Page 14 of Beneath the Dawn

“What made you leave California for North Carolina?”

“At the time, Kara was attending Duke, and I visited her and liked the area. When she finished college and got a job in Charlotte, I decided to join her there.” She pushed forward in her chair. “Okay, your turn. What was the most spontaneous thing you ever did?”

He recalled one such incident that very day, but he preferred to think of it as a good business decision instead of an act of spontaneity. He’d decided to purchase the third house in Lasco Cove as part of his real estate investments, and he presented the owner with a very nice offer. But Marti was asking about something interesting, something fun.

“It happened a month and a half ago, at Skylar’s wedding. Since so many of my relatives from Italy attended, I kicked off the Tarantella. Definitely nothing I had planned to do beforehand.”

She lifted a brow. “What’s the Tarantella?

“It’s a fast-paced dance that’s usually done at Italian weddings. I couldn’t let the moment pass without including some of that culture in the festivities. It was great.”

“I bet it was.”

Dante took another sip of his coffee. “Next question. Is there something you haven’t done in your lifetime that you wish you had?”

She rested her chin in her hand, smiled, and said, “Yes. I always wanted to learn how to play the drums.”

Her response surprised him. “The drums?”

“Yes,” she answered, grinning.

He couldn’t imagine her doing that. “I find that interesting,” he said, holding her gaze.

“Why? Don’t I look like the rocker type?”

“No, but then I don’t think that I look like the rocker type either. Yet I know how to play the drums. Quite well, if I must say so myself.”

“You do?” she asked, as if fascinated by the information.

“Yes. I was a drummer in my high school band. In fact, generations of Avera men were talented drummers, although they never played professionally.”

“Really? Why the drums?”

Dante figured she didn’t need to know the real reason. For Avera men, being skilled at playing the drums was directly linked to being skilled with a firearm. Few people knew that playing the drums greatly improved an individual’s shooting timing. Avera men were known to be expert marksmen because of it.

But she didn’t need to know that. “The drums were my family’s musical instrument of choice. We all started playing early, generation after generation.”

“Now I find that rather interesting.”

He shrugged. “It’s no different than someone learning to play the piano and then passing it down, in the hope that the interest in music would remain through generations.”

“Presented that way, I understand. Kara and I both learned to play the piano, not because we were particularly interested, but because Mom learned to play and her mother and grandmother before her.”

After taking another sip of her coffee, she asked. “This is fun. Okay, Dante, is there something you haven’t done in your lifetime that you wish you had?”

Dante thought about her question for a moment. “Yes. Although I served in the National Guard, which is part of the Air Force, my first choice was the Marines. Unfortunately, becoming a Marine didn’t fit into my career goals at the time.”

Marti nodded. “That’s a shame. Marines are so cool.” She then glanced at her watch. “My goodness, I didn’t realize it was so late.” She stood. “I’ll help you with the dishes.”

“There’s no need. However, there’s a lot left over if you’d like to take some back with you. I’ll even share my coffee with you,” he offered.

“Thanks, Dante. I’d love to have both.”

A short while later, she had helped him load up the dishwasher--although he’d said there was no need--and had packed up a steak, a loaded potato, and a slice of pie to take home with her that he had covered with foil. He’d also put some coffee in a Ziploc bag.

“I promise to bring your plate back,” she said, as he held the screen door open for her to walk out.

“No hurry. I’ll walk you home.”