“Yeah,” Luca, my second oldest brother said around a mouth full of meatball. “I heard you finally took a night off of studying and nun work to do something good for the family.”
I opened my mouth to defend myself, but Alessandro beat me to it. “If by ‘nun work’ you mean Tessa volunteering her time at shelters and hospitals, she does do that for the family. And, you know, for the good of mankind and all that.”
“Thank you.” I blew him a kiss from the other side of the table. He mimicked catching it and placed it on his cheek with his palm, never too old to play along with our childhood games. I couldn’t help but smile.
Alessandro was the youngest of my brothers, but only by two minutes. Antonio was born just before him. They were identical, but all four of my brothers could pass for quadruplets. Or more accurately, they were like clones of our father. Dark hair with matching dark eyes and deep olive skin; we all had those traits, but it was the strong jawlines, prominent noses, and fierce confidence that made them all the same.
“I couldn’t be prouder of my Mari,” my father said. “She brings me a great deal of joy every day, but last night she went above and beyond. Cal called me this morning to sing your praises. Didn’t he, Gianna?”
My parents had their hands clasped on top of the table as they ate. Even after all these years, and all the hardships of Papa’s work, they were still sweet to each other. For a fleeting second, a great sadness took hold of me and clawed at my throat. I would never have that. Not for real, anyway. It would always be rehearsed. Fake.
“He did,” my mother agreed. “He said the most wonderful things about you and how beautiful you looked last night. I wish we could’ve been there to see you.” She glanced at my father. “I hate missing these kinds of things.”
Papa’s expression hardened, not wanting to see his love even a little upset. “I know.” He squeezed her hand. “But this is how it must be done. We have to keep our distance publicly. If anyone found out Cal has ties to the family outside the foundation, this would all be over.”
“I know.” She nodded, mostly to herself, almost as if she were giving herself an inner pep talk. “I just wish I could be a part of my daughter’s love life. I won’t get another chance.”
My mother was beautiful. Like a fine wine, she had been aging with grace and style. If my brothers are our father’s clones, I am my mother’s. I hoped my looks held up even half as good as hers.
“It’s not love, Mama. It’s just business.” Even I would be missing my love life, but I couldn’t tell them that.
“I got to see the pictures of last night in the paper. Luca, run and get the paper for me, will you?” my mother said as if she knew she needed to change the course of conversation.
“Sure.” Luca dashed off into the kitchen and pulled the stack of papers off the counter. He let out a low whistle as his gaze scanned the page. “All the clothes you have and that’s what you chose to wear?” He held up the paper for all to see. “You can do better than that.”
“Let me see.” Giovanni snatched the paper out of his hand and studied it. “Yep,” he agreed. “You look like trash. You have to step it up or Cal will call the whole thing off.”
I knew he was trying to goad me into a fight, but holding my tongue was not an easy thing.
“I don’t normally take fashion advice from someone with marinara all over their shirt.”
He glanced down to his expensive designer T-shirt. The pale blue color was dotted with specks of rich vermillion. He tried to wipe it away with his hand, but of course, that did nothing to help.
Luca, Alessandro, and Antonio erupted into a fit of laughter. Even my father tried to hide his smile behind his glass of wine. I savored the feeling of getting to be the one who made them laugh like that.
“It doesn’t matter what you think, Gio,” Papa said after the laughter died down. “When Cal called, he said he’d like to set up another meeting so you two can start dating publicly. His assistant will get in contact with you later this evening to set up a day. Please make it sooner rather than later.”
“Yes, Papa.”
Giovanni set the newspaper aside and I picked it up. I hadn’t even thought to check the papers to see if we made a headline. The photo took up nearly a quarter of the page. It was taken while we were dancing, and even I had to admit we both looked smitten. It seemed all my worry was for nothing. I played the part exactly right last night.
Well, except for the Preston incident.
“Eat,” Mama told everyone. “I didn’t make all this food for nothing.”
The ride from upstate back to the city was almost like jumping galaxies. As Jimmy drove, the houses changed from old family mansions with spacious manicured lawns, to stacked townhouses with yards the size of postage stamps, to skyscrapers without a tree in sight.
“How was dinner?” Jimmy asked.
“Good. It’s always good.”
“Hey, I was thinking we could watch a movie tonight. That new one where that pop star plays a hooker.” He took his hand off the steering wheel and placed it on my knee. “I heard there’s a killer sex scene between her and another girl.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I probably wouldn’t pay much attention to it anyway. I had papers to grade, and my mind was elsewhere with everything that was going on.
My phone rang and it made me jump. The screen flashed an unknown number, but I answered it anyway.
“Hello?”
“Hello, this is Karen Tate, Mr. James’ assistant. Am I speaking to Tessa Moretti?”
I pushed Jimmy’s hand off my knee, suddenly concerned like someone could see us. “Yes.” I cleared my throat. “This is she.”
“Great. Mr. James is very busy, as I’m sure you’re aware, but he’d like to see you on Tuesday for dinner at The Bronze Room at seven. Does that work for you?”
It didn’t matter if I had plans or not, I had to accept either way. “Yes, that works for me.”
“Excellent. I will confirm the reservation. Do you need a car to pick you up?”
“No.” I glanced at Jimmy who seemed to be watching me as much as he’d been watching the road. “I have my own transportation.”
“Mr. James will see you then, Miss Moretti. Have a great evening.”
I ended the call and just like that, I had my ‘real’ first date with Cal. Calling it a date seemed like an overstatement. Did it really count as a date if it was made through his assistant in the same manner she’d set up a business meeting? Probably not.
I navigated to the calendar app on my phone to see if there was anything I needed to cancel, then added the date with Cal.
“What was that about?”
“I have a dinner-thing Tuesday night,” I said while still tapping on my phone.
“Like a date?”
“Like that’s any of your business?”
“Damn, Tessa. Watch the attitude.”
We were quiet for a few long moments. This was why none of my bodyguards lasted long. I was almost always the one who initiated sex, but they were always the ones who blurred the lines. This is why I needed to be mean and put distance between us.