The Romano Brothers Series

by Leslie North

  “What? Was the shipment wrong? He swore to me that he had exactly what we were requesting!” Luciana turned her attention to punching through windows on the screen of her tablet.

  “No, this.” Gianpierre shoved the offending notice into Luciana’s hands. “They’re refusing to do the final inspection. They want to conduct benchmark inspections throughout the process. They’re saying that because we did not get each stage of the repairs approved in advance that they are refusing the final inspection. All of this”—he waved a wide arm to take in the entire courtyard and all the work that was being done—“will be for nothing!”

  “No, no…” Luciana said, snatching the letter out of Gianpierre’s hand and straightening the edges of the crumpled paper, her head bent over it to read it. “They can’t do this. They sent us no notifications of this requirement!”

  “You were supposed to be on top of this. I was counting on you.” He knew that the accusation wasn’t fair. Luciana had become the best Project Manager he’d ever had, and she had been working harder than anybody, even himself. While he would go home for dinner, rest and would work with Natalia to finish the fairy castle, Luciana would still be going through emails, double checking schedules, handling payroll and an infinite number of other details he knew he had no comprehension of. He didn’t even know when the woman slept, and it was showing. She had dark circles under her eyes.

  He hated himself for working her so hard, but a part of himself hoped that if he made her crack and the project failed to be completed on time that she would allow him to continue to oversee the project from Dubai while remaining a part of her and Natalia’s life. But she wasn’t cracking. She was remaining strong, and he could feel the life that he now craved slipping out of his grasp.

  “I’ll take care of this, Gian. I can fix this.”

  “Whatever,” Gianpierre said, shoving his hands into his pockets and stalking away with his shoulders so tight that they were up around his ears. He wanted to hit something. He wanted to shut the whole renovation down, send everyone home, and to come back tomorrow with just his regular crew… and Luciana. They could set up a more proper daycare in one of the more finished suites inside the resort so that Natalia could be near them all the time. Her laughter in the morning at breakfast had become his favorite part of the day, and Luciana’s sweet sighs after the others had gone to bed had become his favorite part of the night. He hated that Luciana was willing for all of that to be thrown away. They could still have more of those moments. Sure, it wouldn’t be every day, day in and day out, but he would be able to make it back from Dubai often enough to keep everyone feeling connected. What they had didn’t have to end.

  LUCIANA

  “No, he can’t stay with us.” Those had been the words that Luciana had said to Natalia the night before when she’d tucked her into bed when the little girl had asked if Gianpierre could be her daddy. Doing her best to hide her tears within the dim light of the little girl’s room, Luciana had made a silent vow that nothing—absolutely nothing—was going to stand in Gianpierre’s way of leaving as soon as possible. That was why Luciana now had on to-die-for red pumps and a body hugging olive green dress that looked like a throw-back to the gogo dresses of the sixties. Luciana had long legs by nature, but in that dress and with those shoes, she looked as though she had legs long enough to walk on the moon.

  Flashing her best smile at the young man behind the front counter of the inspector’s office and leaning forward a little to let her gold dangling earrings work their mesmerizing charm, she said, “Could I see Signore Barone? It’s very important.” She batted her eyes. Never before had she been so willing to flaunt what her mother and the Lord above had given her, but she was desperate. Gianpierre had to go.

  The young man stammered and blushed before disappearing down a hallway. Popping into view a minute later, he waved Luciana to the back office of Signore Barone. A handsome man in his mid-fifties, Signore Barone stood and greeted her with a two-handed handshake when she entered the room.

  “Signorina, what can I do for you?” the silver fox asked as he motioned her to sit before he sat once more behind his sturdy wood desk.

  “Signorina Vivaldi,” Luciana offered, giving her last name as she smiled warmly at him. Then, she let worry and sadness take over her features and gave a deep, shaky breath. Not wasting any time, she said, “Sir, my job is in jeopardy.” She pulled the crumpled, pink letter out of her purse. “I oversee the courtyard restoration project at the Romano del Mare, and we received this letter that your office would not perform the inspection needed to conclude the build so that the space could be opened to the public.”

  “Ahhh, yes. Those types of restorations are very complicated, and much of the structural integrity is based on the quality of the foundation elements that are put in place. But, as the build continues, those foundation elements tend to get covered up and are no longer visible for inspection.”

  “But your office has been aware that this restoration has been ongoing for a couple of months now.” Luciana crossed one of her long legs over her knee in a slow movement that had Signore Barone’s eyes drifting down to watch. “If we had been aware of this stipulation of your office, we would have gladly complied. But, as it is, what you are requesting is that we undo much of the restoration work in order to uncover those base elements. If we do that, my boss will walk away from the job unfinished and will not have the property inspected. He will simply fence off the entire section and leave it unavailable to those who visit the resort. Certainly there is some way we can work this out? There must be some other inspection techniques that could be used. We have kept excellent photographic records of the build’s progress at every stage. We could offer those photographs up for inspection, gladly.”

  Signore Barone pursed his lips in thought as he leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together. For a man a good twenty years older that her, Luciana was surprised at how fit and handsome he was. Sicilian men certainly aged with a charming sophistication that seemed to have been left off of the rest of the world’s genetic makeup.

  “Signorina Vivaldi, possibly you would be so generous with your time as to let me take you to dinner tonight to talk more about this situation.” Then, he added quickly, “No strings attached, I assure you. Just dinner, some wine and good conversation. We can of course continue to talk about this here and now, but I would find your company delightful in a more relaxed setting.”

  Luciana’s gaze shifted to the man’s hands. No wedding ring.

  Gianpierre… She knew in her heart that she couldn’t go out to dinner with Signore Barone, even if what he was offering promised to be innocent and even if it was the one thing she could do to ensure that she got the inspection of the Romano del Mare approved. She’d lied about what Gianpierre would do if the inspection didn’t go through. She didn’t think that he would close up the restoration and walk away. Too much of his pride was tied up in completing it and doing a job that his family name could rest on for years to come. No, he wouldn’t walk away. Well, yes he would, it’s just that he’d come back… and back… and back, waltzing in and out of Luciana’s and Natalia’s lives and making it impossible for them to move on. She couldn’t allow that. She had to stop it from happening, and that meant that she had to get that inspection approved. But… she couldn’t make herself say yes to Signore Barone’s invitation, as nice as it was. Someone else was already in her heart, blocking the way to even a dinner out with nice wine and good conversation.

  Damn you, Gianpierre. He had to go.

  “No, Signore. It is a gracious offer, but I can’t.” The sudden recognition of love had crept up to weave itself into every corner of her heart, leaving Luciana feeling dizzy. How could she have let it happen? She’d always known that Gianpierre was leaving. He had never promised anything less, and he had never said that what they had was a relationship that he wanted to nurture and grow. She was a sidebar or a pastime to him, that was all. But him… he was everything to her
after Natalia. She loved him.

  “Signorina Vivaldi,” Signore Barone said, sitting forward in his chair with concern in his eyes. “Are you alright?”

  Luciana sat in her chair doing her best to hold back the tears until finally, shaking her head, she said, “No, Signore. I’m not.”

  14

  Luciana

  Has the specialist called back yet?” Paolo called up from fourteen feet down in the middle of an enormous pit destined to become an in-ground pool.

  “Yes!” Luciana called back. “He’ll be here the day after tomorrow to begin work on the wire scaffolding on which the cement mold will be created.”

  Paolo gave her a thumbs up of understanding and then went back to work. Gianpierre was gone, and he had been for over a week. The resort’s courtyard was as done as it would ever be for years to come, and Gianpierre was already settled in Dubai. He’d left Paolo behind to follow up on one more project though—a pool. It would modernize the resort and attract more vacationers. Even with the ocean mere meters away, it was often more convenient and safer to simply swim in a professionally maintained pool, and it was located at its western most edge near the cliffs that looked out over the sea.

  It was the last job that Luciana was scheduled to oversee at the Romano del Mare before needing to find something else. Thankfully, pools were notorious for taking much longer than people thought that they should, so she was still secure in her ongoing employment for at least another two months. After that, Paolo would join Gianpierre and the rest of Gianpierre’s personal crew in Dubai, and Luciana would have to line up some reliable work with someone else.

  Have you heard from him? They were the words that sat on the tip of her tongue and she desperately wanted to ask them of Paolo. She herself had driven Gianpierre to the airport the day that he’d left for Dubai. He’d been sweet and she had stayed cheery and upbeat, but as soon as he’d left, she’d gone to her car and cried. Every day since then, she’d thought that she would hear from him. It was no matter that she’d told him not to call, emphatic that she did not want Natalia confused. He would be gone, and they would both have to accept it and move on—that’s what she’d told him—but she never in a million years thought that he would respect her wishes. She’d imagined that he’d call to tell her goodnight every night, that he would send a delivery boy with oranges for breakfast along with a bouquet of flowers, and that he would promise to be back as soon as he could. But he hadn’t done any of those things. None. In fact, she hadn’t heard from him at all… just as she’d asked. So, what right did she have to ask Paolo about him?

  None.

  Turning her back to the pool and the crew hired specifically to aid Paolo in its construction, Luciana made her way back toward the resort. She stepped carefully on the inlaid stones that made a winding path down the ground’s gentle slope, but the real reason she walked so slow was that her mind was elsewhere. She thought about all the decisions and choices that she’d had to make that had brought her to the moment she was in. She wondered if there was anything that she could have done differently that would have provided some protection to her heart, but she couldn’t think of a thing. She’d done it all the best she could. It hadn’t been her fault that she’d fallen in love with Gianpierre and that he hadn’t with her. If he didn’t love her, then he didn’t love her. On that, she had no control, just as she’d had no control over what had happened to her sister. With the passage of time, Luciana’s survivor’s guilt had eased, and now she looked forward to living with a desire to make every day the best that day could be.

  “Signorina Vivaldi,” called a distant man’s voice. Luciana searched the path in front of her for its owner only to be surprised that it was Signore Barone himself.

  Luciana hurried forward to meet him and they kissed on both cheeks in greeting. “Signore Barone, it’s wonderful to see you again, but what has brought you out this way?”

  “Signorina,” he said with his hands on her arms and his brows pinched together. His eyes were, as always, kind and gentle. “I am so sorry. I had nothing to do with this, and I don’t know who lodged the complaint, but you must cease construction on the pool right away.”

  “What?” Luciana couldn’t believe her ears, and it was with no shame that her mind went to herself first. If the pool’s construction was permanently stopped, she’d be out of a job in a matter of days instead of months. She’d done well to be able to cover all of the expenses that had come up so far, but she’d not had enough time to set aside any savings yet. Her and Natalia were still surviving paycheck to paycheck. Thankfully, Signora Esposito was still Natalia’s nanny and all funds covering her employment came from Gianpierre. He’d insisted and Luciana had been in no position to refuse. She had to put Natalia’s wellbeing before her own pride. So, at least letting the nanny go was not a conversation that Luciana was going to have to have.

  “Signorina, I tried to stop the complaint’s impact, but I couldn’t.”

  “Who made it?”

  “I don’t know.” He pulled a letter out from the inside pocket of his stylish jacket and handed it over. “All I know is that all work must stop until a structural engineer has been brought in to oversee the process.”

  Luciana’s mouth dropped open before she exclaimed, “Grantzky!”

  “Who?”

  “It’s Gianpierre’s main competitor. He’s trying to muscle in on Gianpierre’s turf now that he’s gone.” Gianpierre had been so mad when she’d tried to bring him in on the courtyard project. He hadn’t trusted the guy one ounce, and now she understood why. “That underhanded weasel.” With the stipulation that the pool’s construction could continue with the oversight of a structural engineer, Luciana knew that her job at least still had a chance of being able to continue—that was if Gianpierre would green light Grantzky coming on board, which of course he wouldn’t.

  Dang it, she thought to herself. She was still out of a job!

  The drive home was lonely without Gianpierre to keep her company. It was only a fifteen minute commute, but somehow the time that had flown by with Gian at her side felt futile and uncomfortable without him. Today the trip was made even longer because she’d stopped to pick up some of the supplies that Natalia had sworn she needed. There was glue, fuzzy sticks, molding clay, a rainbow variety of glitter, and five different colors of paint. Gian had left Natalia explicit instructions on how to finish the project without him, and to her credit, she was following them closely and slowly with an intense focus that she hadn’t realized the little girl was capable of.

  With her arms loaded down, Luciana opted to take the elevator to the fourth floor rather than take the stairs. Then, a giggle reached her ears the second she stepped through the apartment door.

  Luciana’s smile was instant. She hadn’t heart Natalia laugh like that since Gianpierre had left. That she was managing to find her happiness without him brought a thankfulness to Luciana’s heart that had her tiptoeing forward down the entryway so that she could spy on the little girl without interrupting her joy. She was no doubt working on the fairy castle that she and Gianpierre had started.

  “Look! The drawbridge works backward.” A low voice chuckled, and Luciana froze in her tracks. Her heart forgot how to beat and it took her a second to remind herself to breathe. “It bends down into the water,” Gianpierre said, followed by another gale of high pitched laughter.

  Luciana leaned forward so that she could peer around the corner to see them, and sure enough, there was Gianpierre, looking like he’d never left. She stepped into view but didn’t say anything. It took Gianpierre a moment to notice her, but once he did, his eyes went wide and the color in his cheeks deepened.

  “I need to go talk to your Mama, Princess,” Gianpierre said as he leaned forward and kissed her hair. “I heard that she’s in need of a structural engineer.” He gave Luciana a wink.

  Looking over her shoulder, Natalia gave Luciana a happy wave and a gleaming smile before refocusing all of her brain power on the t
ask of making the fairy castle the best it could be.

  Luciana put her bags down but she didn’t have a chance to utter an under-the-breath question before Gianpierre had her hand in his and was leading her up to the roof.

  “What are you doing here? Did you stop the pool’s build? Was that you?” They were the first words out of Luciana’s mouth before the roof’s door even closed, but she didn’t have time for any others after that because she was in Gianpierre’s arms and his glorious mouth was on hers. Luciana murmured a small sound of complaint but then gave in, throwing her arms around his neck and arching her chest against his hard body. It didn’t just feel good to be enveloped by him again. It felt natural, easy… and good. Soooo good.

  Finally, Gianpierre pulled far enough away that she was able to talk again, but she was thankful that he kept his arms wrapped around her. She’d missed him so much.

  “It was me. I had to do it. I’d forgotten something.”

  Luciana’s joyful heart deflated, but she stayed as she was in his arms. Even if feeling this again—the strength and comfort of his steady, reassuring presence—was only hers for a moment, she wouldn’t throw that moment away. She’d enjoy it with all that she had in her before letting him go again. “What did you forget?”

  “You.”

  Luciana waited for the qualifier words to come, those words that would make his simple statement somehow less than the absolute answer that it was.

  “Well, you and Natalia,” he amended, dipping his head forward to give her another kiss.

  His scratchy chin was in need of a shave, but Luciana rubbed her chin against his anyway and let her smile grow until she felt as though she could float away because of how happy she was. But then her smile faltered and gravity became firm on her feet. “How long is your visit?”