Mustard and Love 25

Serena patted her hand. “Get it off your chest, girl.”

“I really thought I knew him. We met a little more than a year ago, about a year after Tony’s father died. All three of us got along so well, so when he proposed, I gladly accepted.” She sighed. “And that was the last I’ve seen of him. He was supposed to come the next Saturday, and we were going to pick out our rings. But he never showed up. There must have been something in him, some flaw or immaturity that had him getting scared and running. So I tried to forget about him.”

Daphne shook her head. “You poor thing. There’ll be someone new, I’m sure.”

“That’s not all of it,” Isabella went on. “A few days ago, he suddenly shows up on my doorstep and tells me he’d been kidnapped. He says something about a discovery he’d made and about Brett Doukas, that food chemist who was in here the other day.”

Daphne’s eyes were wide and gleaming. “Really? What about Brett? How does your ex know him?”

“They used to be roommates in school. So now Fernando shows up and tells me that I’m in danger, that my opinion doesn’t matter, and that I need to pack my stuff, take Tony and get out of town.”

Serena’s eyes grew large. “What if it’s true?”

Daphne frowned. “Don’t be silly. If it were true, he’d have gone to the police, right? And what does that all have to do with Brett, anyway? The guy is deluded.” She smiled at Isabella. “You’re lucky you didn’t marry him. It would have come to no good. You know what I’d do if I were you? I’d toss all his things out of my apartment and tell him to get lost.”

“I pretty much already did that. And since everything he had at my house had disappeared right after he did, there is nothing to throw out. But sometimes I wonder if maybe he isn’t lying. I just can’t tear him out of my heart.”

Daphne pushed away her empty plate and rose. “You have to forget about him. He’s a liar and a cheat, and he’s playing with you.”

Isabella and Serena, too, got up. Isabella said, “Thanks for listening. I feel much better now.” In her heart, she decided she’d go out with Brett when he’d call. Maybe, just maybe, Brett knew something. And if he didn’t, at the least she’d have a good time with a very nice and rich guy.

Together, the girls crossed the street and went back to work.