The Moretti Arrangement by Katherine Garbera

out of the shadows.
    Both of them turned to face him. Angelina took a step forward, but Renaldo stopped her with his hand on her shoulder.
    “I’m sorry, Signore Moretti. I didn’t think tonight when I brought Penni back here.”
    “No, you didn’t think. Apology accepted.”
    “It won’t happen again,” Renaldo said.
    “I know it won’t,” Dominic said. He believed that Renaldo was starting to grow up. Maybe it had been his sister’s tears or the fact that she’d almost had to go to jail for him, but something had woken Renaldo De Luca up.
    “Go and enjoy the rest of the party,” Dominic said.
    “Yes, sir.”
    Renaldo left and Angelina still didn’t look at him. She was beautiful tonight in her formal dress. It was black—as most of her clothing was—and formfitting. Her shoulders and neck were bare and as she kept staring at the floor he couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable she looked.
    “What are you thinking?” he asked.
    She lifted her head and he saw the glitter of tears in her eyes. “Thank you for going easy on him.”
    “No need to thank me. I know that mistakes happen, and owning up to them like he did shows me the kind of man he’s becoming.”
    She nodded. “I…I’ve been so worried about him.”
    “Why?”
    “Because I haven’t let him fight any of his own battles. He was devastated when Mom and Dad died…you can’t imagine what it was like that first year.”
    Dominic crossed the space between them and drew her into his arms. He wished he’d been there for Angelina then. Wait a minute. What was he thinking? If he’d been there for her, he probably wouldn’t have any of the things that he called his own today.
    Angelina was a distraction to him, and though he’d never lose his business focus, if he’d met her before he’d gotten involved in the day-to-day running of Moretti Motors, he’d easily have been content to let himself fall in love with her. Damn, was that what he was doing?
    That couldn’t be right. And if it was, it meant she was too much of a distraction. If he let her take over any part of his life, Moretti Motors would fall back into the hands of outsiders. One thing that Dominic promised himself he’d never let happen.
    Would he, though? He’d had a chance at love and had blown it. In college he’d fallen hard for a pretty American named Kate, and they’d become engaged after one semester. Dominic had thought that Kate was his world and expected her to feel the same about him. But she’d returned home to Texas for the summer while he worked in Moretti Motors as a management trainee. When it was time to return to school, Kate had called him and said she wasn’t coming back. She missed the States and her home there too much. Dominic had thought about leaving Moretti Motors and going to her, but she’d discouraged him from doing so.
    Why then did his heart feel as though Angelina was the missing piece?

    After that night at the reception Angelina noticed a change in their relationship. Dominic stopped treating her like a mistress and more like a girlfriend. More like a woman he was going to continue seeing. But it had been almost six months now and she lived on pins and needles, so afraid that Dominic would stick to the letter of the agreement they’d signed.
    “Want to go out for a drink after work?” Marta asked while they were at lunch.
    “I can’t.”
    “Do you have a date?” Marta asked.
    “Yes,” she said.
    “Well, me, too, but not until later,” Marta said.
    “Still computer dating?”
    “Yes. I know my Mr. Right is out there.”
    “What do you mean your Mr. Right?”
    “The one guy meant for me. Do you believe in that?” Marta asked.
    Angelina shrugged. “I’ve never really thought about it. I’ve never dated a lot. But, with Renni relying on me I couldn’t.”
    “But that’s not a problem anymore, is it? I meant to tell you your brother is one hot guy. I’d think about asking him out, except I know all his dirt from