’s gone way beyond that already, Mama. I slept with him. He makes me feel like I’m worth something. He’s also Rico’s cousin.”
I heard Mama’s gasp and swallowed. “Yeah. He knows that Eli is Rico’s son. I’ve met his family, and they’re...very well off. Their house looks like a mansion, they’ve got a pool and this gorgeous backyard with a garden. It’s...opulent. And I don’t fit in there.”
“You think they’re snobs?”
“No. They made Eli and I feel welcome when Gio took us to his parents’ anniversary party. But, Mama, you know where I come from and it’s not money.”
“Carly Ballentyne. Don’t you dare start thinking you’re less just because you didn’t grow up in a fancy house. You had to grow up quickly and you’re doing the best you can, all on your own, to raise that little boy.”
I sighed softly. “I know, Mama. I’m not ashamed of where I come from. You were tough on me but you made me the woman I am today.” Hearing my mother’s words helped bolster my confidence a bit. “Thanks, Mama. I knew I could depend on you to tell me what I needed to hear.”
“Are you talking to Nana?”
At Eli’s question I just held the phone out to him. I sat there listening to him tell his grandmother all about what’s been going on in his life. When he finally said goodbye and handed me the phone back, I knew she’d have questions.
“What else is going on with you? You’re buying him things you couldn’t a month ago.”
“I was getting to that. After the club was bought out, I was offered the position as manager. Better pay and better hours, I jumped at the chance. I’ve been able to spend more time with Eli, which we’re both loving.”
“Sounds like things are finally going your way. I know you, Carly. You’ll pull away out of fear of getting hurt. You can’t live that way. I know from experience, it’s a lonely existence. Don’t make the mistake I did and wait so long to let yourself be happy again.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ll think about what you’ve said, Mama.”
“Good. I need to be going. You take care and come see me soon. I miss my grandbaby.”
“We’ll try.” I hung up and went through the motions to get ready while on autopilot. My mind was on the last bit of advice my mother had given me. She knew me well, she knew exactly what I was likely to do if I thought Gio was getting too close.
“Mama? Somebody put a note under the door.”
Eli’s words pulled me from my thoughts. I went to the door and frowned as I picked up the envelope. I figured it was something from the manager, probably a bill for the repairman he’d brought in not long ago, knowing him. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Lovely Lola,
I’ve missed seeing that luscious body up on the stage and getting to touch you when you dance. That Italian bastard better back off if he knows what’s good for him. You’re mine. I’ll be seeing you.
~A,
