I didn’t know much about the transport and logistics industry, but even I had heard of his company. He was something of a local hero. A hometown boy who had built his empire from scratch and had stayed in his hometown to do it. Apparently, he had offices in many of the major centers in Italy and in some other countries, but he’d kept his head office in Florence where he’d been born and bred.
My internet searches had brought up thousands upon thousands of hits on him. I’d read the basics, enough to know who I was potentially going to work for. But I hadn’t delved much deeper than that.
I’d decided that I wanted to learn who he was from him, not from some commentary by reporters who had met with him for thirty minutes. Besides, there was only so much I really needed to know about him.
Our relationship was professional. All I needed to know was that he had a job for me, what that job entailed, and how much he would pay me for it. End of story.
As for how attractive he was, I was going to have to get over it. Ogling him every so often was as far as I could take it.
As I walked down the street, tipping my head back to feel the sun on my face, hope bloomed in my chest. I had the money for my rent in my pocket, and hopefully, it wouldn’t be a problem again.
Lowering my hand into my purse, I pulled my phone out and scrolled through my contacts until I found Kyle’s name. I couldn’t wait to tell my brother about this new development.
He answered on the second ring. “Hey, sis. What’s up? How are you?”
“Better than I’ve been all week,” I said cheerfully. “I got a new job. It’s for a big logistics company. I’m going to be a client liaison.”
“That’s great, Addy. Wow. Congratulations. How did that happen?”
I paused, sinking my teeth into the inside of my cheek before I answered. There was no way I could tell Kyle I’d taken a shift at a strip club. He wouldn’t understand, and chances were, he’d beat himself up over it.
“I met the owner at a club,” I said finally, being as honest as I could. I hated lying to my brother. Since it had only been him and me growing up, I had the utmost respect for him. We were too close for lies to come between us. “We got to talking, and he gave me his card. I went in for the interview this morning, and he liked me for the job.”
“Obviously, he liked you for it,” he said, pride swelling in his voice. “You’re the smartest, most likable person I know. You’d be an asset to any company. You sure would have been an asset to mine if you’d stayed.”
I laughed, but my cheeks still flushed. “You’re biased. That’s the only reason you think all that about me. Besides, I wouldn’t have taken a handout from you even if I had stayed. You’re a successful businessman in your own right. You had to work for everything you have. I want to do the same.”
“You would have and you will,” he said with no trace of uncertainty. “I’m not saying it just because I’m biased. I’m saying it because it’s true. You have so much potential, baby sis. I’ve hated knowing you were struggling when you could have been making actual money.”
“I was making actual money. They deposited it into my bank account and everything.” I sighed softly. This was always a bone of contention between us. “It might not have been millions, but I got by.”
“Barely. I’m happy you’re doing better, though. What happened with Antonio? Have you resigned yet?”
“Uh.” Shit. My eyes closed as I braced myself for telling him the truth. “He fired me actually. Last week. We got into it over a customer’s meal. He ended up firing me for comping the meal, even though the customer had found a hair in his spinach.”
“That’s disgusting,” Kyle said. “The hair and that sorry excuse for a man. I hated him. I’m glad you’re free of him. Onward and upward.”
“Yeah, but just not too much,” I joked. “You know me. I don’t like having too many responsibilities.”
His deep exhalation was filled with a thousand arguments we’d had before on this topic. “All that will change when you have kids. You’ll have to step it up eventually. Having a kid instead of being the kid will force you to.”
“No worries there. I’m not having kids, big brother. I like being the kid too much to have any of my own.”
“We’ll see.” The knowing depth of his voice made me narrow my eyes. God, he can be so annoying.
“Yeah, we will see. Or you will anyway. Why don’t you stop worrying about my lack of kids and start doing something about your own?”
“I’m trying. Believe me. I just haven’t found the woman I want to put a baby in yet. I will, though. I want the family you and I never had.”
“White picket fence and Labradoodle included?” I teased because I couldn’t let myself think about what we’d never had.
Growing up, I’d also wanted it. Now I knew better. The odds weren’t on my side with that one. There were the fortunate ones who got to have and be part of families. Then there was me. I always had been an outsider to that life, and I always would be.
I wasn’t pitying myself or anything. It just was what it was. The few attempts I’d made at finding some place I belonged had flopped spectacularly. No, it was better to create that place for myself instead of looking for it elsewhere.
And that was what I was busy doing, creating my own place to belong.
Kyle, however, still harbored dreams of the idyllic life we’d dreamed of as kids. “Fuck yes. I’ll repaint the fence so it stays white as snow and throw in a breeding pair of Labradoodles while I’m at it.”
I snorted when I tried to hold back a laugh. “Good luck with that.”
“Thanks.”
Someone called his name at the other end of the line. My heart panged when I realized it meant he was about to end our call. Being in Italy was my choice and a dream come true, but it had never gotten any easier being this far away from my brother.
“I have to go, Addy. I’ll speak to you soon?”
“Love you, Kyle.”
His tone softened. “I love you too, kiddo. Stay safe over there, okay? Call me if you need anything.”
I nodded, taking a deep breath to keep the tears that were begging to fill my eyes from forming. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
As I pocketed my phone, I focused on the sights and sounds around me while I waited for the homesickness to fade. Just because I loved it here didn’t mean I never felt the pull to go back home. Speaking to Kyle was notorious for triggering that pull.
The only way I knew of to resist it was to immerse myself fully in the city I now called home. It was a beautiful summer’s day with vibrantly bright blue skies overhead. A few puffy clouds floated lazily above me as I watched a heron dipping through the air.
The city was well and truly awake now, unlike how it had been when I’d ventured out before sunrise that morning. I didn’t know what time Marco got to his office, and I’d wanted to make sure that I beat him there. The job meant everything to me. I’d needed to make a good first impression, and I figured a superb place to start was to show him how seriously I took it.
The warmth of the cobblestones beneath me ghosted across the bare skin of my legs. Somewhere in the distance, I heard opera music being played and the ringing of church bells. The scent of exhaust and cappuccino mingled with wafts of damp plaster and truffles as I walked past ancient buildings and food trucks.
My heart had found a home here. It was exactly what I’d needed to be reminded of, and while I still missed Kyle, I no longer felt nostalgic for Portland.
A smile made its way to my lips as I walked along the same streets the people of Firenze had walked hundreds of years ago. Nowhere I’d been had nurtured my soul quite like this place.
By the time I got to my apartment, Elena was lounging on the couch. Her toes were separated by foam pillows as she brushed lime-green polish onto her nails.
She looked up when I walked in. “Where did you go off to so early?”
Sticking two fingers into my pocket, I extracted the
cash Marco had given me and held it up for her to see. “Getting this. It’s my share of the rent for the month.”
Her eyebrows went up as she eyed the money. “Did you suck the landlord’s dick after all? Where the fuck did you get that so early in the morning? You were only gone a few hours.”
“Again, the landlord is a woman. She doesn’t have a dick for me to suck. I got a new job. Rent shouldn’t be a problem for me again.”
Elena’s lips spread into a slow smile. “Come sit down then. I want to hear all about it.”
Chapter 9
Marco
I hit send on the email to Addy and sat back in my chair. There. I had fulfilled my promise to her. Now I had to wait and see what her feedback would be.
Scrubbing my hands over my jaw, I wondered if I’d made the right call by hiring her with so little background about her skills and experience. I had a gut feeling about her, though. All I had to do now was trust it, just as I had done so far.
I couldn’t prove myself right or wrong until I heard back from her anyway. It would probably take her a few days to work through the information I’d sent, and we could take it from there.
If the liaison position didn’t work out, perhaps I could fit her in elsewhere. I didn’t know where yet, but I would cross that bridge when I got to it.
Midday sun streamed in through the windows in my office, and a pang in my stomach told me it had to be around lunchtime. A quick glance down at my rose-gold smartwatch confirmed it.
Stretching out with my arms above my head, I mentally ran through my options for lunch. I wasn’t in the mood to grab something off the street, but I also didn’t feel like eating alone.
Luckily, I had a twin brother with too much time on his hands and a thing for any meal I paid for. I picked my phone up as I rolled my chair back and pushed to my feet, grabbing my jacket as I hit the call button on Aldo’s name.
“Please don’t tell me you’re calling to say you’re leaving town again so soon,” he said instead of a greeting. “Mama would definitely kill the messenger. I know it’s for business, but she wouldn’t do well if you left again just after getting back.”
“It’s not my fault I’m her favorite,” I joked as I walked to the door. “But you don’t have to worry about it for now. I’m not going anywhere except out to lunch. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up with me?”
“Sure. Where?”
“Culinaria?” It was a firm favorite of ours and close enough to my office to walk there.
Aldo smacked his lips. “I could do with their Bistecca alla Fiorentina. I’ll meet you there in ten.”
“Just once, I wish you would have something other than the steak,” I grumbled as I headed out. “They make other food too, you know?”
“Yeah, but it’s known as the king dish of Florence for a reason. Why eat anything else when I can have the king dish?”
I rolled my eyes before lifting my sunglasses out of the case and sliding them on as I stepped outside. “Whatever. One day, you’ll learn to try new things and appreciate variety.”
“The only area in my life where I like to try new things and appreciate variety is sex, brother.”
“I didn’t need to know that.” I cut him off before he said something that was really going to make me need to scrub my brain with acid to get the images out of it. “I’ll see you there in ten.”
Aldo was still laughing when I hung the phone up in his ear. Bastard.
Still, I smiled as I stuck my hands in my pockets and started walking down the street. My brother’s ability not to take himself or life too seriously was one of my favorite things about him. Not that I’d ever tell him that.
He was just a happy-go-lucky, funny guy who pretty much said and did whatever the fuck he wanted, whenever he wanted. Several years ago, after I’d started to make my money, I’d silently opened a charitable foundation. It operated mostly anonymously. Aldo ran it on my behalf.
Basically, it was his job to keep his eyes and ears open and to approve funding or provide donations to organizations, causes, and people that needed it. We’d developed a set of guidelines for how to decide who to give money to together, but outside of that, I trusted Aldo’s judgment.
He had his finger on the pulse and his mind on the purpose. I wanted to help and give back, and he made sure it got done—with no recognition of me or other fanfare if I could avoid it.
When I got to the restaurant, he was already there. His face split into a wide grin when he saw me, and he pushed a glass of water and a shot of espresso across the table to my seat.
“I took the liberty of ordering this for you. Never know how much time you’re going to have.”
“Thanks.” I slid into my seat and picked up the menu. “I have more meetings this afternoon but only later.”
“Does that mean we’re going to be able to finish our food before you have to take off this time?”
I lifted my eyes from the options on offer and rolled them. “That was one time. You have to let it go.”
“Nope.” He smirked as he laid a cloth napkin over his lap. “I plan on milking it for as long as I possibly can.”
“Yeah?” I tilted my head and studied him. A familiar calculating yet mischievous gleam had entered his eyes, and it spelled trouble for me. “Milking it how?”
“I’m training for a marathon, and training by myself is boring. I was hoping I could convince you to join me.”
“I have too much work. I don’t have time to train for a marathon right now. You’re on your own, buddy.”
He pouted and folded his arms across his chest. “Everyone needs a break from work to blow off some steam. This could be it for you.”
“If I wanted a break from work to blow off some steam, I wouldn’t take that break by training for a marathon.” I was all for exercise, but I’d never really gotten the point of a marathon. “Besides, I couldn’t take a break right now even if I wanted to.”
“What if I told you I had a plan to cut our training time in half?”
I arched an eyebrow and tucked my chin closer to my chest. “How would we do that?”
“You could start the marathon and dip off somewhere around the halfway point. I could finish it. It’s a win-win.”
“No, it’s a cheat-cheat.” I sighed, shaking my head as I went back to studying the menu. “The old switch got old back in high school, brother. We’re not doing it.”
“Would it make a difference if I told you the marathon was for a good cause?”
“Nope.” I decided on my lunch and set the menu down on the one side of the table, then looked around until I caught the eye of a server. “If you think it’s a good idea to support the cause, just donate money to them.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“Why not? It’s the same to them. In fact, they’ll probably get more money from a donation than a marathon entry fee. Especially if we only pay for one person.”
He exhaled a deep breath, but he was feigning his disappointment. “Fine. You might have a point. I’m still going to do it, though. A marathon is a great way to meet people.”
“It is?” I frowned. “Also, since when do you have trouble meeting people?”
“I don’t.” Another smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “But I’m bored with the same old routine. I’m over meeting people on the club scene or at a bar. I think I need me some fit friends.”
“You already have fit friends,” I reminded him. “We box at the gym three nights a week, we swim, and we spend almost every weekend in winter skiing.”
“But it’s not winter now.” He wagged his eyebrows at me. “We need something to replace the skiing. Running is good for you.”
“I know. I run every morning.” I noticed a waiter walking up to us. We ordered our food, and once the server was gone, I turned my attention back to my brother. “I’ll be there to support you, but I don’t want any part in your shenanigans.”
“No one would ever know we switched. Come
on, man. It’s been too long since we’ve taken advantage of being identical.”
“There’s a good reason for that.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“We’re not sixteen anymore,” I said, plucking a breadstick out of the basket in the center of the table. “It was fun while it lasted, though.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. How fun it used to be. We need to have some fun. Or rather, correction. You need to have some fun. I have fun all the time.”
“So do I,” I argued, but it wasn’t exactly true. In fact, the most fun I’d had recently was that conversation I’d had with Addy at the club.
Aldo gave me a knowing look but stopped bugging me about it. My brother knew when to push me and when he was wasting his time. This was an example of the latter.
For the rest of our lunch, we got caught up and discussed some possible new causes he wanted to look into for the foundation. When I got back to the office, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a familiar head of blonde hair studying something in her lap.
Addy’s deep blue eyes met mine when she looked up, a determined expression on her face. “Hi, Marco.”
“Hey.” Unfreezing my limbs as I got over my surprise at seeing her there, I closed the distance between us. “What are you doing here? I thought we’d agreed to a meeting on Friday to discuss the information I sent you.”
“We did, but since I’ve already looked it all over, I thought I’d take a chance and see if you’ve got time to talk about it now.”
For a second, I could only blink at her. It wasn’t often that I was speechless or shocked, but that was exactly what I was right then. “I only sent that email less than two hours ago.”
She shrugged. “I know. I’ve been waiting here for thirty minutes or so.”
“You read through all of it?” I tried to calculate how many pages I’d sent her in total, but I didn’t know the precise amount. It had been a lot, though.
Addy lifted her shoulders again, then flicked a hand in the direction of my office. “I’ve read through it all. I think I have a pretty good idea of what you meant before.”
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