“Thanks. My uncle is bringing a bookshelf and credenza later this week to round out the place.” I gestured to one of the two guest seats. “What’s up?”
Nick took a seat and frowned. “What do you mean?”
I sipped my soda. “Why are you here?”
His frown deepened. “You set up the appointment and said to meet here. My paralegal had this on my calendar.”
My stomach sank. Right then my phone rang. I sighed before I answered it. “Hi, Oliver.”
“Hello. Your grandmother, her friend, and your sister are here to see you,” Oliver said, sounding more bewildered than ticked this time. “They said they have an appointment, but again, there’s nothing on the calendar.”
So much for being a Czar. Oliver needed to learn that not even Czars got in the way of one of Nonna’s plans. “Of course they are. Please take them to the conference room, and I’ll be right there.”
Nick slumped in his chair. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“I’ll bet you fifty that my Nonna’s friend is your Grandma Gerty.” I stood. “We might as well get this over with right now. Come on, Nicolo.”
Nick looked at the window to the right of my desk. “I think I could make it down that tree.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. “Although Jolene O’Sullivan is probably lurking around a corner just waiting to take a picture like that. Just think how that would look in the paper.” There was no reason to tell Nick that Jolene was out of town with Quint right now. Nope.
Nick lowered his chin. “Tell me you didn’t have anything to do with this situation.”
“My calendar was clear for the hour, and I had no clue you were coming,” I said. If Nick didn’t know I’d talked to Nonna weeks ago about what a good guy he’d be for Tessa, no way was I going tell him. “I had no idea they were going to stop by.” After making sure Nick showed up.
I led the way into the conference room where Tessa, Gerty, and Nonna were already seated at the picnic table. Zena trotted along and zipped right toward Tessa. “What a terrific surprise,” I lied. Apparently Gerty had gotten over any concerns she had from the food fight.
Tessa spotted Nick behind me and flushed a lovely damask rose. “What is going on, Nonna?”
Ah. Another unsuspecting victim. I purposefully sat next to her so Nick would have to sit across from her. Oh, I loved my sister, but I wasn’t messing with Nonna, and she’d no doubt set this stage with precision.
Nonna waited until everyone had sat. Her hair was up in a smooth twist today.
Nick and Tessa looked everywhere except at each other. It was kind of cute, really. So long as neither one of them were mad at me, I could enjoy the moment.
Gerty beat Nonna to the punch. “Elda and I were talking, and we don’t do enough for the Silverville community. So we agreed to take over the Elks Christmas holiday party, which serves as a fundraiser for the town, you know. We’re co-chairs, and we’ve filled our committee with the three of you.”
As a plan, it wasn’t bad.
Tessa tried to get out of duty first. “Oh, I love that idea, but I’m swamped over here in Timber City. The diner has doubled my shifts, and I’ve accepted, so I can finally put my business plan into action.”
Nonna patted her hand. “We can meet here at Anna’s office. You certainly don’t have to travel back and forth over the pass just to plan a party and charity for needy children. We will make it as easy as possible for you.”
Nick’s eyes twinkled a deep brown. “I’m down two prosecutors and have at least six trials coming up, Grams.”
Gerty smiled broadly. Her new dentures looked lovely. “That’s perfect, Nicolo. You’re going to need a break from all of that work, and isn’t it important to give back? Just think of all the people who aren’t as fortunate as you are, and also consider how good something like this will look for a future political career.”
Wow. Nick’s Grams brought out the big guns. It was impressive, really.
Nonna turned to Tessa. “Tell us all about your business plan.”
Tessa’s gaze landed on me with a pleading I couldn’t ignore. I cleared my throat. “I just have a few minutes before my next client arrives, but I’m happy to help with the holiday party. It’s four months away, so we have plenty of time to get things in order.” While I was willing to take the attention off my sister for the moment, that was as far as I’d go against Nonna’s plan.
“Of course,” Nonna said, straightening the Seahawk cloth that covered the picnic table. “Gerty? Should we start an email chain?”
“Yes,” Gerty answered. “Or perhaps we should start a text chain?”
“Email chain,” Tessa, Nick, and I said in unison. Getting caught on a group text with Nonna and Gerty would not go well for any of us.
