Page 5 of Greed

“It’s that, or you stay home and watch movies,” I point out.

Bruno sighs. “Fine, fine. I’ll go with you.”

Chiara looks at Lucia and shrugs. “Could be worse, could be Cosimo.”

Lucia nods, and they both let me go. “But you both need to change into something sexier. We’re not going out with you looking like you’ve spent the day working in the garden.”

I raise an eyebrow at them and shake my head. I shower and dress sharply, knowing the girls want me to look my best for them, even if I’m only playing chaperone. I come downstairs, buttoning my suit jacket.

Chiara and Lucia are fussing over Bruno, who refuses to wear a tie. When they see I’ve also forgone a tie, they sigh. “You two are terrible,” Lucia says. “You look so handsome with ties on.”

“Ties are for weddings, funerals, and business meetings,” I comment.

Chiara clicks her tongue. “Don’t you want to look your best for your little sisters?”

“I want to look like I’ll kill the first man who puts a hand on you.” I smile menacingly at her.

She rolls her eyes. “Are we going to grab dinner first?”

“We can,” Bruno says. “I’m hungry.”

“We can go to Vini’s for dinner, then the Golden Globe for cocktails before Cosanostra opens.” Lucia claps her hands, excited.

I shake my head. “How do I feel like this was your plan the entire time?”

The girls look at me, the picture of innocence, and Bruno laughs heartily.

“I suppose then I’ll drive us in the Mustang,” I grumble.

“Wohoo!” The girls cheer and follow me out. I nod to the guard standing outside.

“The blue Mustang,” I say.

We wait, standing in the front for a few seconds before the car pulls up. The guard opens the doors for us, and we get in.

The girls make me play their music while we drive, at full blast. Bruno and I can’t even hear ourselves think, let alone speak. I can’t help the smile that infects me from the girls’ happiness.

I haven’t spent time with my sisters for a while now. I’ve been so busy with business, and they’ve been busy with university, so I just haven’t seen them.

Sometimes, we are like ships passing in the dark, so it’s nice to be able to spend the evening with them.

Vini’s is as busy as usual, but we have a dedicated table for our family that’s never booked, just in case one of us comes in. It’s usually Cosimo with his array of dates, but tonight it’s just the four of us. We eat the Italian cuisine, and Lucia and Chiara argue how different the Italian cuisine is here in America compared to in Italy.

“Like who puts ham in Alfredo?” Lucia asks, pulling a face. “At least this place is authentic.”

I nod, enjoying my lasagne. “Forget about the food, girls. How’s university?”

Lucia gets in first. “Everything is fine, although I find the material a little too easy. I feel like they could challenge us more.”

“You’re doing a BCom in Chain Supply Solutions; how is that easy?” Bruno asks.

“It just is. It makes automatic sense to me,” Lucia explains. “And my class is always full of stupid people with stupid questions. It drags the lessons on.”

“At least your professor is something to look at,” Chiara comments. “Mine is a doddering old fool.”

“That’s what you get for studying History, Chiara. You get the old dudes.” Bruno laughs. “Ain’t nobody good-looking teaching history.”

Chiara smacks him. “At least the topics are interesting, and my classes aren’t dull. We’re doing medieval England at the moment, and next we’re tackling the French Revolution. I’m excited to see what our topic for our paper for that will be.”