"What's up?" I asked, sidestepping his question.
"Nothing much," Dominic replied, his voice softer now. Softer than I'd heard it in months. The Don's voice, stripped of its authority, was just a man's voice. Just a voice. "I just wanted to say… the cake you made was delicious. As always."
There was a brief silence on the line. I pressed my thumb against the inside of my ring finger, feeling the bare skin where nothing had ever been placed.
Then he added in a lower voice, "Thanks. I know it was a lot of effort."
Before I could respond, I heard Penelope's sugary voice in the background, and the softness in his tone made sudden, sickening sense. He wasn't calling because he was grateful. He was calling because she was watching, and even a Don needs to perform generosity when his audience expects it.
"Olivia!" she called out, her tone light and overly sweet, pitched to carry. "I heard from Dominic that you made my birthday cake today. Wow, you're so talented! I wish I could do that… but I'm so clumsy, Dominic's always calling me his little dummy."