Dante’s jaw hardened.
“Of course they’re getting along great,” Janis said. “They’re in love! Honestly, Luca, what a silly thing to say.”
I pushed my food around my plate, suddenly uneasy.
“You’re right. Sorry,” Luca said a tad too innocently. “Just never thought I’d see the day when Dante fell in love.”
“Enough.” Dante’s tone was sharp. “This isn’t a roundtable on my love life.”
Luca’s grin widened, but he heeded his brother’s warning and didn’t say anymore after that.
After dinner, Dante, Luca, and Gianni cleaned the dining room and took out the garbage while Janis and I did the dishes.
“I like the way Dante is around you,” she said. “He’s less…”
“Uptight?” Normally, I would’ve never been so blunt to the man’s mother, of all people, but wine and days of sun had loosened my tongue.
“Yes.” Janis laughed. “He likes things done a certain way, and he’s not afraid to tell you if they don’t meet his standards. When he was a toddler, we tried feeding him broccoli with a bit of mashed potatoes on it. He threw the plate on the floor. Three-hundred-dollar Wedgwood. Can you believe it?” She shook her head.
I didn’t ask why she’d been serving a toddler food on Wedgwood china. Instead, I broached a more sensitive topic, one that’d been weighing on my mind since my beach conversation with Dante.
“Was it hard saying goodbye to him and Luca?”
Her movements stilled for a split second. “I see he’s been talking to you about us.”
My bravado retreated in the face of possible confrontation. “Not that much.”
At the end of the day, Janis was Dante’s mother. I didn’t want to antagonize her.
“It’s okay, darling. I know he’s not my biggest fan. Truth be told, I’m not a great mother, and Gianni is not a great father,” she said matter-of-factly. “It’s why we left the boys in their grandfather’s care. He gave them the stability and discipline we couldn’t.”
She paused before continuing in a softer voice, “We tried. Gianni and I quit traveling and settled in Italy after I found out I was pregnant with Dante. We stayed there for six years until after Luca was born.” She ran a dirty dish under the water, her expression far off.
“It sounds bad, but those six years made me realize I wasn’t cut out for domestic life. I hated staying in one place, and I couldn’t do anything right when it came to the boys. Gianni felt the same way, so we came to an agreement with Dante’s grandfather. He became their legal guardian and moved them to New York. Gianni and I sold our farmhouse and…well.” She gestured around the kitchen.
I remained silent.
It wasn’t my place to judge other people’s parenting, but all I could think about was how Dante must’ve felt having his parents give up on him because taking care of him was too hard.
Then again, perhaps it really was for the best. Nothing good came from forcing someone to do something they didn’t want to do.
“You must think we’re terribly selfish,” Janis said. “Perhaps we are. There have been many times when I wished I was the kind of mother they needed, but I’m not. Pretending otherwise would’ve hurt the boys more than it helped.”
“Maybe, but they’re both adults now,” I said carefully. “I think they would like to see their parents more often, even if it’s only for milestones like birthdays.” And engagement parties.
“Luca, maybe. Dante…” She clucked her tongue. “We had to twist his arm to get him to Bali. If it weren’t for you, he would’ve brushed us off with another excuse about being too busy with work.”
I wasn’t surprised. Dante gave me the impression of someone who held a grudge for decades.
“I’m glad he has you now.” Janis’s smile returned, a tad more wistful than before. “He could use a partner. He takes too much care of other people, and he doesn’t take enough care of himself.”
Three months ago, I would’ve laughed at the idea of anyone describing Dante as caring. He was moody, hot-tempered, and dead set on getting his way. But now…
My mind flashed to our conversation on the beach, our snack night in the kitchen, and the thousands of little moments that revealed little glimpses of the man beneath the armor.
“I’ll be honest, I was skeptical about the engagement at first.” Janis handed me the freshly scrubbed plate, which I wiped and placed in the drying rack. “Knowing Dante, I wouldn’t put it past him to marry someone strictly for business purposes.”
A concrete block formed in my chest.
“Our families work in similar fields,” I murmured. “So there is a business element to it.”
“Yes, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” She ran the last dirty dish under the water. “It’s not about business.”
She was wrong, but that didn’t stop my pulse from spiking with anticipation. “How does he look at me?”
Janis smiled. “Like he never wants to look away.”
CHAPTER 19
Dante
“A Thanksgiving Day call from Dante Russo.” Christian’s drawl rolled over the phone. “I’m honored.”
“You’re the one who emailed me first on a federal holiday, Harper.”
I’d retired to my room after cleaning up. My parents and Luca were downstairs, but I wasn’t in the mood to play late-night UNO or whatever the hell they were doing.
My parents would continue to be inappropriate, and my brother would bug me about Vivian.
No fucking thank you.
“Ah, yes.” Christian’s voice sobered, a sign he was entering business mode. “We found another set of photos in a safety deposit box registered to an alias. Total count is now five.”
Francis was a paranoid bastard.
“Do you think there’s more?” I glanced at the ensuite bathroom. The sound of running water leaked under the closed door like erotic white noise.
Vivian was in there. Wet. Naked.
Heat and annoyance rushed through me in equal measure.
I turned my back to the door and waited for Christian’s response.
“There could always be more,” he said. “That’s the game we’re playing until we can confirm exactly how many backups Francis has.”
Basically, I was playing chicken with my brother’s life.
I could call Francis’s bluff, but…
I rubbed an aggravated hand over my jaw.
It was too damn risky.
“My team will continue looking until you tell us to stop.” Christian paused. “I have to say, I’m surprised you haven’t checked in since October. I thought the issue held more urgency for you.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Hmm.” The sound resonated with knowing. “Or perhaps you’re warming up to your bride-to-be? I heard you two disappeared for quite a while at Valhalla’s New York gala.”
My teeth clenched. Why was everyone so obsessed with my feelings toward her? “What we do in our private time is none of your business.”