Page 26 of Time Served in New York
“How’s my favorite stepmonster?” Matteo asked as he slid into the chair Valentine had just vacated. Luca, Matteo’s twin, sat on my other side and smiled when I looked his way. “Are you enjoying all this family time?”
“Sure,” I told him. “I haven’t seen the two of you very much since we got here. How are you?”
Luca replied, “We’re busy, but that’s nothing new.”
“Thank you for agreeing to check in on my house,” I told them. “I was thinking about selling it when the renters put in their notice, but your dad convinced me to keep it.”
“You should,” Matteo said with a slow nod. “We’ll take good care of it for you.”
“I contacted the leasing agency you recommended and asked if there’s a contract I need to sign, but they said you guys would take care of that too.”
“We own the leasing agency,” Luca explained. “Besides, if you sign a contract, then there will be reporting that has to be done and taxes that will need to be paid.” He waved his hand dismissively and smiled that disarming smile that reminded me so much of his father. “This is a family thing, not a business thing, right?”
I couldn’t help but wonder why it was so important to keep my house off the radar, so to speak, but it didn’t really matter to me. The house had been paid in full by my husband’s life insurance payout after he died, so all I was liable for was taxes anyway. Any money that came in from renters was just extra in my pocket at the end of the month.
“This event business you want to open - is that only going to be in Texas, or can we use you occasionally too?”
I saw he was serious and had to ask, “Aren’t there local companies you can use for your events?”
“Of course there are, but if you had a branch here, we’d definitely use your company every time.”
“What kind of events are we talking about?”
“Weddings, dinners, parties, that sort of thing,” Matteo explained as he leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “If you need help staffing your office, I’m sure we can find people for you.”
I wondered what sort of long game they were playing that might include a party planning business. It was evident that I needed to make a decision to either stay as far away from their plans as possible or go all in and help them with whatever their cover story might be.
Decision made, I sighed and said, “I suppose if I had a branch here, it would give me and your dad an excuse to visit more often, wouldn’t it?”
“You don’t ever need an excuse,” Luca said with a frown marring his handsome face. “None of Dad’s Tenillo family needs an excuse. We’ve already arranged to have a suite permanently reserved for you guys or anyone else who might want to visit.”
“And, of course, Frankie and Santa will always have their own suite of rooms too,” Matteo added.
“I suppose if I’m going to open a business here, I’ll need to lease some office space,” I mused, knowing they probably already had that covered too.
“There’s a really nice building in Riverdale that might work. You and Dad should take a look at it before you leave.”
I stared at Matteo for a few seconds before I asked, “Does he know you’re going to use my business as a front, or is this all on you two?”
Completely ignoring my question as if neither had heard it, Luca said, “If you don't like the one in Riverdale, I’m sure we can find something else.”
“I take it that’s a no then.”
“I think I might have the perfect office manager for you, if you’re interested,” Matteo offered.
“Oh really?”
“It’s a girl that went to school with us,” Matteo explained. “She’s going through a nasty divorce and needs something to take her mind off things.”
“Does she need a house to live in too?”
Matteo let his head drop forward and sighed. “She won’t let me help her. Says my money is tainted. I thought since you need a renter and she needs a job, you might consider her.”
“You’ve got a crush,” I said in realization.
“It’s more than a crush,” Luca commented.
“Well, obviously if he’s trying to find a house and job for her and being all shady while he does it.” I smiled and told Matteo, “I think I’d like to meet this woman who’s not wowed by all your money and power.”
