Chapter 10: Designs

Boutique Juliette on the rue Daguerre had been open for scarcely eight months, but it was doing well, and Juliette Pittman was thrilled.

She had been introduced to a young designer in New York during her brief stint as General Manager of the football team she'd inherited from her father. When it had become clear to Juliette that she was not going to be allowed to actually run the New York Hawks, she'd sold the team, and become an extremely wealthy woman.

But she'd gotten a taste of running a business, and found she liked it. She'd always loved fashion, and the fashion world, so when the opportunity came to invest in the promising new designer, and to relocate to Paris, she had jumped at the chance. This was a much better fit for her anyway; what did she really know about football?

She'd asked Ray Jay Santino to come along on the adventure on a whim. She was used to being able to entice men, young and old, and she hadn't had a lot of trouble in persuading him to join her in Paris.

She could have turned him into one of her vast collection of discarded lovers, but she found she liked his company and his conversation, and wanted to keep him around, and so they'd decided it was probably better to just be friends.

As it turned out, Ray Jay had gotten a lot out of his friendship with Juliette. He now had a patina of French sophistication that was certainly missing a year ago. He'd also learned to navigate among the very wealthy, which mainly consisted of keeping his eyes and ears open and his head down.

And he'd acquired a new girlfriend, Emilie, who was one of Juliette's models. Ray Jay had been a popular guy back in New York, and he'd had a revolving door of girlfriends at one point, and one very serious relationship.

But he'd been a boy then. This was his first relationship as a man.

But Juliette had also gotten something out of her bond with Ray Jay, something she'd never had before. The teenaged Juliette who'd bounced from one expensive school to another had never had a best friend, one she could rely on and trust absolutely. She had one now.

And for both of them, occasionally, there was the fleeting attack of homesickness. When that happened, they'd share a bowl of popcorn and watch bad American movies, with no European sophistication in sight.

So when Juliette woke up and remembered suddenly that she had no assistant, she knew she'd be able to count on her best friend to fill in for a little while until she could hire a permanent replacement for Martine.

"I don't know, Jules. Can't you just get along for a few days without one?" Ray Jay had whined just a little bit.

She'd folded her arms across her chest, and Ray Jay knew he was sunk. It was the Juliette version of the "Dani-squint."

"OK. But my first and most important order of business is going to be finding my replacement. And I'll need the days off when I work with Marco. Those are my conditions."

He could play hardball, too.

Juliette turned away so he wouldn't see her look of relief. Thank goodness!

"And you can help me show our Moms around, too" she said, smirking.

"Oh, yeah. That's gonna be a love-fest all around."

XXXXXXXXXX

Dani had had a hard time falling asleep the night before, so she awoke late to sunlight streaming into the room. She could hear the shower running, and all she could think was how relieved she was that Nico was washing off the scent of Gabrielle Pittman.

He came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and smiled as soon as he saw that she was up. She couldn't help returning the smile.

"Come here, woman," he teased, pulling her to him for a quick hug and kiss, and all her anxiety from the night before just melted away. She felt silly even thinking about it.

"I've got coffee and croissants coming, but if you want anything else, I'll add it to the order."

He dried himself and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Nope. After that dinner last night, I think coffee and croissants are about all I can handle for breakfast."

Room service arrived with their breakfast just as Dani was scooting into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Do you want the plain croissant," he poked his head in the bathroom doorway, "or the chocolate?" he finished with an evil grin. She tried her best to answer "chocolate" around a mouth full of toothpaste suds, but wasn't sure she'd succeeded.

They sat at the glass-topped dining table, and Dani was happy that they were able to breakfast together this morning, unlike the day before when Nico had had to leave so early. He poured them both some coffee, and placed a croissant – chocolate, of course – on a plate in front of her.

"Ya know, Nico," Dani teased "when you said we were coming to Paris, you promised me three things. I think I've had more than enough wine, and here's my delicious pastry, but what about that tower you mentioned?" Her eyes sparkled with laughter.

Nico smiled mysteriously. "All taken care of. Make sure you dress warmly today."

She smiled happily in anticipation. She was glad to have something to look forward to besides lunch with Gabrielle Pittman!

Nico was glad that she was pleased. This was supposed to be a vacation, after all.

He thought that now might be a good time to tell her about the conversation he'd had with Gabrielle after she'd left the lounge the night before.

"Dani…" He picked up her hand, linking her fingers with his own. "I told Gabrielle about us. I told her that I was here with you on vacation, that we were together… and that I love you." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand between both of his.

"I'm only sorry that I didn't find a way to tell her the second she got here."

Dani nodded and wondered aloud, "So…what did she say, Nico?"

"Nothing. I left her there in the booth and didn't wait around to hear what she might have to say, because I didn't really care."

Dani's response was not what he expected.

She sighed and shook her head. "If you think that she's just gonna accept that and go away, I think you're kidding yourself."

He shrugged. "Maybe. But at least she knows. And I don't see what she can do about it."

Dani remained unconvinced.

But she had to shove aside any concerns about Gabrielle when she remembered that she also had something to share with Nico that just couldn't wait.

"Nico, we're headed to Barcelona next, right?"

He frowned teasingly. "Dani, you're taking all the fun out of this."

She sighed. "I know, Nico, and I'm sorry, but I really need to know when we're going to be in Barcelona."

"Well, the plan has always been flexible, but why the sudden need to fix a specific day for our arrival?"

"Because Lindsay is meeting us. In Barcelona."

Dani looked at Nico's astonished expression and started to laugh. "I don't think that we're going to be able to get away from family on this vacation, no matter what."

"When Lindsay called last night, she was kind of…upset…that I hadn't told her anything about…you, or anything about this trip. Ray Jay said something to her about us being here when they were Skyping the other day and she kind of freaked out because she thought I was in Barcelona with Jeanette.

She sighed. "I just hadn't wanted to try explaining it all to her on the phone." She gave a little laugh then. "And that's more or less what I ended up doing anyway.

"Now…well…she insists on coming here to talk to me in person. Hell, knowing Lindsay, she probably wants to interrogate you."

Her expression asked for understanding. "I felt guilty for leaving her in the dark, so I just couldn't tell her not to come, Nico. She can stay with Jeanette, and she's not a child any more…"

"Dani, take a breath. I don't mind that Lindsay's joining us in Barcelona. I was just surprised. "

He made some mental adjustments to his planned itinerary.

"We should be in Barcelona by Monday. You can tell her that."

Nico picked up her hand again and gave her that soft, open smile that he reserved for her alone.

"I know that any relationship with you includes your kids, Dani. I couldn't imagine it any other way."

Dani smiled, relieved. "Thank you for understanding. I do love you, Nico Careles."

Dani thought about the time difference. It was too early to call Lindsay in New York so she sent her a text message. She'd have to call Jeanette later and let her know when to expect them.

XXXXXXXXXX

They'd had so little time to themselves over the past few days that Dani and Nico decided to while away the morning in their suite, doing what came naturally. When they finally came up for air, a quick look at the clock told them that they had to hustle if they were going to get to Juliette's boutique by noon.

Nico expected that after his revelations about Dani to Gabrielle, she wouldn't show up for the grand tour.

Dani knew that he was wrong.

XXXXXXXXXX

When they entered the lobby, Dani and Nico found Gabrielle waiting for them exactly where she had been the night before, leafing through the exact same magazine.

Dani thought now, as she had then, that Gabrielle was posed there, waiting to be admired. Her trained observer's eye told her that Gabrielle's posture was studied and that her attention had fastened on them the minute they'd stepped out of the elevator.

Dani was beginning to wonder if Gabrielle ever did anything that was artless and natural.

When Gabrielle spoke, it was as if her conversation with Nico the night before had never happened.

"Nico, darling, would you get us a taxi? If we don't leave now we'll be late for the tour of Juliette's little shop."

Nico exchanged a look with Dani; his face showed chagrin that he had been proven wrong, while hers showed resignation that she had been proven right.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was clear from the outset that Gabrielle had not the slightest interest in Juliette's boutique. Dani didn't wonder why she had bothered to come; she knew that Gabrielle had only one object that day, and that was to spend as much time as possible in Nico Careles's company.

She did wonder how Gabrielle could be so uninterested in the accomplishments of her own daughter. Dani was a trained therapist, but she was also a mother, and she was unable to understand Gabrielle's seeming lack of maternal instincts when it came to Juliette. No doubt she was too close to the situation to be objective.

When they opened the door to Boutique Juliette just after noon, Dani was immediately impressed.

In the front section of the shop was the showroom, and it was elegantly appointed. When clients came in to look at the merchandise, they were seated in comfort while various garments were modeled for them. Juliette had begun with the one designer that she had discovered in New York. She had found two others during the past year, and now all three created one-of-a-kind items for the shop.

Somehow, the stars had aligned just right, and Juliette's boutique had been an almost instant success.

Two separate areas flanked a hallway off the back of the showroom. On one side was "the closet," where finished garments were hung. Despite its name, this was actually a very large area containing dozens of garments and accessories. Sometimes adding the right accessory was all it took to secure a sale. There was a dressing room off the closet that the models used to change their clothes. There was a much smaller dressing room off the main showroom that clients could use to try on the clothes themselves.

On the other side of the back hallway, chaos reigned. Or at least that's how it seemed to Dani. The design and creation of the garments took place in that area. There were designers, cutters, tailors, dressmakers; there were piles of fabric and notions everywhere; and there were finished and half-finished garments on hangers and dressmakers' forms. Everyone was busy working and everyone seemed to know what they were doing.

At the very end of the hallway were the business offices. Two of the offices were for Juliette and her assistant. To Dani's surprise, Ray Jay was on the telephone in the assistant's office, and he waved as they went through. He mouthed to her: See you at lunch.

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow when she saw him. "I didn't know that Ron Jon actually worked for you, Juliette. I thought he was just your lodger or something."

Nico smirked and Dani looked like she'd like to say something, but Juliette beat her to it.

"It's Ray Jay, Mom. His name is Ray Jay, not Ron Jon." She shook her head at her mother's tactlessness. "And he is my flat-mate, but he's also my friend, and right now he's doing me a big favor."

"Oh," was all the reply the Gabrielle could muster up. What an uninteresting conversation, she thought. Why did I even say anything about that boy?

The third office was occupied by the woman that Juliette had luckily found to handle the financial aspects of her business. Juliette had plenty of money, but she was not interested in throwing it away. So far, she liked this business a whole lot better than the football team, but it was still a business to her, not a hobby.

All told, Juliette employed more than 20 people. Dani was impressed with her accomplishments. Nico congratulated her on what she had created. Gabrielle simply looked bored.

Juliette had saved "the closet" until the end of the tour, thinking that Dani and Gabrielle might enjoy looking through all the wonderful clothes created by her design team, and that Nico would probably want to sneak out for a while to avoid that particular activity.

In this, she was only partially correct. Dani gasped when she saw all the beautiful clothes hanging from every available space. But when Juliette laughingly gave Nico a pass on wading through a whole lot of women's clothing, Gabrielle decided that she was tired, and followed Nico into the front of the shop.

Dani's eyes glittered and narrowed dangerously. She glared at Gabrielle's retreating form, but she was determined not to play this game. In fact, she would have felt ridiculous running after Gabrielle. Nico, she was sure, could take care of himself.

Juliette just shrugged her shoulders, rolled her eyes, and said, "Well, OK, guess she found something more interesting to do."

Dani tried to hide her smirk.

Juliette looked Dani up and down and suddenly had a wonderful idea.

"Dani, I have a dress here that would look fabulous on you. Let me find it." She knew the collection well, because within a few moments she had found what she was looking for.

"Here, why don't you try it on?"

Dani gasped when she saw it. It was emerald green silk, long-sleeved, and the top was diagonally pleated so that it draped across the bust. The skirt was short, but not too short. It was simple and elegant and Dani loved it on sight.

She persuaded herself that she'd just take a look because she knew that she could never make herself spend what she would consider an exorbitant sum on just one dress. But just to see how it looked…why not?

As soon as she put on the dress, Dani wondered how she was going to be able to resist it. It fit her perfectly, showing off her compact curves and her small waist and making her legs look long, despite her small stature. She'd never had a dress that looked this good on her.

Juliette gave her a pair of shoes to try it on with, and added some simple jewelry at the neckline.

"Dani, you look great in that dress. I knew I was right."

Ray Jay knocked on the door and stuck his head in at just that moment.

"Whoa! My Mom is a foxy lady!"

It was silly, but much better than his "beauty sleep" comment from a couple of nights ago, so Juliette smiled and gave him a 'thumbs up.'

Dani grinned at him. "Now you know where you get those good looks, kiddo!"

She suddenly remembered her phone conversation with his sister. "Hey, Ray Jay, I never got the chance to tell you about Lindsay's phone call last night. She was a little upset, so…well…I told her it would be OK for her to come here for a few days."

"Lindsay's coming to Paris?" He sounded excited.

"Oh, no, hon, I'm sorry, that didn't come out right. She can't get away until next week, so she's meeting up with Nico and me in Barcelona at Jeanette's house." She lowered her voice. "Between you and me, I think she wants to give him the third degree."

He considered. "Well, if anyone could intimidate scary Nico, it just might be my little sister."

The both laughed as Ray Jay closed the door.

While they were talking, Juliette had been considering.

"Dani, I'd like to give you that dress."

"What? No way!" She shook her head. "I appreciate the thought, Juliette, but I can't possibly accept this from you."

"Please let me do this. Look, I know you think I'm a spoiled brat…let's face it, I am a spoiled brat. But I owe you, and I want you to have the dress." She was very determined.

Dani was puzzled. "Juliette, you don't owe me anything. Why would you say that?"

Juliette took a deep breath. "Well, let's see." She started to tick off the reasons on her fingers.

"You really helped me back in New York after my father…killed himself, even though I wasn't your patient, couldn't be your patient."

Dani gave her a small sympathetic smile. She remembered what a difficult time Juliette had had after Marshall Pittman died.

Juliette went on, ticking off other fingers. "And then how do I repay you? You come here with Nico on a vacation, and he spends all that time dealing with my stupid problem, that I created for myself, instead of doing things with you.

"And speaking of Nico." Juliette smiled and Dani could see how attached she was to him. "I've never seen him as happy as he is now, with you. And that makes me happy. I hated that he always seemed so alone.

"Oh yeah, and let's not forget my mother." She paused a minute, sighed, looked away and then back at Dani.

Dani could see that Juliette had something on her mind, and she didn't have to wait long to find out what it was.

"You know, for a long time I wondered if there was…something…between my mother and…and….Nico. I mean, he was always around, all the time I was growing up, and I knew that he was close to both of my parents, but as I got older, I could see that the relationships were separate ones. One for Marshall; another for Gabrielle. At one point, I was kind of consumed with finding out the answer to that question.

She looked at Dani again and gave a little laugh.

"I finally figured out that it just fucking didn't matter. My parents had the most fucked up marriage I ever saw, and that's saying something considering the people I ran around with at school. Marshall – I loved him, but he was crazy as a loon. And, well, it doesn't take a degree in psychology to figure out that Gabrielle is neurotically self-centered." She grinned at Dani. "Not that there's anything wrong with a degree in psychology.

"But the thing is, the one person I could always count on growing up was not either one of my parents, it was Nico. So I finally decided that anything other than how he treated me was just none of my business. And he's never been anything but good to me – just look how he helped me this week - and he deserves my loyalty, no matter what.

"And lately, well, I've been pretty sure Nico was avoiding my mother. He never said it directly, but it seemed like he'd been ducking her for months." She sighed. "And I was so upset about my own problem that I just wasn't thinking, and I told her he was here…and now she's practically stalking him!"

She gave Dani a rueful smile. "I guess after the past couple of days I don't have to wonder why he was avoiding her."

She paused then and looked a little sheepish. "And here's my final sin." She wiggled her pinky finger. "It's about…Ray Jay." She rushed ahead, plainly embarrassed. "I know it was selfish of me to bring him to Paris with me, but honestly, Dani, despite all the crazy things I've done in my life, I was a little scared to move here alone."

She paused, thinking about it. "I don't know how I would have survived without him in the beginning. The world I live in can be so…so…superficial. But Ray Jay is never that, he's just himself, and he's been a really good friend to me. So I hope you've forgiven me for stealing him away."

She gave Dani a genuine smile. "You've been really great since you've been here. The only time you got even a little mad is when you thought that Ray Jay and I were shacking up." She hurried on. "Not that I blame you! If my kid were hooking up with someone I thought was a brat, I'd probably be upset, too. Not that we're hooking up! Ray Jay and me, I mean. I mean, you know that, right?"

Dani smiled at her. She was both amused and touched by Juliette's admissions.

"Juliette, stop! Now that I think about it, for all those transgressions, I think you owe me a whole new wardrobe."

She grinned. "But I won't be greedy. I'll just take the dress."

"You will? That's great! I don't think it needs a single thing done to it, it fits you so perfectly. Why don't I get your address from Ray Jay and ship it to you in New York? That way, you won't have to cart it around with you."

"Perfect." She smiled fondly at her. "And thank you, Juliette. It's one of the loveliest presents I've ever received."

Dani wasn't talking just about the dress. No, she was pretty sure she had just been offered the gift of Juliette's friendship. And she was amazed to find that she valued that friendship, not just for Nico's sake, or for Ray Jay's, but for herself. Juliette was turning out to be so much more than she had ever expected.

Juliette beamed.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Dani and Juliette emerged back into the showroom, Ray Jay was waiting for them with Emilie in tow.

"Hey, isn't this great! I didn't know that Em would be here today. Now she can come to lunch with us."

"Ray Zsay, you know I do not like this stupid American habit of ze nicknames. My name is Emilie, not Em."

She turned to Dani. " 'Allo again, Dr. Santino…or may I call you Danielle?"

Dani's eyes narrowed just the slightest bit as she heard her son being chastised by his girlfriend yet again, and a mischievous little devil took hold of her.

"Well you can if you want, but I really prefer 'Dani'." She turned to Juliette, "So, Jules, where are you taking us for lunch?"

Juliette couldn't help but giggle - just a little. Emilie frowned, but the byplay flew completely over Ray Jay's head.

Because he was thinking about something else.

Ray Jay was looking around and wondering aloud, "Where are Nico and Gabrielle?"

Where, indeed.

XXXXXXXXXX

While Dani was trying on the emerald green designer dress, Gabrielle had designs of another sort on her mind.

She and Nico had returned to the showroom and sat down on one of the comfortable sofas that flanked its walls, he not looking at her, and she looking nowhere but at him.

"Nico, darling, I'd love some coffee. Isn't there a café around here somewhere?"

The shop assistant, trying to be gracious to the boss's mother said, "Oh, Mme Pittman, I have some freshly-brewed coffee. I'd be happy to get you a cup."

For her efforts, she received a steely-eyed glare from Gabrielle.

The assistant hurried on. "Or, if you'd prefer, there's a lovely cafe not far away."

Gabrielle smiled. "I do prefer. Nico, let's take a little walk and get some coffee."

"I don't think so, Gabrielle."

She lowered her voice marginally. "Look, Nico, I think we need to talk. I know we both have things we need to say to each other."

He turned to her slightly, amazed at her persistence, "I don't have anything more to say to you, Gabrielle."

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you want to have this conversation here, Nico, or would you prefer the relative privacy of a café?"

Nico was frustrated. There was nothing he liked less than not being able to control a situation. Except maybe not knowing its outcome. But he certainly didn't want to have a private conversation where Juliette's very curious shop assistant could hear every word.

He tried another tack. "They'll be back out any minute, Gabrielle. It would be pointless to leave."

The shop assistant, whose name was Annette, and who was very young, cleared her throat, and looked like she wanted to say something. After all, this was Mlle Pittman's mother. Shouldn't she be as helpful to her as possible?

Gabrielle looked at her inquiringly.

"Well, I believe that the other lady was trying on some clothes, so that may take a little time." Her voice trailed off, and she began to wonder if she should have kept her own counsel when the man shot her a thunderous look.

But Mme Pittman seemed very appreciative.

"Thank you, dear. See, Nico, we have plenty of time for a little walk, a little coffee, and some conversation."

Nico sighed and asked Annette, "How far is the café?"

"It's just up the street – to the left." Her voice trembled a little. He scared her just a bit.

"When Mlle Pittman and Dr. Santino come back into this room, please tell them we've gone for coffee and will be right back."

"Yes, monsieur, I will."

XXXXXXXXXX

But she'd forgotten, until Ray Jay asked the question and then she was almost afraid to speak up.

She found her courage and told Mlle Pittman that her mother and the gentleman had gone to the café for coffee.

Annette had thought they'd be happy to know where their friends had gone, but not a one of them seemed pleased to hear her explanation. Except maybe that bitch, Emilie. But really she mostly looked bored. Annette gave Ray Jay her brightest smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

Gabrielle felt triumphant because she had finally managed to separate Nico from that insignificant Santino woman.

When he had told her last night that he loved her, that he loved Dani, Gabrielle had felt shock and disbelief, and then, finally, anger. He had no right to love anyone else. Not now.

Not when Gabrielle had wanted to move him from the back benches to the front rows of her life. She'd been waiting to do it for a whole year, biding her time until he was finished mourning Marshall, or whatever the hell it was that was keeping him from her life and from her bed, and finally came to his senses.

Another woman? She just wasn't having it.

She'd calmed down after a while, as she lay in her bed, unable to sleep. The calm had come when she realized that he couldn't possibly be in love with that woman. She knew it had to be something else.

Probably guilt. They'd deceived Marshall for a long time, she and Nico. Or so they'd thought, but then it turned out that he'd known all along. And besides, he was dead and buried.

So not guilt. She knew guilt was a waste of time anyway.

Maybe loneliness? But Nico had always been a solitary figure. If he'd wanted to find a companion to assuage his loneliness, he would have done so years earlier. Besides, Gabrielle would have been happy to keep him company. Of course, he would have had to move into her orbit, but she knew he would fit right in. Nico could fit in anywhere.

So he probably wasn't lonely. He'd always seemed to like his own company.

Lust? That was certainly possible. The Santino woman did have certain… charms, but Gabrielle knew that she could never be competition for her. Scores of men had commented on Gabrielle's beauty, and she knew that she was still as lovely as ever.

So it couldn't be physical. At least not completely.

Gabrielle had finally fallen asleep when she'd realized that it was probably nothing more than a simple case of propinquity. They worked together, saw each other a lot, not many women around, why not get together? Or, what did they call it these days? Hook up?

Gabrielle might have rethought that particular assessment of the situation if she'd seen the number of available women at V3 where Nico had been working for the past year. But she knew nothing about that; she imagined him still in the almost totally male environment of a professional football team.

No matter. So certain was she of the correctness of her analysis, that she knew she need only have the proper conversation with Nico to effect a permanent end to this travesty of a relationship.

Gabrielle was so adept at telling herself lies at this point in her life that she was able to disregard anything that might contradict her own conclusions, such as: she hadn't known where Nico was because he hadn't seen fit to tell her; he'd physically pushed her away whenever she had tried to touch him; he'd avoided an intimate dinner for two and had instead invited three other individuals to join them; he hadn't wanted to leave the shop until she'd blackmailed him into it with threats of exposure of his private life; and, finally, he'd told her he was in love with another woman.

This information did not fit into her long-awaited plan to become Mrs. Nico Careles, and so it was simply removed from her reality like leftover pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

She felt empowered, because she understood what had really happened, and now she would begin to coax him back where he belonged. She smiled in anticipation.

They found the café and sat down at a table for two. "This place looks wonderful, Nico, darling. I am a little chilled. I'd like a cappuccino, please." Gabrielle gave him her order as though he were a barista and she a queen.

Nico sighed and brought the cappuccino and a coffee for himself back to their table. He sipped his coffee and waited for her to make her pitch. It wasn't long in coming.

"It's too bad we've had this little misunderstanding, Nico. I know you didn't mean to hurt me when you said those terrible things to me last night." The seductive smile never left her face, but he had long ago become immune.

He knew silence was probably not going to work this time. He had to be more a little more proactive in fending off her advances.

"There was no misunderstanding, and I don't recall saying anything terrible to you, Gabrielle. I merely brought you up to date on my life."

She tried another tack.

"I can see how easy it is to think you're in love when you see someone every day." She smiled in apparent understanding of his temporary lapse in judgment.

Nico continued to sip his coffee and didn't bother to reply to that one. He knew more was coming.

"You know I've explained to you over and over that I married the wrong man. But you see, that was another case where he was around and you'd gone away on some mission or other."

He remembered how devastated he'd felt when he'd come back from an operation and found that she'd married Marshall.

"I think you married exactly the right man, Gabrielle, one who could accept all the compromises that would be required of him if he was to continue to be married to you."

He was suddenly furious, but he revealed it only in the way he bit off his next words.

"I berated myself for years because I couldn't seem to stop caring about you, and Marshall, it seems, knew about us all along. Not that that made it any better. Not that that made what either of us was doing any less abhorrent."

"So you do feel guilty. I should have known that that's what was keeping you away from me." She looked triumphant.

"Of course I feel guilty. And I feel even worse knowing that I had to take on your guilt, too. That I was involved with a woman who didn't even have enough principles to feel guilty over her own marital infidelity."

He calmed himself with difficulty, forced his next words to be succinct, not allowing for any misinterpretation.

"Guilt aside, my…attachment…to you ended long ago, and you know it. You knew it in that hotel room in New York, and you know it now."

She seemed taken aback.

"And even if there were no Dani…although I thank God every day that there is…I would never want to be with you."

And now she was furious, as she pulled on her coat and rose to leave. But she was also determined.

Nico rose too, happy to bring this interlude to an end. His attention was elsewhere, but out of the corner of her eye, Gabrielle saw that Dani Santino had just opened the door of the café, and would no doubt soon spot them from across the small room.

So just then Gabrielle…stumbled. She stumbled quite badly, in fact, right into Nico. Nico was forced to put his arms around her, or they both would have fallen.

And so he pulled Gabrielle into his embrace in an effort to prevent a calamity, just as he looked up, straight into the eyes of Dani Santino, and realized that calamity had struck anyway.

Dani hadn't seen the stumble, but she did see the embrace.