Playing Pretend Box Set

by Natasha L. Black

  10

  Giovanni

  Finally.

  As I threw my things into my suitcase, I forced my eyes open wider, trying to stretch my exhausted face and wake my eyes up. Had I even gotten an hour of sleep last night? I couldn't tell. Then, after the ruined date with Kandice, I'd only gotten back to the hotel two hours ago after consoling Mama and Maria.

  I told them there was something that would make this all better, something that I needed to tell them but hadn't been able to. Maybe it was the way Mama's eyes pleaded with me, or how Maria was pacing with her head down. I don’t know what stopped me from telling them I’d found a solution, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't stand there and lie to their faces.

  As I chucked my shaving bag into my luggage, I paused. Lying to their faces was one thing... Would over the phone be different?

  I paused again. It would certainly make telling a little white lie easier.

  I had managed to soothe them both by explaining that, no matter what happened, Gino would not get control of Bruno Inc.

  Gino taking over the business wasn’t Mama’s main concern right now, though. It was the state Gino was in. Mama bemoaned her poor parenting. She wondered whether this all stemmed from the one time he'd gotten lost in the grocery store, or when she’d given him a different dinner than us. Maria and I had done our best to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, but we hadn't gotten very far.

  The fact that I could not, would not, come out and say how I planned on making the situation better, as far as any potential threat or fiasco to the company was concerned, almost seemed to make Mama worse. Like she couldn’t imagine a possible solution that would work.

  Kandice had confirmed she was willing to leave today. As soon as I got to the airport and had a free minute, I could call my buddy George, and see whether he was free tomorrow once I'd landed. It helped having the Justice of the Peace as one of your closest friends. Even if we’d have to reroute to NYC.

  I’d be able to get this all sorted out within a few days. Why not tell Mama and Maria about it? At least about the relationship I was in now. It would be good to give them a sense of hope in all this mess.

  Taking a breath, I took out my phone and dialed Maria's number.

  "Did you hear from him?" She asked within seconds of answering.

  "Maria," I said sternly. "This is Gino we're talking about. We probably won't hear from him for another half a year, at least."

  She sighed. "I know. It's just... Mama won't sleep. She won't even watch her soap operas."

  "We know it's dire, then," I said.

  Maria and I chuckled a bit, appreciating the attempted humor.

  "No," I said. "I called to tell you two something else. It's something I should have told you about a while ago, and what I tried to tell you about last night."

  On the other end, Maria was silent. I couldn't blame her. After all we'd been through the past few days, the last thing we needed was another horrible family catastrophe to top it off, my level of secrecy seeming to guarantee it was, in fact, a catastrophe.

  "It's about a relationship I've been in," I said. "I've been spending time with a woman I care about for some time now. I’m sorry for only telling you about this now."

  "For some time," Maria repeated, a ripple of disbelief evident in her voice. "And you didn't think to tell us? When this could literally solve all our problems, if it ends up turning out well with this girl?"

  "It had been in the early stages," I confessed. "Plus, it started out online as long distance. And she’s a journalist. You know how Papa felt about that profession."

  "He never gave us a chance to forget it," Maria said dryly. "So, this girl. Who is she? Where does she live?"

  "She lives in Shanghai," I said. "I just had dinner with her last night, and she's coming to the US with me tomorrow. I wanted to talk to her about everything, and barely got the chance before I came over after Gino... But, happily, she’s agreed to come back with me."

  "Whoa," Maria said. "Will she come to Papa's funeral?"

  "That's up to you and Mama," I said. "Although yes, I would prefer if she were there."

  "I'll see what Mama says," Maria said. "That's fine with me. God, Giovanni, I'm so happy for you!"

  "I am too," I said. "Her name is Kandice. She makes me happy."

  It was true, I realized. Not in the bubbly, frivolous way I'd assumed affection would feel like. But last night, I had enjoyed it in a whole new way, while it had lasted, and that was enough. Especially for our purposes.

  "Kandice," Maria repeated, trying the name out. "Doesn't sound like a very Chinese name. "

  "She isn't," I said. "She was just working as a journalist in Shanghai for a few years. Her parents live in Orlando."

  "Huh," Maria said.

  I walked across the room, glancing at my phone. I only had twenty minutes before I was supposed to pick Kandice up.

  "I better get going," I told Maria. "But you'll let me know if Mama gets any worse?"

  "Definitely," Maria said. "Though now, I have a feeling she may actually get a bit better. You know how she mooned over you finding a nice girl to settle down with."

  "Her and Papa both," I said. "Difference was, she never tried to force my hand."

  A sad pause.

  "Papa was only trying to do what he thought was best," she said carefully, her singular chuckle sad and lonely sounding. "That was our Papa."

  "That was him, all right," I said. "Ciao." Then I hung up.

  I clenched the phone tightly in my hand. There, I'd done it. There was no going back now.

  I'm doing this for you, Papa, I thought to myself quietly as I loaded up the last of my luggage. For better or worse.

  On the way to pick up Kandice, I gave her a call. "I forgot to tell you, I can drive you to the airport, too. I'll be there in twenty. Does that work for you?"

  "Sure."

  "Great."

  I hung up, just as I realized I hadn't asked her how she was or made any attempt at pleasant conversation. Maybe that was for the best. This was, at the end of the day, a business arrangement. Even as I said it, I felt a loss of some sort.

  Never mind.

  I had managed to make this ultimatum work. I’d found a woman who was remarkably well-suited for me. Good looking, fun and... None of that mattered. What mattered was that this was believable to my family, that we signed the papers and made it official so I could protect Bruno Inc. and my family from Gino. He'd done enough damage already.

  Once we arrived, I walked into the lobby to find Kandice with several duffle bags at her feet.

  "That's it?" I asked. "Your whole life?"

  "My whole life is over," she said, then forced herself to laugh. "What I mean is, I don't expect you to transport any of my crappy old furniture or anything like that. That apartment had always been a starter place. I just used the stuff until I was able to get a better place and live my real life. I'll be fine without it."

  "As you wish," I said, heaving each of the duffle bags on either shoulder.

  When I returned, Kandice was staring at me with an impressed expression on her face.

  "What?" I asked.

  "Nothing," she said, looking away. I noticed she was blushing.

  "Yes, I lift," I said. "You can too, if you want. My place has a gym."

  "Most of the exercise I do is with my fingers on a keyboard," Kandice said. "But I'd be willing to give it a try."

  "I could probably bench-press you," I said, smirking. Just then, an unwanted image flashed into my mind: Kandice' small, curvaceous frame in my hands. Gripping her by the back of the neck, by the ass. Lifting her up and down, over my raging...

  I was not going down that route. No fucking way.

  "So, are we going?" Kandice asked, rousing me from my fantasy.

  "Yes," I said, switching to business mode. "Now, about your travel papers. I had my lawyer send them over, so that's all taken care of. They’re with mine in my briefcase. As for the marriage, I thought I should
run it by you first, but my plan is that we'll stop in New York City before going to Miami. I have a friend there who is a Justice of the Peace. He can officiate the wedding and will handle everything."

  Kandice visibly relaxed, though not all the tension was gone.

  "You won't even have to worry about the normal airport annoyances," I said.

  "Let me guess," Kandice said, a smile curling across her lips. "You own your own jet?"

  "Bruno Inc. owns its own jet," I corrected her. "But yes. Since my mom and sister will be traveling back to Miami in a few more days for the funeral, there's enough time for me to use the jet and have it sent here afterwards to get them. So no two-hour lineups at the airport for us, at least for the flight to NYC."

  "Well, that's a relief," Kandice said.

  The rest of the ride was silent. I stared out the window of the taxi, taking in the signs spattered with symbols, the tall buildings, and steel. The monorail swooshed by us, and as I eyed the food carts and people walking in their synchronized masses, I wondered if it was for the last time. Maybe not the last ever, but undoubtedly the last for now.

  This trip had been eventful to say the least. I wasn't unhappy about leaving, yet the rushed departure was settling something in the fray of the madness. The time was quickly ticking down to when neither of us could back out.

  Once we arrived at the airport, cruising through security was easy. I had my valet meet us and help carry Kandice's bags. As we walked up to our jet, she let out a low exhale of surprise.

  "What is it?" I asked. "Don't tell me you think the jet is ugly. I designed it myself."

  She laughed. "It's not like that at all, I just... I guess I never thought I'd be traveling by private jet in my lifetime."

  "You'll see," I said. "You may get used to this life pretty quickly."

  Kandice said nothing.

  Inside the jet, Kandice parked herself beside a window. As the jet’s engines rumbled to life, she looked at me with a smile. "The few times I’ve flown, I’ve always tried to sit near the window. There's something about takeoff, seeing everything get smaller, smearing together into pockets of land, water, and cities... It's beautiful."

  "Like a work of art," I agreed.

  Kandice's cheeks flushed.

  I stared at her for a minute. "You Googled me, didn't you?" I guessed. “Found out I actually do art?”

  "My friend told me to," she admitted. "You've quite the impressive family."

  "Thanks," I said. "Though, I prefer people get to know me before they meet my family, if you get my drift."

  She glanced at me as though she might.

  "I'm just tired of people assuming qualities and ascribing things to me, just because my father is Antonio Bruno, the great modern lamp maverick. I don't want to complain. Papa has always been a great role model and incredible man, but my life growing up wasn't always easy. I lived in his shadow. I think that's partially why my brother became the way he did."

  "You mean bitter," Kandice said.

  I nodded. "Also, when we were younger, he saw something he shouldn't have. Something that put a lot of things into question for him. My family was going through a hard time, though. The company was floundering and..." I waved a hand. "It doesn't matter now. Gino has taken things too far. His life has spiraled out of control. He's bottomed out and I worry for him. But there's nothing I can do. At the end of the day, people don't change unless they want to."

  "That's true," Kandice said quietly. "No matter how much you want them to see the truth, to understand what's really going on... It's up to them."

  Now my gaze became shrewd.

  "That was truly a brave thing you did there, writing that article about Peter Khan. Not a lot of people would have done the same thing. You exposed a powerful politician."

  She scoffed bitterly. "You mean nobody else would have been stupid enough to have done the same."

  "Your words, not mine."

  She looked at me beseechingly. "But it's true. If I hadn't done that, I would have saved myself a whole world of pain. I wouldn't have been fired; Jin might still be here and..." She shook her head.

  "You were trying to do the right thing," I argued. "You were trying to show the public—"

  "What they didn't want to see," Kandice interjected. "What they hated to see. Did you know I got hate mail after that article got published in another paper? People were saying that I was trying to tear down a legacy. That I was venomous. Spiteful. I was just trying to tell people the truth!"

  My hand found hers and squeezed. "That's in the past now."

  "I hope so," she said quietly.

  The rest of the flight passed uneventfully. We slept, ate some of the smoked salmon the valet served, and then slept some more.

  At one point, Kandice's head lolled onto my shoulder.

  I let it stay there as I fell back asleep myself, my head leaning against hers.

  I awoke as she stirred. "Sorry," Kandice said quickly.

  "It's fine," I said, eyeing her.

  It had felt good, her head there. Warm. Nice.

  "What?" she said suddenly. "Did you want to pretend on the plane, too?"

  I started back. "What?"

  She just shook her head. "I'm sorry. I guess... This is really complicated. Plus, I'm tired."

  "It's okay," I said.

  She didn't fall asleep again or allow her body near mine. Ah well. Even if it had fit there just right, and the way mine had sat on top... It had been comfortable. No matter. We were nearly in New York City now.

  Once we landed, we got through customs quickly enough, thanks to my Nexus card. We literally soared through every part—airport, traffic, and finally we arrived at the Hilton Garden Hotel, where check-in was immediate and flawless.

  We unpacked our stuff then got dressed into my dressier clothes.

  When I put on my tie, I could almost feel Papa behind me, counselling me like he had the first time I'd had to wear a tie. He'd refused to help me or do it himself, forcing me to learn on my own.

  "That's it, my boy," he'd said at the end. "You've done it all by yourself, just how you will in every success for the rest of your life."

  My lips tightened as I finished the knot. That was just it, though; was this succeeding? Was I making Papa proud?

  I doubted it.

  Through the slit of the bathroom door, I could see the side of Kandice's face as she applied some red lipstick.

  It was obvious this wasn't what Papa had wanted for me: a fake marriage to someone I didn't love. What could he have expected to happen, forcing me to decide with his surprise clause in the will? He had left me no choice in the matter.

  It wasn't that I disliked Kandice. On the contrary, we got along. Who knows, maybe in time...

  I shook my head. Kandice didn't seem any more interested in a genuine relationship than I was. She was focused on her career, just how I was focused on mine. It would be best to keep this a business arrangement, nothing more.

  If we sometimes enjoyed spending time together, maybe more... Then we'd deal with it when the time comes. Not before, or after.

  When Kandice emerged, I saw that we'd had the same thought. She looked pretty, but business pretty. She wore a tailored, knee-length, pinstriped grey skirt, a somewhat fancy coral blouse, and a firm, determined smile.

  "You ready?" I asked.

  She nodded. "You?"

  "Ready as I'll ever be," I said, feeling oddly like an actor who was being fed his lines. "Let's go do this marriage thing."

  That got Kandice to crack a smile.

  On our way there, we fidgeted. My hand itched to grab hers, until I forced it into a closed fist. There was no need for that. Kandice understood this arrangement as well as I did, there was no point in causing any confusion.

  As our taxi looked for a place to park, Kandice turned to me, her eyes dark, glittering jewels. "I just wanted to say, thank you for this. You've really saved my life, and..."

  I quieted her with a wave of my hand. "Don't
thank me. Remember, this is for both of us. You're helping me just as much as I'm helping you."

  She nodded again, but her voice was stiff. "Got it."

  There was no time to analyze her tone. The taxi driver had already walked over and was opening Kandice's door. She got out and I followed, already scanning the street numbers for 267, the store on the corner where we had to turn to get to the courthouse. I could have just pulled out my GPS, but I preferred it this way. It kept me alert and prevented my mind from wandering to unnecessary things. Like how good Kandice smelled...

  Stay on task, Giovanni.

  So, as we passed a butcher, a convenience store, a store selling I-didn't-even-know-what, my gaze jumped from number to number: 220, 224, 226, 240.

  We crossed the street. There were more numbers until we finally reached 267. A walk down the street, another turn and... There we were. New York Courthouse.

  It was amazing how it seemed hidden until you were right in front of it. The giant stone pillars and wide sprawling steps lead into hallways infused with justice and history. Distracted people were filing up and down the steps, going in and out of the building.

  As we walked in, my eyes tilted up as they gazed at the chandelier and intricate fresco.

  Inside, George was there happy to see me. He greeted us both warmly.

  "Giovanni! You look the same, but..." His face suddenly fell. "I'm really sorry about your father."

  As we embraced warmly, I shook my head. "It's fine. Papa was laughing until the very end."

  "That sounds like the Mr. Bruno I know," George said appreciatively. His gaze moved to Kandice. "And this is the lovely lady?"

  I nodded while Kandice's eyes moved to me questioningly.

  "It's fine," I said. "He knows."

  She said nothing, her lips pressing together with uncertainty. I could read what they were saying though: Am I going to need a briefing for everyone I meet?

  Luckily, George came to the rescue. "Don't worry," he said. "Your secret is safe with me. Giovanni and I are old friends from university. You wouldn't believe some of the things this guy did that I kept under wraps for the past five years."