The Twelve Vitali Ch. 31

"I forgot how cold it was out here," Cat said, rubbing her hands together.

"Let's walk around the oval for a bit, that should warm you up," Arturo said, signalling Bradbury, who stood at the bottom of the bleachers, seemingly alert to everything and everyone approaching Cat and the two men she sat with. "David will be finished soon, and we can take him with us to eat if you like, or head back to his place and order Chinese or something. You know this area better than me. What's good to eat around here?"

"We used to go to the local pub to eat after training," Cat shrugged.

"Great, let's do that!" Arturo said enthusiastically.

"I'm not so sure," Cat said as they started walking around the edge of the oval the young men were training on, with Bradbury shadowing them. "I used to work there, and I haven't been back since I quit and went to Queensland."

"All the more reason to revisit, it's good to go back to old haunts and remind yourself of where you have come from to get to where you are now," Arturo said. This was exactly the type of place he had been thinking of when he asked her to come back to her old neighbourhood. He needed all of this fresh in her mind before he gave her the advice he wanted. This trip down memory lane was going to make it all the more potent when he brought it up. "I'd like to see the place. It's one thing to know where you spent your childhood, but it's another thing entirely to be here and experience it."

"It's very different from when I was a kid. The new estates have cleared out most of the government welfare housing," she said. "It's much nicer now than it was even five years ago."

"It doesn't matter that it's changed. This club, that local bar, even the estates, all went into creating the woman who captured the heart of one of the countries most eligible bachelors. You've never shied away from that fact. Matteo has certainly never attempted to gloss over the fact that you don't come from the same social set as his family. Why would you be concerned about owning it here when you aren't concerned with any of the family or their friends?" Arturo asked. "Upside down snobbery?"

"No!" she denied what she had taken as an accusation.

"I guess I am trying to work out what happened to this girl. I saw glimpses of her during the last week of the gathering, but you let Theresa walk all over you today and dictate which charities you will support without even asking any questions. I had thought you were going to talk to the other younger women and decide for yourself which charities you would patronise," Arturo said.

"I am," she frowned, not understanding what he was saying.

"You agreed to attend three charities events this week. Once you go, you will be seen as a patron, and those that run the charities will be eager to use your image and your name to entice others who want to hobnob with the A-list crowd to also attend the functions and donate to that charity. Whether you like it or not, as Matteo's wife you hold power and influence, and that can be used secondarily." Arturo explained patiently.

"I really haven't done much about being the mother, and I thought Theresa was just trying to help me," she seemed to consider what he was saying. "I still haven't met with Sebastian and Zion about the software or talked to the younger women. Things that I should have prioritized time to."

"You have had a few other considerations, so don't be too hard on yourself. Without Matt and Ric here, though, it's a chance for you to stop and think about what it is you want, and how you want to represent this family," he advised.

"Ah, this was the advice you wanted to give me," Cat nodded.

"Part of it, possibly; more so I wanted you to remember who you were at heart, the woman that the Vitali men have all fallen in love with. That woman is not like the Vitali women, and letting those women turn you into a carbon-copy of them is wrong. That's not who you are meant to be. You are meant to be the girl from Acacia Estates, strong, compassionate and unexpected," Arturo pushed her. "If you want to support those charities you agreed to today, great, but at least ask questions about them, so you know what you are putting your image and name to."

"I hear you," Cat said, and gave him a small smile. "You're wrong though. I've changed dramatically over the last six months. The girl from Acacia Estates doesn't exist anymore, but neither does Catriona Vitali. I'm stuck in a nowhere land because I don't fit into either world now. The rest of the family accepts me because of Matteo. They have no choice, and, while I have certainly built bridges and created some friendships, I'm not accepted as anything other than that girl who creates drama wherever she goes. Lucca was hurt because of me, though he says he doesn't blame me. The truth is that it wouldn't have happened if he wasn't with me."

"That's not true," Arturo said, surprised by her words. "You are loved by the people in this neighbourhood. Tonight should have shown you that, if nothing else. As for the family, they all love you, and I would even bet that that guy over there loves you more than he should for a brother-in-law. We probably need to find him a girlfriend sooner rather than later."

"He looks cold, maybe we should head back and see if David's almost done," Cat suggested rather than respond to what Arturo had said. She understood what he was saying, and he had given her a lot to think about, but whether it was his advice or Theresa's advice, or even the advice of anyone in the family, she still had people trying to handle her and make decisions for her. The one thing Arturo was right about is that she needed to be more careful about what she agreed to do, no matter who was making the suggestion. There were things she wanted to do and charities she wanted to either support or create if she couldn't find one to suit her needs.

Arturo wondered if this trip had been a good idea after all. He'd wanted to remind her that she didn't have to become the uneducated socialite he assumed he would be working for originally. He wanted her to embrace the highly intelligent and compassionate woman he had gotten to know since that time. If this trip backfired and something went wrong, he knew Matteo would fire him, despite the fact he had done it with the best of intentions. He had already used his free pass with Matteo, and he doubted he would put up with him fucking things up again. Maybe having dinner with David and Lucca will help her realise that being between the two worlds meant being loved by both, not that she didn't fit into either.

"What was the point of this?" Lucca asked Arturo as he sat watching Cat with another group of people who had known her when she lived in the area. He knew there was more to this trip than just coming to watch Frankie and David in action.

"Just an idea that wasn't such a good one after all," Arturo let out a long slow breath. "When did you first meet Cat?"

"When Papa took on her court case, over a year ago, I guess. She hadn't started dating Ricco then, and had never met Matteo," Lucca said. "She was just a girl who needed Papa's help." He thought carefully about that first dinner.

"So, Roberto asked a client to a family dinner before she had dated Ricco even?" Arturo asked, astonished by the fact. "Didn't that seem weird?"

"I never really thought about it, to tell you the truth. Cat just seemed to belong, even on that first night," Lucca shrugged. "It was easy to see Ricco had a thing for her, so we just assumed that was why, I suppose. He waited until after the trial to start dating her though."

"Then they broke up, and she quit working for Vanessa and took a job with the Donati family, where she coincidentally met Matteo, and the rest is history," Arturo pieced the timeline together without knowing any of the real details.

"What are you saying, exactly?" Lucca was confused by what Arturo was getting at.

"I'm just trying to work it all out. Your mother came today to discuss Cat becoming more involved in women's business, and Cat let herself get railroaded into a few things she had said she wouldn't do. It's like she had no confidence in her own opinions without Matt and Ric here to back her up. I thought she needed to remember who she was and why Matt and Ricco loved her and trusted her," Arturo admitted. "Turns out coming back to the old neighbourhood wasn't such a great idea, after all, I think it shook her confidence even more."

"What do you mean?" Lucca narrowed his eyes.

"You didn't notice that she's gotten even more introspective and quiet?" Arturo asked. "I thought you noticed everything about that woman." He gave a chuckle as Lucca gave him a stunned look. "Don't even try to deny it; it's obvious to everyone that you're a little in love with your sister-in-law."

"She's amazing," Lucca shrugged, not bothering to deny the accusation. "Your theory was right, I guess, but your timing is all wrong. The guy she lived with for years before leaving this neighbourhood died a couple of days ago. He was the one she put in jail, and coming here, where everyone knew them as a couple... You see where I am going with this? Add to that, the fact that both Matt and Ricco are out of town, and you have given her no choice but to withdraw even further. Matt's the only one who can force her out of one of those moods." Lucca considered Cat, and if it was possible for him to make her see herself the way the men who loved her did.

"Shit. I really fucked this one up, didn't I?" Arturo said. "I just wanted her to wake up and stop being pushed into things I know she will regret. Theresa is great, but you know how any charity will use the fact that she patronised one of their events. The publicity machine will start, and her name will be attached to all manner of things before she even realises what has happened."

"I hadn't thought of that," Lucca admitted.

"That's because it's my job to think of these things and try to protect her from the people who would use her kindness and generosity against her," Arturo said. "I really thought coming back here and to show her how strong and capable she had become would have got her thinking about what she wanted for the family."

"I don't think you've fucked anything up yet. Let me talk to her about it when we get back to the penthouse. I have an idea or two, and this wasn't a bad idea, it's that the timing sucks, that's all," Lucca clapped Arturo on the shoulder. "We'll soften her up with some truly awful junk food on the way home. Her love of greasy fried food and burgers is a secret indulgence that Matt has tried to quash and Ricco feeds." Lucca chuckled with genuine humour.

*****

Marcus sat silently listening to the leaders of two of the table speak. There were no accusations, just facts given, along with the documentation by the Vitali. For their part, the two Martino men said nothing as they listened to what had been happening, and the implications that Giovanni and Mario were involved in some way.

"Papa, it's time to put aside old biases and look at what he has become," Theo said gently, breaking the long silence that had ensued after Matteo had finished talking and explaining the chain of events that had brought them here. "They could have gone directly to the thirteen with this," he indicated the folders lying open on the table, and the content displayed. "They chose to come to us so we could prove that our family is in no way involved. You have to know we would never condone anything like this, Matt," Theo spoke directly to his friend.

"You're right. That's why we are here. I cannot believe you, of all people, would purposely countenance any of this," Matteo replied with a tight smile for Theo. "I know you, Theo; I know it isn't in you to do this."

"Papa?" Theo repeated, as Trevino Martino sat silently staring at Roberto, his face tight as if in anger.

"Is it true? Is Maria alive?" Trevino asked finally.

"Physically, yes, but she is a ghost, and has been for three decades now," Roberto said sadly. "Would you rather she had gone to jail for murdering her eldest son? Where your family could visit her and pity her and she could tell her story about the events leading up to that fateful day?"

"You should have told us!" Trevino growled angrily. "This," he waved his hand at the documents covering the desk, "may have been avoided if we had known!"

"What would you have done differently?" Roberto challenged. "How would it have mattered if she was truly dead or not? She will never see the light of day, and no one in the ghost town is allowed visitation except in extreme circumstances by the family who placed them there. There are reasons why people are sent to that facility. Maria didn't just betray your family; she killed my son, and almost killed two of my other children!" He took a deep breath. "Would you be so angry if it was Theo who bore the scar of a knife wound on his heart rather than Matteo?"

"I would have handled Giovanni's grief differently!" Trevino's voice got louder in his anger to match Roberto's, and the two men glared at each other across the table, having had a lifetime of bad blood between them caused by Maria and Giovanni.

"This was a mistake!" Roberto said through gritted teeth. "The Martino's have never taken responsibility for their part in the tragedy! Call a meeting of the thirteenth table, Marcus! You have seen the evidence, we have the right to challenge the family for the truth this time!"

"Enough!" Matteo roared, coming to his feet. "This is my wife, my life and my sanity! What happened with my mother is long past and buried! If you can't move on from what Maria did to face what is happening now, then you need to go and let Theo and I deal with it like reasonable men!"

"Papa," Theo said in a soft murmur. "We must deal with it once and for all."

"I will not be dictated to by an arrogant bastard who couldn't care for his wife or children well enough to keep them from harm!" Trevino spat. "Call the thirteen and show them how badly you care for your family!" he challenged Roberto and stood to leave the room.

"I'll talk to him," Theo said to Matteo, and followed his father from the room.

*****

"We're going to have to stop somewhere for the night soon," Ricco murmured, frowning. He looked at his GPS and knew there were no towns in this remote corner of the state. He wondered, not for the first time in the last two days, if his father had lost his mind.

"We will, trust me," Stefano chuckled, enjoying the freedom of being away from his brother and their wife for a few days. "It's not far now, slow down a little, because if you blink, you'll pass it."

Twenty minutes later Ricco slowed down, coming to a T-junction in the road. There was a country pub on one corner and a post office and general store on the other corner. Aside from the two buildings, there didn't seem to be anything else in the vicinity. Ricco pulled up at the pub and stood from the car, stretching his legs. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he looked around. He couldn't even see a farmhouse in the distance. He followed Stefano into the hotel warily and was surprised by the cool well-maintained interior.

"You're a long way off the beaten track, mate," the barman said as they approached.

"Took a wrong turn at Budapest," Stefano chuckled. "We'll have two beers, two beds, and a chat with a fortune teller who can tell us if we will be lost forever."

"Two beers coming up," the man said jovially, ignoring the rest of what Stefano had said. Ricco noted that the few patrons inside the pub had turned to look at them. They took a seat at a table in the corner so they could sit with their backs to the walls.

"What happens now?" Ricco asked quietly.

"We wait, and you tell me all about your love story with Cat, from the beginning," Stefano gave him a grin.

*****

"Oh my god, that was so good!" Cat said, slurping the last of her thick shake as they rode up in the lift to the penthouse. She had gotten a second thick shake to drink on the drive home. She'd been surprised by Lucca's suggestion to go through the drive-thru at Jacks and grab burgers on the way home. Like Matteo, he worked out every day and ate an extremely healthy diet. Usually, she had to rely on Ricco to indulge her joy in junk food.

"Glad you enjoyed it," Lucca chuckled, shaking his head. "I am not sure my body is as enthusiastic about the amount of crap I just gave it to digest."

"Poor you, suffering so much to make me happy," she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

"You're most welcome," Lucca said gruffly, affected by her change in mood and the kiss she bestowed on his cheek.

"Welcome home, Master Zion is waiting for you in Master Matteo's office," Lisa said pleasantly as she greeted them.

"Great," Lucca grinned.

"I think I might go and do a little work too," Cat said.

"Yes, you will, with us," Lucca put a hand on the small of her back and guided her gently toward the office. "Zion is looking forward to seeing you. So much has happened lately, it's been hard for most of us to spend any time with you. Now you don't have an excuse, with Matt and Ricco away."

"Oh, okay," Cat frowned and walked with him into the office.

"Okay, we're all synced up," Zion said, looking up from his laptop as they entered the room. "Hi, Cat, how was practice?"

"Cold," she laughed lightly. "I didn't know you were coming over tonight," she said, expressing her concern as to why he was there.

"Sebastian and I have been trying to get on your calendar to go through this software from Peri for weeks. Now that Lucca and I are in charge for a couple of days we can interrupt your evenings to make sure we are all on top of everything. The three of you make working as a team look so easy, but I'm just discovering how hard it truly is to make sure we don't drop any of the balls we are supposed to be juggling. So, tablet?" he held out his hand.

"Good grief!" Cat sighed loudly and stared at Zion. "I may put up with a lot of this stuff from Matt, and to some degree Ricco, but I am quite capable or organising my own week, thank you! I had Theresa here today filling up my schedule, and now you! Just because Matt isn't here doesn't mean you all get to come in here and boss me around!"

"Halleluiah!" Arturo exclaimed.

"You misunderstood me," Zion laughed. "I need to change my schedule to suit yours now that you're back in the city. You wanted the software demo, remember? I just thought evenings would be easier for you and stop you missing my big brothers so much, but I'm flexible. Lucca and I told Matt we would stay here anyway to stay close to the temporary athenaeum downstairs for meetings."

"Sorry," Cat grumbled and flopped into a chair and sighed. "I keep thinking I will get my life sorted out when all the drama dies down. But it's not going to die down, is it? I am destined to be a drama queen permanently, aren't I?"

"I have a nice crown in the depository you could wear, if it will help you remember that you are the queen in this family, drama or not?" Zion said with a straight face, making her roll her eyes at him even as her lips curved into a smile. "Come show me what Mama did to your schedule, and I'll get Lucca to undo it in the morning. He was always her favourite."

"What do you mean 'her favourite'? I'm everyone's favourite child!" Lucca chuckled. "Take no notice of him, he has middle child syndrome."

"Middle child syndrome?" Cat blinked.

"Well, I'm the oldest of the younger siblings, so naturally I am the much loved responsible one, and the baby boy geniuses are... well, the babies of the family, which leaves him as the forgotten middle child," Lucca explained.

"Your sisters don't count in the mix?" Cat asked, not for the first time marvelling at how the younger women were loved but treated as only temporary members of the family.