respond.
“Fuck that.” Angel was quick to follow.
“Well, hold on,” Sal, ever the voice of reason, said, holding up
his hand. “It would depend on a lot of things: how long and how often this had
been happening and how I found out. Did I hear it for myself—caught the inappropriate behavior—or did she tell me about it? There would also be the question of
who the fuck is this guy? In my case, if it were a co-worker of hers, it’d be
an employee of mine disrespecting me in my own restaurant. His ass would be
gone like that.” He snapped his fingers. “And if she’d allowed it, then, sure,
I’d be pissed, but you’re asking if I’d dump her for it—end my marriage over
some flirting?” He shook his head. “No, but we’d have a lot to discuss: like what
the hell was she thinking and what the consequences would be if it happened
again. Because let’s face it, even if nothing else but flirting was going on, it’s
bullshit. Just like we know what we should or shouldn’t be doing with other
women, our wives”—he laughed, turning to Alex, who looked mad just thinking
about it—“Val and Sarah and especially your wife”—he pointed at Romero—“know
better than to even pretend innocent flirting with some dude who tells
her she’s sexy would ever fly. Hell, even Gracie would know I’d be pissed.”
It wasn’t that Romero suspected Izzy might be doing anything even
vaguely close to that client’s wife—the very thought made him nauseated. He’d always
said he’d never be as stupid as his clients and wait until all those prevailing
signs were there, but a tiny part of him couldn’t help wondering now if maybe
his clients weren’t so stupid after all. Maybe like him they dismissed early
signs because they just couldn’t fathom their spouses doing anything like that
to them either. And maybe Izzy would never, but like the mother of those twins
and as Manny and Max had suggested, something more innocent but just as
dangerous was going on that was making Romero feel such unease.
Not ten minutes ago Romero had talked himself down about Izzy’s
strange behavior the past several days. It wasn’t unusual for her to be sneaky
this time of year. She was always trying to surprise him with her gifts for
Christmas. Maybe if he weren’t as bad as the kids trying to figure out what she
could be up to, she wouldn’t have to resort to being so sneaky. He knew this
was all it was. It had always been part of their holidays: both of them trying
to be sneaky and him more than anything being a kid about it, trying to figure
out what she’d gotten him. Mostly because she was always so much better at it
and he was always hoping to outdo her for once. But he couldn’t help feeling that
there was more going on this year.
He’d just been over this in his head because of the strange mood
Izzy had been in that morning again and the fact that twice this past
week she’d appeared to have been startled by him when he walked in the room
while she was on the phone. Both times she’d hung up quickly, and both times
she seemed jumpy or nervous when he asked her about who she’d been on the phone
with.
The memory of the look in her eyes, the slight change in her tone
when she’d assured him almost a week ago that “no matter what” he had nothing
to worry about assaulted him again. It had each time he thought he noticed
something odd in her behavior. What had she meant by “no matter what”? No
matter if she was feeling attracted to someone else? No matter if that someone
else had her feeling sexy and giving her a break from the monotony of what her
life had turned into since she’d been home with the kids?
There was no way.
He’d just talked himself down after calling her for the second
time and getting no answer. She rarely didn’t answer his calls even when she
was at work. She’d told him herself he could call her at any time. Elliot didn’t
have a problem with her stepping outside and taking a call.
“Fuck that.” Angel was quick to follow.
“Well, hold on,” Sal, ever the voice of reason, said, holding up
his hand. “It would depend on a lot of things: how long and how often this had
been happening and how I found out. Did I hear it for myself—caught the inappropriate behavior—or did she tell me about it? There would also be the question of
who the fuck is this guy? In my case, if it were a co-worker of hers, it’d be
an employee of mine disrespecting me in my own restaurant. His ass would be
gone like that.” He snapped his fingers. “And if she’d allowed it, then, sure,
I’d be pissed, but you’re asking if I’d dump her for it—end my marriage over
some flirting?” He shook his head. “No, but we’d have a lot to discuss: like what
the hell was she thinking and what the consequences would be if it happened
again. Because let’s face it, even if nothing else but flirting was going on, it’s
bullshit. Just like we know what we should or shouldn’t be doing with other
women, our wives”—he laughed, turning to Alex, who looked mad just thinking
about it—“Val and Sarah and especially your wife”—he pointed at Romero—“know
better than to even pretend innocent flirting with some dude who tells
her she’s sexy would ever fly. Hell, even Gracie would know I’d be pissed.”
It wasn’t that Romero suspected Izzy might be doing anything even
vaguely close to that client’s wife—the very thought made him nauseated. He’d always
said he’d never be as stupid as his clients and wait until all those prevailing
signs were there, but a tiny part of him couldn’t help wondering now if maybe
his clients weren’t so stupid after all. Maybe like him they dismissed early
signs because they just couldn’t fathom their spouses doing anything like that
to them either. And maybe Izzy would never, but like the mother of those twins
and as Manny and Max had suggested, something more innocent but just as
dangerous was going on that was making Romero feel such unease.
Not ten minutes ago Romero had talked himself down about Izzy’s
strange behavior the past several days. It wasn’t unusual for her to be sneaky
this time of year. She was always trying to surprise him with her gifts for
Christmas. Maybe if he weren’t as bad as the kids trying to figure out what she
could be up to, she wouldn’t have to resort to being so sneaky. He knew this
was all it was. It had always been part of their holidays: both of them trying
to be sneaky and him more than anything being a kid about it, trying to figure
out what she’d gotten him. Mostly because she was always so much better at it
and he was always hoping to outdo her for once. But he couldn’t help feeling that
there was more going on this year.
He’d just been over this in his head because of the strange mood
Izzy had been in that morning again and the fact that twice this past
week she’d appeared to have been startled by him when he walked in the room
while she was on the phone. Both times she’d hung up quickly, and both times
she seemed jumpy or nervous when he asked her about who she’d been on the phone
with.
The memory of the look in her eyes, the slight change in her tone
when she’d assured him almost a week ago that “no matter what” he had nothing
to worry about assaulted him again. It had each time he thought he noticed
something odd in her behavior. What had she meant by “no matter what”? No
matter if she was feeling attracted to someone else? No matter if that someone
else had her feeling sexy and giving her a break from the monotony of what her
life had turned into since she’d been home with the kids?
There was no way.
He’d just talked himself down after calling her for the second
time and getting no answer. She rarely didn’t answer his calls even when she
was at work. She’d told him herself he could call her at any time. Elliot didn’t
have a problem with her stepping outside and taking a call.
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