Loving Gigi

  Tears had started spilling down Gigi’s cheeks as Gio spoke. He wasn’t a man who seemed comfortable talking about his feelings or the past, but he was doing it for her, and it was both confusing and beautiful at the same time. It also made Gigi want to believe him more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. “You really didn’t know about me?”

  “I didn’t, Gigi. I swear it on my life.”

  Wiping away her tears, Gigi nodded. This was the man she’d witnessed once before, the brother she’d hoped he could be. “When I saw you with Julia at your wedding, you were different than how I remembered you.”

  Gio stood and said harshly, “You were at our wedding? How did no one know?”

  Julia stood beside him and said, “Let me translate that for you. He means he wishes he had known because he would have loved to have shared our day with you.”

  Gigi met Julia’s eyes and said with a touch of sarcasm, “Which you know because you speak wolf?”

  “Fluently,” Julia said, and a large smile spread across her face. “Lucky for you, it’s not a difficult second language to acquire.”

  Gio shook his head in exasperation. “At work I’m a man people fear.” He hugged Julia. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to fear me just a little? You know, so the rest of the family doesn’t turn on me like the wild pack they are.”

  Julia laughed and gave Gio a pat on the cheek. “I’m sorry to say, sweetie, but if we have a little girl there will be no saving you. She’s going to wrap you around her little finger.”

  “Is that so?” He was smiling warmly, not at all afraid of the possibility. “And what if we have a boy?”

  “I hope he turns out to be just as strong and as loyal as his father.”

  The scene should have been uncomfortable, but somehow Gigi didn’t feel excluded. Watching her brother with his wife was actually reminding Gigi of a time in her childhood when her father had joked with her mother the same way. For once, that memory wasn’t accompanied by resentment. Could getting to know her brothers do more than reopen old wounds? Could it help heal them as well?

  And how could she not admire Julia? She had walked into an escalating, explosive conversation and had somehow brought brother and sister to, if not a loving place, at least common ground. “You’re going to be an amazing mother, Julia.”

  Julia blushed and hugged Gio. “I hope so. I’ve never been happier.”

  Gio wrapped both of his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “Me, either.” He met Gigi’s eyes over Julia’s head. “We still have things we need to discuss, but they can wait. Tonight let’s enjoy a quiet dinner. Tomorrow there won’t be a peaceful place to hide in this house.”

  “Who’s coming?” Gigi asked, suddenly a whole lot less sure what the next day would have in store for her.

  Gio shrugged in resignation. “If I know my family, all of them.”

  Gigi’s eyes flew to Julia’s for confirmation that she might have misunderstood. Julia smiled back apologetically. “I’ve been fielding calls all day. Everyone wants to meet you, Gigi.”

  Gigi consoled herself with a thought she didn’t share. I guess that’s better than no one wanting to.

  Julia pushed away from her husband and checked her watch. “I have to meet with our house staff if we’re going to be ready for tomorrow. I was planning on fifty, Gio. You said Luke and Max are flying in. Are others doing the same?”

  “Probably,” Gio said with a groan.

  Julia spoke as she absently gave Gigi a hug. “I’ll plan for a hundred, then, but I’ll have extra food prepared just in case more come.”

  “A hundred?” Gigi sat down with a thud.

  Julia chuckled. “Welcome to the family, Gigi.”

  * * *

  Kane rolled over in his bed and pulled a blanket over his head to stop the sunlight from searing through his still-closed eyelids. He hadn’t imbibed that much Scotch since his college days, and his thirty-five-year-old body was making him pay for every sip of it. His head was throbbing. His stomach was churning. If death didn’t feel like this, it was close.

  “I told the office you had a stomach bug,” his father said from a chair beside Kane’s bed. Only Thom Sander would call in Kane’s absence as if his son was home sick from school and not the CEO of one of the country’s most profitable companies.

  “I have a nine a.m. meeting I can’t cancel on.” The sound of his own voice was like a sledgehammer to his temple.

  “Then it’s a shame it’s noon,” his father said dryly.

  Kane sat straight up, almost lost the contents of his stomach on himself, then lay back down and covered his face with one arm. “Fuck. Ritmon does not like to be canceled on.”

  “He’ll survive. He wants the deal as much as you do.”

  “And you know that because?”

  “I have my sources.”

  “Dad, you’re retired. You’re not supposed to call my office and pump my people for information. And they know better than to tell you anything.”

  “I hired half of them. And you should be grateful. Just because you run the company now, doesn’t mean I’m too senile to give you pointers now and then.”

  Kane rolled onto his side and calculated the possibility of things getting very messy if he moved again. “I can’t argue about this right now. Thank you for calling the office. I’ll call them myself in about an hour.”

  “You should have had the water and aspirin I tried to give you last night, but you were convinced you weren’t drunk.”

  Kane groaned again. “I don’t remember that.”

  “I’m not surprised. Your mother wanted to come over. She has her grandmother’s hangover cocktail. You can thank me later for saving you from that.”

  “She knows I was drinking?”

  “I wasn’t going to lie to her. I had to tell her why I wasn’t coming home last night.”

  “You didn’t have to stay, Dad. I’m not a kid anymore.”

  “You’ll understand when you have a family of your own, Kane. So, what are you going to do about Gigi?”

  “Gigi?” Kane opened one eye.

  His father crossed one leg over the other and looked at Kane with a wry smile. “Don’t even try to act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. You spilled the whole story to me last night. Twice. You started to tell me a third time, but thankfully passed out before you could.”

  Kane closed his eyes. “That’s just fucking perfect.”

  “I’d tell you to mind your language, but I’ll hold off until I’m sure you’re completely sober. Then I’ll toss in a lecture about how alcohol never makes anything better and get it all done at once.”

  “Funny, Dad. I’d laugh, but I’m not up to it right this moment.”

  “Sarcasm, that’s a good sign. Sounds like you’re going to live.”

  “That is yet to be determined.”

  “Not that you asked for my opinion, but it looks like you and Gio need to talk.”

  “Dad, I’m willing to pay you a million dollars if you go home now.”

  His father laughed. “Most of your money is still my money until I die, so please, as a rule, offer smaller bribes.”

  Kane opened his bloodshot eyes again. “Is this payback for something I did to you as a child? Because I don’t remember giving you shit like this.”

  His father looked on with amusement he made no attempt to hide. “Kane, if you could see yourself right now, you’d be laughing, too. If I find you like this again, I’ll start to worry, but for now, I’m just enjoying watching the almighty Kane trying not to throw up all over himself. You were born thinking you’d rule the world, but a bottle of Scotch nearly did you in. Humbling, isn’t it? How frail we all are at the end of the day.”

  “Dad, if you don’t stop talking I’m going to kick your ass.” He moved his head and made a pained sound. “Or I will as soon as the room stops spinning.”

  He father walked out of the room and returned with a glass of water and a pill. “Drink
this, and go back to sleep if you can. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”

  Kane obediently swallowed the pill and the water then dropped back onto the bed. “I’m an idiot.”

  His father sat back down on the chair near Kane’s bed. “No more than most people, but I do want to make sure you handle this thing with Gigi the right way. You and Gio have been friends a long time. I’d hate to see that end over something like this.”

  Kane closed his eyes again. “There is no this. I don’t have to tell Gio anything because nothing happened. Nothing is going to happen. I don’t know what I said last night, but it was the Scotch talking, not me. Maybe I find Gigi attractive, but the world is full of beautiful women. My phone is full of numbers of gorgeous women who would be here in five minutes if I asked them to. I don’t have the time or the desire to get into anything as complicated as doing anything with Gigi would be. Frankly, she’s not worth the trouble.”

  His father gave him a pat on the shoulder and picked up the empty glass from the nightstand. “Okay, but call me if you need to talk about it. I wasn’t always this old, you know. I remember what it was like when I first saw your mother. I was stupid in love with her. Still am. I’m glad she wasn’t my best friend’s little sister because I couldn’t have walked away from her for anyone or anything.” He walked over and closed the drapes, bringing blissful darkness once again to Kane. “Get some sleep, Kane. Don’t worry about the office. I’ll head over there now and make sure everything is going smoothly.”

  Kane went to sit up again then stopped himself. “Dad?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thanks. Tell Marge I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

  “Get some rest, Kane. You want to look human for Gio’s dinner tonight.”

  “If I spilled everything to you last night, then I’m sure I told you I’m not going.”

  His father gave him a look he knew well. Without words it said, “I expect better from you.” So far, it had never failed to sway Kane. His father was a good man who wanted the best for his children. It was hard to look him in the eye and not want to be deserving of that kind of parent.

  “Dad, it’s not wise for me to see Gigi again.”

  The look persisted. “Gio has been like a brother to you, like a son to me. I’ll be there at the dinner, and so will you. And if it’s too damn hard to look at his sister, then you wait until you can speak to Gio alone, and you tell him the truth. But don’t let it keep you away from what is a very important dinner for your best friend. My son doesn’t hide from problems. He faces them head on. It’s the only way to win.”

  “There is no winner or loser in this. Trust me, Gio would prefer I stay away from his sister.”

  Shaking his head, he said, “I’d agree with you if I thought there was a chance in hell that was going to happen.” He paused at the door. “And watch your language. I raised you better than that.”

  Kane lay in his bed in his Upper West Side apartment staring up at the dark ceiling. Getting involved in each other’s lives, regardless of whether or not they were asked to, was practically a family pastime. On a good day, it was one of the things Kane loved most about his family. There weren’t many Sanders, but they were fiercely protective of each other. It wasn’t surprising his father had stayed at his bedside the whole night.

  Mortifying that at thirty-five Kane had given his father reason to, but Kane didn’t resent his intrusion. The older he got, the more he admired his father and the way he handled himself.

  I just hope he’s wrong this time.

  I can’t have feelings for Gigi. Gio would never forgive me.

  Never before had he been faced with a temptation he didn’t know if he could resist. There had to be something he could do to take his mind off how much he wanted Gigi. Kane rolled over and dialed the first number on his phone. As soon as he heard someone pick up, he said, “Lynn, it’s Kane. Would you like to attend a party with me tonight?”

  Chapter Nine

  ‡

  Gigi stepped away from the crowd of people who had spilled into every downstairs room of her brother’s home and slipped into what she hoped was the sanctuary of the kitchen. Her face was sore from smiling, and she’d thought she was a person who enjoyed hugs, but now she realized everything was better in moderation. In the beginning she’d tried to remember the names of everyone who rushed over and threw their arms around her as if they weren’t complete strangers to her. It was odd to be in a house full of people who wanted to meet her and still feel so alone.

  Instead of the quiet she’d sought, the kitchen was a flurry of cooks and staff, rushing to fill plates. A man with a thick French accent was barking orders while the man beside him grew more sweaty and nervous. He picked a shrimp spring roll off a tray and held it up. “Look at this. I wouldn’t serve this to my dog. When did you prepare these? Yesterday? Last week? I hope sometime this year, yes? You cannot serve this. Start over.”

  The man beside him waved a hand frantically around him. “Start over? There is no time. We’ll have to make do with what we have.”

  The Frenchman began to swear in French. “You’re fired. Get out of this kitchen.”

  “Sir, I’m sorry, but you’re not the one who hired me.”

  The Frenchman walked toward him while shedding his dinner coat. “But I am the one who will throw you out the door with my bare hands. Your choice, walk or fly.” He picked up the tray of appetizers and dumped the contents into the trash. “I could not sleep tonight if I let this pass as food.”

  Standing at the door of the kitchen, the man held up his phone. “I don’t know what to do. If I call my brother and tell him I messed up the first gig he put me in charge of, he’ll never trust me with one again. Should I leave? Do I take my staff with me? You . . . or someone . . . signed a contract. You’ll still have to pay for today. I don’t have the money to pay my brother for all these supplies if you don’t. I’m sorry they aren’t perfect. I don’t know what they’re supposed to look like. All I know is I need this job, and if I leave I can kiss it goodbye, brother or no brother.”

  After saying something harshly in his language, the Frenchman seemed to calm. He rolled his eyes skyward then clapped his hands. A hush fell over the kitchen. “If you work here normally, raise your hand. Everyone else, step to the left of that table.” With the regular house chef at his side, they organized the staff and soon the kitchen was running smoothly, and the Frenchman seemed satisfied. He waved for the man at the door to return and held up a batch of shrimp spring rolls. “This is what a fresh spring roll looks like.” He tossed it to the man. “Taste it. Good food, like a good woman, is always worth the wait. Now, organize your people to serve this as it comes out. No one needs to know about this, but have some pride in what you serve. Especially if you represent your brother.”

  The Frenchman rolled his sleeves back down and picked up his jacket. He caught Gigi watching him, and his face transformed as he smiled. “Gigi, do you cook?”

  Gigi glanced around awkwardly at the staff, who were curiously watching her. Perhaps she would have learned had she stayed with her mother in Venice. She could easily imagine her mother being just as opinionated about every item that came out of her kitchen. “No, not like this.”

  “You forgot me already?” He walked toward her, not at all the intimidating man he’d been a few moments before. “I’m Richard, Maddy’s husband. Don’t worry; I know you met half of New York today. It’s a bit overwhelming at first, non?”

  “Yes,” Gigi said with a relieved sigh. “I remember Maddy said you were a chef.”

  “Yes. Yes, I am. Don’t tell Maddy what you saw in here. She told me not to come into the kitchen, but I couldn’t help myself. Why should what we put in our mouths be less perfect than what we hang on our walls? Because it is more fleeting? Life is fleeting, but—” He stopped at the look on Gigi’s face. “Sorry. I am passionate about food.”

  Gigi let out a breathy laugh. “Apparently.”

  He studied
her face again. “Are you hungry or hiding?”

  “Regrouping,” Gigi said with a self-deprecating smile.

  Richard pulled a stool away from a counter and motioned for her to sit on it. He took the one across from her. “A family the size of yours is not easy to get to know, but they are good people.”

  “They seem to be.”

  “This was the first time you met your brothers, yes?”

  “Yes. And they seem wonderful, too. Their wives are also nice.”

  Richard poured each of them a glass of wine. “Yet you look sad.”

  Gigi accepted the drink. She suddenly wished she’d brought her mother with her. How strange that it took going so far away from her to want to be with her. “I was afraid it would be awful here, but I also hoped it would be different . . .”

  “Have you had a chance to talk to your brothers yet?”

  Gigi found it surprisingly easy to open up to Richard. She had a feeling he didn’t do or say much if he didn’t want to. If he was asking her questions, he was interested in the answers, simple as that. “Only briefly, except Gio. I’m staying here with Julia and him.”

  Richard nodded. “After tonight, you’ll have time with your brothers. Think of this as an initiation by fire.”

  Gigi chuckled. “Or death by excessive hugging.”

  Richard laughed along with her. “Yes, but there are worse ways to die.” He stood up. “Come, you can’t spend the evening in here. Nor can I, even if I would like to. If I must suffer the groping, then so must you.”

  They walked into the hallway together, still smiling. Gigi came to an abrupt halt, however, when she spotted someone she’d been trying not to think about since he’d left her the day before. There he was, just as gorgeous as she remembered. He looked perfectly at home at the party as well as in his expensive suit. A tall blonde woman, who Gigi cattily thought resembled a plastic Barbie, hung on his arm like a decoration. Each time he spoke, she laughed and rubbed herself against him. Gigi tried, but she couldn’t look away.