Free The Santini Collection 1-4 by Melissa Schroeder Page B

you?”
    She felt a sob fighting to get out and pushed it down before she answered. “When I find one who does.”
    “ Really. I think you found one. He’s the man for you if he can make you like this.”
    “ Oh, well that’s what I want in a man. One who makes me miserable when he leaves.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’ve been through this before.”
    “ No, you haven’t.”
    She opened her eyes and frowned. “How about when I broke up with Richie?”
    “ You got mad. That is what you do. You get mad, then we party, then you’re better. This one…he’s different.”
    She shook her head. She’d known Richie for a year before they started dating. It was true, when he left she barely paid attention. “I hardly know him.”
    Freddy gave her a knowing look. “I’m assuming you’re talking about Leo and you do know him.”
    “ How would you know?” she asked, her voice turning a bit whinier than she would have liked.
    “ What’s his favorite thing to eat?”
    “ Pasta and red sauce, especially mine.”
    “ And what does it feel like when you’re laying in bed without him?”
    “ Like I’m living in hell,” she sobbed out. This was so not like her. She rarely cried and not in front of people. Especially not at work. She was still sniffling when her phone rang. It wasn’t a number she knew but she recognized the area code as one of the ones out of the DC area. Fear gripped her. She still hadn’t heard from her brother.
    “ Yes?”
    “ Is this Maryanne Johnson?” a woman asked on the other side.
    She nodded then realized she was on the phone.
    “ Y-yes.”
    “ Good, I have a bone to pick with you.”
    Freddy was studying her and then mouthed Jack. She shook her head and he visibly relaxed.
    “ Uh, okay.”
    “ Listen, I love my sons. Adore them. But I don’t want to deal with them here.”
    She held the phone out and then pulled it back to her ear.
    “ I might be able to help if I knew who you were.”
    “ This is Joey Santini.”
    Oh, God .
    “ And let me tell you, he’s been here five days and I can’t take it anymore.”
    “ Can I ask how you got my number?” she asked not knowing what else to say.
    “ I looked at his cell while he was in the shower.” She said it as if Maryanne was stupid.
    “ And you think this is the kind of behavior a mother should display?”
    “ I don’t care. I’m desperate. I want my husband to myself. I love my son, but I know that I can’t fix what’s wrong. And unless you want me down there with a gun, I would suggest you get here as soon as possible. Tomorrow’s Friday. You should be able to catch a flight.”
    “ Excuse me?”
    “ You need to fly up here and make it right. I’ll text you our address. And, don’t call him or tell him I did this. He needs to think you came on your own.”
    Then the line went dead. True to her word, the address popped up in Maryanne’s text.
    “ Who was that?”
    “ Joey Santini.”
    “ I didn’t know Leo had a brother named Joe.”
    “ What?” She finally focused on Freddy. “Joey is his mom. Or, I’m assuming.”
    “ What did she want?”
    “ She asked me—ordered me—to come to DC. She said Leo’s there and being a pain.”
    Freddy chuckled. “Tell you what—I’ll cover for you tomorrow.”
    “ No. You had a day planned with Dave. It’s your anniversary.”
    “ He’ll understand.”
    “ I’m not going up there because she ordered me.” Irritation burned through her as she thought about Joey Santini. She stood up and started to pace, hoping to work off some of her temper. “The nerve of the woman. Why does she think she can just bellow out orders and I am going to follow them? I hate women who are like that. Just think I’m going to follow her orders because I’m afraid of her.”
    There was a beat of silence. “Oh my God.”
    She stopped and looked at Freddy. His wide smile aggravated her even more. “What?”
    “ You know who she sounds like?”
    “ Who?”
    “ Look in the mirror,