Educating Gina

by Debbi Rawlins

  Her expression must have given away her pain, because he looked alarmed and added, “Not tonight, anyway. Robert is coming home in a few hours and I forgot I was supposed to pick him up. Maybe you should have dinner with your uncle alone.”

  She had to leave. Go back to the apartment and be by herself for a while. “Maybe,” she said, and stood abruptly. Feeling nasty, she asked, “Shall I tell him about us? Or do you want to be there?”

  Panic darkened his eyes. “God, Gina, please don’t say anything yet. Not today.”

  That was the final blow. She had foolishly harbored a hope he would rush to agree, claim he wanted the whole world to know how they felt about each other. Clearly he did not feel as she did.

  She was in love with him.

  To him, she was part of his job.

  “Fine.”

  “We will, of course. Just not tonight. I need to talk to Robert first.”

  She slung her purse strap over her head and across her chest, and then picked up her packages.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Home.”

  He frowned and looked as if he wanted to protest. “Leave your things. I can bring them by later.”

  She gave him a sad smile. She wondered if he would care if she told him that home did not mean Zio Antonio’s apartment.

  17

  “WE HAVE TO TALK,” Mike told Robert as soon as they dropped off Melanie at her apartment.

  “I knew something was eating you.” Robert slouched down in the bucket seat and yawned. “But I have to warn you. My concentration sucks at best. I’m not sure how much you’ll get out of me after that flight.”

  “This should be an easy one. Why the hell would your father think I was gay?”

  The stunned look on Robert’s face was difficult to interpret. “Where did he get an idea like that?”

  “He says from you.”

  Robert laughed uneasily. “No way.”

  Mike recognized that guilty laugh, but instead of calling Robert on it, he said nothing, hoping that silence would prompt the truth. He didn’t trust himself to keep a cool head. Better he let Robert stew.

  Anger had simmered and built throughout the afternoon. Not so much about the gay rumor, although he’d eagerly used it as a distraction from the real problem. He’d betrayed Antonio’s trust, and that was a hard pill to swallow.

  Ever since he’d first met the Scarpettis, a week after his mother had started working for them, Mike had yearned to belong to the big close-knit bunch. He’d loved his mom, and they were as close as a mother and son could be, but it wasn’t the same as being around the Scarpettis.

  The men discussed baseball and politics and made raunchy jokes Mike would never repeat to his mother. They had huge family dinners and everyone participated, laughing, complaining and teasing. It was an awesome experience. And Mike wanted to be a part of it.

  When they’d offered him a managerial position with the company, he’d been on cloud nine for months. He’d finally made it, become a part of the family. To some extent. But the barrier was always there, reminding him he wasn’t a Scarpetti, and over the years he’d gradually accepted that he would always be an outsider.

  And then came Gina.

  Smart, sassy, beautiful, she didn’t deserve to be overlooked. Not by anyone, least of all her family. And as much as Mike hated to piss off Antonio, maybe even alienate himself from the family, he simply couldn’t stand by and say nothing.

  He was tempted to stay quiet, see what unfolded. Gina could speak for herself. She was spunky enough. But he couldn’t do it. She needed someone in her corner. He wanted to be that someone.

  Shit!

  It was so damned ironic that Antonio had finally demonstrated good faith by entrusting Mike with Gina, and it was his feelings for her that betrayed that trust. A trust Antonio would normally have reserved for his own son.

  Mike nearly hit the brakes at a green light.

  Comprehension exploded like a firecracker.

  “Are you listening to me or what? There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation—” Robert slammed his palms against the dashboard. “Jesus! Didn’t you see that Mercedes? You trying to kill us?”

  “No, just you.” Mike veered off the road and parked at a curb. “You son of a bitch. You told your father I was gay so that he’d let you off the hook with Gina.”

  Robert sighed and scrubbed his face. “That’s not exactly how it was.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I was going on vacation. The cruise had been booked for months! I wasn’t going to stick around and baby-sit my cousin. That was ridiculous.”

  “So you volunteered me.”

  “Okay…I’m a shithead.”

  “Except since I’m not family, Antonio said no.”

  Robert shifted uncomfortably and rolled down the window, mostly, Mike assumed, to avoid him. Rob knew how Mike felt about being an outsider. They never discussed it, but he knew. “Don’t pay any attention to Pop. You know how he is.”

  “So to get off the hook, you lied.”

  Rob briefly closed his eyes and laid his head back. “I really am a shithead. I wasn’t thinking. I panicked when I thought Pop might pull the plug on my vacation and I— Mike, I’m sorry. I’ll set things straight with Pop.”

  Mike sadly shook his head and then pulled the car back onto the road. Maybe he was making too big a deal of the situation. But he and Robert had been friends for too long for that kind of sabotage.

  Friends. Were they really? Was that why Mike had overlooked Robert’s laziness and carried the burden of their shared job title? Why he’d always cleaned up after Robert? Or had Mike wanted to be part of the family that much?

  It was humbling to think he might have prostituted himself that way. Maybe “prostituted” was overstating it, but… Hell, he couldn’t think straight. Even so, no matter what term he found acceptable, no way would he trade in Gina’s dreams or ability. He would fight for her rightful place in the family business.

  Even if it cost him his job.

  “Okay, it was a crappy thing to do. I apologize.” Robert exhaled loudly. “I’ll straighten everything out with Pop. Where are we going?”

  “To your father’s apartment.”

  “I know you’re upset, buddy. And I don’t blame you. I was a jerk and I feel bad. But can’t I talk to him in the morning?”

  “Frankly, I don’t give a shit if your father thinks I’m gay, or even a friggin’ transsexual. We need to go talk to him about Gina.”

  “Gina? Why?”

  Mike was about to discover the depth of Robert’s friendship. Although he’d been there for Mike in the past, like when his mother had died unexpectedly, the guy rarely stuck his neck out unless it benefited him.

  “Because she’s interested in the business. And she’s too smart to be stuck at home worrying about what to fix for dinner.”

  “You’re being politically incorrect. A lot of women like staying home and worrying about dinner.”

  “And that’s perfectly fine. But Gina isn’t one of them.”

  “That’s her problem.”

  “You know better. It’s more than a small problem, considering your Neanderthal family. She needs our support.”

  “I should probably take offense to that remark.” Robert sent him a speculative look. “Why are you getting involved?”

  “Because she’s smart and would be a terrific asset to the company.”

  “And?”

  Mike stared ahead at the stream of brake lights, tempted to sidestep the real answer. His feelings were personal, nothing to do with Robert or the business. Oh, hell, as if he could hide it much longer. “Because I love her, dammit.”

  GINA PUT THE RED DRESS in a sack with the black one and set it aside to be given to charity. She thought again, then pulled them both out and stuffed the dresses in the garbage. No other woman should be subjected the offensive looks she had received from some idiot men.

  Sinking to the edge of her bed
, she sighed. Why had she bothered to go through so much schooling? Everything she ever needed to learn she had already learned in kindergarten. Boys were stupid.

  She stared at the open suitcase. The baggy black dresses her mother favored were folded and neatly stacked. Only an hour ago Gina had packed them, along with her sensible shoes. Her old life seemed as if it existed decades ago, as if it belonged to someone else, not her.

  She shook her head. She could not do it. To go back to a life dictated by parents who refused to acknowledge the twenty-first century seemed too overwhelming. Too much to ask.

  She got up and yanked the dresses out of her suitcase. She stuffed them into the big green garbage bag, along with the two others.

  Michael may not want her, and he may not even think she was smart. She knew better. She could get a job and an apartment back in Tuscany and make it on her own. That he would not be there to share her life was his loss. The big jerk.

  She swallowed back tears as she placed the three pairs of black shoes in the donation bag. They were not so bad. Someone could use them. Her new jeans and tennis shoes took up the rest of the room in the suitcase, and the suits she had bought today she hung in the garment bag.

  Had it only been today that she had gone shopping with Michael? That he had told her how beautiful she looked in anything she wore? How could she have been so wrong about him? Damn her lack of experience. She simply did not understand men.

  She crawled across the bed to grab the box of tissues. The bed she had shared for one blissful hour with Michael. She had to smile remembering how nervous he had been that night, although his worrying had not stopped his body from getting hard and ready.

  Sighing again, she fisted a handful of tissues and lay back on the bed. Not everything she and Michael had shared had been a lie. He had to have some feelings for her, and not just physical. Even with her lack of experience with men, she was not that naive. She made him laugh and smile all the time. And the truth was, he had tried not to get involved. Sometimes when he had touched her, she felt his restraint.

  But she had chased him until he relented.

  She covered her face with her hands, but the sting of humiliation did not lessen. How could she have been so bold? He had given her many signs that he was not interested. He had tried to keep a distance and she had pushed, harder and harder, until her curiosity had been satisfied.

  No matter how much she hurt right now, she could not really fault him. He had made no promises.

  “Gina?” Zio Antonio knocked at her door.

  “Si?” She blew her nose, swiped at her damp cheeks and then swung her feet to the floor.

  “We will be late for dinner.”

  She had forgotten he had made reservations. In fact, she had not yet told him she was leaving tomorrow morning. She had called the airlines, and her ticket had already been changed.

  “I am not hungry. How about I make you a nice bowl of pasta and clams?” It was his favorite, she knew, and even though she would much rather be alone to lick her wounds in private, he had been kind to host her and she wanted to repay his hospitality. “With lots of butter and garlic, si?”

  He paused. “May I come in?”

  She looked over her shoulder at the open suitcase and winced. “Just a moment.” She closed it as best she could and dragged it to the closet, along with the garbage bag full of clothes. By the time she opened the door, he looked concerned.

  His gaze scanned the room behind her and then rested on her face. His troubled eyes made her want to weep.

  She forced a smile. “I make very good pasta and clams.”

  His frown deepened. “You do not look well.”

  “I am tired.”

  “Tired of the big city?”

  Gina started to deny it, but thought better of it. “I am a little homesick.” She shrugged. “I am considering returning to Tuscany early.”

  His gaze narrowed. “When did you decide this?”

  “Today.”

  “Don’t you think I should have been consulted?”

  His reaction startled her. Angered her, too. “Why? I am old enough to make such a decision.”

  He drew back his head in surprise. “And you should speak to me this way?”

  She sighed. “No, Zio Antonio, I do not want to argue. I just want to go home.”

  His expression softened and he slid an arm around her shoulders. “You get a good night’s sleep and we’ll talk about it in the morning, okay?”

  She nodded, anxious to be alone again. As soon as he left, she dragged her suitcase back out to finish packing. There would be no discussion tomorrow. In twelve hours she would be on that plane.

  MIKE AND ROBERT waited for Antonio to open the door. When he’d buzzed them into the building, he hadn’t sounded happy with their unannounced visit. Tough. What Mike had to say couldn’t wait. He wouldn’t sleep a wink or get any work done until he got it off his chest.

  “What are you two doing here?” he asked as soon as he opened the door.

  “Gee, Pop, nice to see you, too.” Robert walked in first. “You have any beer in the fridge?”

  “I have wine. What do you expect?”

  “That’ll do.” Robert continued on to the kitchen. “Mike?”

  “No, thanks.” He needed a clear head. Later, he just might get good and stinking drunk. Depending on what happened in the next few minutes. He turned to find Antonio staring at him. “Where’s Gina?”

  “In her room.” Antonio studied him closely. “She’s not well.”

  Mike’s jaw clenched. She was fine earlier. “What do you mean?”

  “You know anything about that?”

  Mike ignored his boss’s glare. “I figured you might.”

  That startled Antonio. “Me? Why?”

  “Did you say anything to her about the suits she bought? About hanging around the office?”

  Antonio removed a cigar from a polished cherry box on the coffee table and then sat down on the couch. “I asked you to handle that.”

  “Yeah, you did, but I have a small problem with the delivery on this one.” Mike rubbed his jaw. “I don’t agree with you, Antonio.”

  Temper flared in the older man’s eyes. “It’s not your place to agree or disagree.”

  Mike nodded. “Because I’m not family.”

  Robert walked in with two glasses of wine. “Here you go, Pop.”

  Antonio ignored him. “I don’t understand what’s wrong with you, Mike. Maybe I asked too much of you. With Robert away, you had too much on your plate at work for dealing with Gina. I apologize.”

  “No, see, I never considered the past three weeks as ‘dealing with Gina.’ I’ve enjoyed her company. I’ve appreciated her input at the office. Did I tell you she saved George Zacharias’s account for us?”

  Antonio’s expression darkened. “What are you talking about? Augie told me Mondavi had been courting George. The reason he stayed with us is probably because he’s another fruitcake.”

  “Christ, Pop.” Robert set the wine down in front of him and slid a sheepish look to Mike. “What are you talking like that for?”

  “That’s another thing,” Mike said calmly, even though it still hurt to think Antonio hadn’t really trusted him at all. “I’m not gay. The reason George stayed with us is because Gina finessed him.”

  Antonio’s confused gaze went to his son.

  Robert sighed. “I can explain.”

  “Later.” Mike had more to say. “The important thing for you to understand is that Gina would be a valuable asset to Scarpetti Wines, and if you don’t—”

  “Enough.” Antonio held up a hand. “We will not discuss Gina.”

  “You’re being an ass, Antonio.”

  Hard enough for Mike to believe he’d just said that, but Antonio’s face got dangerously red.

  “This isn’t going anywhere,” Robert said, and his father turned his angry glare on him.

  “Why are you here? You came to oppose me, too?”

&nbs
p; Mike groaned in exasperation. “This isn’t about you, Antonio. Not about me, either. This is about Gina. She’s smart and competent. Give her a chance. Ask her what she wants. Listen to her.”

  “You think you know so much about her? Gina is family.” He thumped his chest. “I know about my own niece.”

  “How would you know? You haven’t spent more than a few hours with her.”

  Antonio glared, angrier than Mike had ever seen him. “You think you know so much. She doesn’t want a job. She’s homesick. She’s returning to Italy.”

  “What? When?”

  “I am glad. This is no place for her.” Antonio pointed his cigar at Mike. “I have a good mind to fire you.”

  Mike barely heard. He started down the hall toward Gina’s room.

  “You can’t go back there!” Antonio shouted.

  Mike stopped long enough to turn around and say, “Do you have any idea how much I wanted to be a part of your family? How long I wanted to belong to the inner circle? For what?” He shook his head. “You don’t treat family very well, Antonio. Gina deserves a lot better from you. At least some respect.”

  Mike turned around again and saw Gina. She stood in the doorway to her room, her face ashen, her eyes troubled.

  Antonio called out. Mike ignored him, wondering how much she’d heard. He smiled at her. “Hi.”

  Gina’s eyes widened. “Zio Antonio must be very angry.”

  “Tough.”

  A slow smile curved the corners of her mouth.

  “I heard you’re not feeling well.”

  She shrugged, and then steadily met his eyes. “Michael, why are you here?”

  “I’d forgotten to tell you something earlier.” He tried to sound casual, considering his heart raced faster than a Kentucky Derby winner.

  Her eyebrows arched expectantly.

  He took a deep breath. “I love you.”

  She blinked.

  “Gina Ferraro, I love you.” He said it again just to make sure she understood. And for his own benefit. He’d never said that to a woman before.

  She lifted her chin. “It is about time you admitted it.”