“She’s a trust fund baby, if you must know,” I replied. “Don’t be so rude, brother.”
My response got a lot of interesting expressions, but my family seemed satisfied. I was relieved and could relax for the remainder of the evening.
Cyndee chatted with Zia and the twins. I would owe my sister tremendously after tonight.
I fell into a normal flow talking with my brother Andrea, who was a year older than me. Elio and Andrea ran the Portland district. He told me about their projects and growing the business. I would’ve enjoyed being up north with them, but my father had other plans for me.
Being the youngest son, he wanted me to be under Remo’s instruction. In our family, my father tried to have two sons in each district. Should one fall, the second would take over. That was why having male heirs mattered so much to him. He only trusted his blood relatives, not outsiders. His business mindset was very old-world. I had a feeling after he passed, things would change in the Ferrari crime family.
But what my father didn’t know was Remo wasn’t the best mentor. My older brother had a lot of shit going on in his personal life and one of these days, he would make a fatal mistake. If it weren’t for Ross’s older brother Aiden, who was Remo’s trusted advisor, I would be forced to involve my father. Padre wouldn’t hesitate to remove my brother from the top and shuffle people around. I wanted to give Remo a chance to get himself straight, I just didn’t know if he could with his wife situation.
Glancing over at Anna, I shook my head. She appeared bored and distracted on her cellphone, instead of interested in what her daughters were telling Cyndee and Zia. My parents had chosen poorly for Remo, and I feared they would do the same for me if I didn’t find my own wife.
“Where did you meet her?” Andrea darted his dark eyes at Cyndee.
“In the elevator of my apartment building.” I slipped my arm behind Cyndee and pulled her close. “When I saw her, I couldn’t resist. Isn’t that right, Tesoro?” Now that I thought of it, I wondered if she knew tesoro meant darling in Italian. Although some used the word to mean treasure, which was fine. But me? I loved saying the word as a term of endearment either way.
“Yes, he wouldn’t let me out of the elevator without giving him my number. He’s very demanding like a boss.” She laughed and patted my arm.
“Excuse me, Cyndee. I’m going to the restroom.” Zia stood and left.
“Demanding like a boss, you say?” Andrea snorted. “And you like that?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” She gazed into my eyes. “And Fabio doesn’t take no for an answer. Excuse me. I’m going to the restroom as well.”
I nodded and watched her sashay to the back of the building.
“Damn, brother. I haven’t seen any woman like her in Portland. I might have to stay for a while so I can ride your elevator.” Andrea winked.
“No. We have business to finish before Christmas,” Elio said. “But I agree. I haven’t met any sophisticated women like Cyndee in Portland, just gold diggers. Don’t let her go.”
“Slow down. We’ve only been seeing each other for short time. Don’t jump to marriage just yet, brother.” I laughed nervously.
The way my family responded to Cyndee was concerning. Could they genuinely like her? Well, everyone but Anna. She hadn’t said two words to my fake girlfriend.
Speaking of my fake girlfriend, she wasn’t back yet. I was about to go see if everything was okay when I came face to face with my past.
“Fabio, how are you?” Lucia hugged me as if we were old friends, or rather former lovers still on good terms.
“What are you doing here?” I checked the hallway leading to the bathroom. I didn’t want Cyndee anywhere near Lucia.
“I’m picking up Anna. We’re still very close,” Lucia said.
“You are?” I shot a disgusted look at my sister-in-law, then my brother. “I guess loyalty is a dying virtue.”
“It’s always loyalty with you.” Lucia moved closer to me. I recognized the determination in her hazel depths. She believed she could weasel her way back into my life. “I made a mistake. Extend me a little grace.”
“I’m ready to leave, Tesoro.” Cyndee’s hand went on my shoulder. “Oh, I didn’t see you talking to someone.”
“It’s nobody.” I looped my arm around her waist and kissed her softly. A second passed with our lips touching, and I realized what I’d done. But Cyndee behaved like any girlfriend would and kissed me back.
“And who is this?” Lucia asked.
I reluctantly ended the kiss.
“I told you on the phone, Lucia. It’s his new girlfriend,” Anna replied. “Sorry, if I ruined your evening. I didn’t know you were bringing someone. Come on.” She gripped Lucia’s elbow and led her out of the bistro.
I turned my attention back to Cyndee. “I’ll get your coat, then we can leave.”
