When the interview wraps up forty minutes later, I pray I’ve done enough to secure the job and that Fuentes is right and his contact will make sure the position is mine.
3
CRISTIAN
“Ibelieve congratulations are in order,” Elisa Accardi says, smiling as she hands me another beer. I came up to Glencoe for the weekend to check on the progress of the house I’m building, and I’m staying with Elio in Elisa’s and Caleb’s guest wing. Dinner earlier was a lively affair with three kids under the age of four, but they’re all sleeping now, so the adults finally get to talk.
“Sloane looks perfect,” Gia Accardi says, flopping down on the couch beside her husband. “When I saw you’d requested a recheck of her background, I personally went through her file.” Gia works in intelligence gathering and analysis forLa Cosa Nostra, and she’s one smart lady. I wasn’t aware she’d looked at Sloane’s file, but it reassures me she did.
Joshua and Gia live in the house next door to Caleb and Elisa on the grounds of the vast estate they co-own in Connecticut. The Accardi twins have been my best friends since we were kids. They were more like my brothers than my actual brother growing up. That they ended up married to best friends and continue to do everything together is no surprise to anyone who knows them. Caleb and Joshua are tight, and no one comes between them.
The twins bought this huge plot of land the year before their kids arrived. It’s not too far from where their parents live, which is handy when they need a babysitter. When I told them I was house hunting in the area, they didn’t hesitate to offer me the opportunity to build on their grounds, and I jumped at it.
They have a secure setup, and it’ll be good for Elio to grow up with friends. My plan is to permanently relocate here when our house is built. Right now, my penthouse in the city is home, but I want Elio to have a yard to run around in. While we have Central Park at our doorstep in Manhattan, it’s not exactly safe. None of us has forgotten the Sinaloa Cartel or their threat to come after us. All because of a loose cannon in Miami who is now dead.
Dominic Ferraro and his son Cesco created this war with the cartel, leaving behind a mess we are trying to clear up. The only reason the cartel hasn’t come at us yet is because the US government wants their heads on spikes for causing so many fentanyl deaths in Florida a few years ago. All the cartel leaders have had to lie low while the FBI and Homeland Security search for them. They know the instant they set foot on US soil, they’ll be arrested.
So, we have a reprieve, but it won’t last long, and we all need to be vigilant. Me more than most because my brother Cruz set everything in motion with the cartel before he died, and I’m guessing the DiPietro name is as heinous to the cartel as it is to Rafaelo Da Rosa. Which is why I’d prefer my son grows up safely guarded here in Glencoe. I already have him enrolled at the local private school, and he’ll attend pre-K here too.
“Oh, she’s perfect, all right,” Caleb says, wearing his signature smirk. “At least Cristian thinks so.”
“Shut up.” I level him with a warning look as I raise my bottle to my lips. I shouldn’t have said anything to Caleb about my concerns or how gorgeous Sloane is.
“What don’t I know?” Elisa’s gaze dances between me and her husband.
Caleb slides his wife into his side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Cristian didn’t want to hire her because he’s afraid he won’t be able to keep his hands to himself. Apparently, she’s stunning and far too tempting.”
I narrow my eyes at my best friend. So much for keeping my confidence.
“Is that why you requested a recheck? Were you hoping to find something she lied about in her application to justify not offering her the position?” Joshua asks, swirling whiskey in his glass.
“Not really. It was more she seemed too good to be true,” I say. She has the perfect credentials, and though she doesn’t have a ton of experience, Elio loved her when she came by to meet him yesterday, and that’s what matters the most.
“Is that the truth, or is it the fact Isa is dead set against her?” Gia inquires.
“How do you know that?” I didn’t mention the huge argument Isa and I got into after Sloane left my office on Wednesday to anyone.
“I’m a good judge of character. I can read that witch like a book.”
Gia has not held back on her opinions of Isa. She has visited here with me a few times, and Isa and Gia butted heads right from the start. If I didn’t know Gia, I might think it’s connected to Bettina—Isa’s older sister, who was Elio’s mom and Joshua’s ex. But I do know Gia, and she’s not the spiteful type. She simply doesn’t like or trust Isa.
“Well, you’re right. Isa doesn’t like her at all for the job, but she doesn’t get to make the decision. If I weren’t short on options and time, I would find someone else, but there is no one. Sloane ticks all the boxes. I can’t not hire a nanny just ’cause I think she’s hot and I’m worried I’ll be tempted to make a move on her.” I had actually offered a different woman the position, but she turned me down because she’d accepted another nanny job.
“There’s no law that says you can’t.” Gia tucks her knees up onto the couch and snuggles in closer to Joshua.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to be around my friends and not feel envious. I’m happy they’re happy, but being married and having kids is something I’ve wanted for a long time, and it doesn’t appear to be in the cards anymore. Not that I’d change the decision I made to raise my nephew as my own. I have no regrets. I’m just lonely, and I wish I could’ve found someone to share our lives. But it’s not meant to be, and most of the time, I’ve made my peace with that. It’s only odd moments, here and there, that are hard.
“Joshua was my boss, and that didn’t stop him,” Gia adds with a saucy wink.
“You had my twin breaking all kinds of rules for you, Gigi,” Caleb teases.
“There are some rules worth breaking,” Joshua agrees, smiling. At one time, we all would have keeled over to hear our strait-laced friend say something like that, but Joshua is more like his old self these days. Gia’s love has cracked through the hard shell he had erected, and she’s softened all his rough edges. I love that for my friend.
“Love you.” Gia brushes her nose against Joshua’s before lightly kissing him.
Joshua holds her tight. “Love you too.”
“Barf.” Caleb fake gags, but he’s ridiculous. He’s as loved up as his twin and equally into the PDAs.
