Page 129 of Secrets of the Brother
They followed me back inside, through the hallway to the main dining room space which we would use as a conference room.
Cesare grimaced. “I see we still have the fancy, clear acrylic chairs.”
I grimaced. “Yeah, sorry. I had the men move everything back in since I didn’t have another table and chairs to replace them with.”
Bianca shook her head as she stared at the ghastly dining set. “My mother and sister always did have a unique sense of style.”
Cesare raised an eyebrow. “Unique. Is that the word?”
Matteo held his fingers up in the shape of an “L” and pretended to view the furniture as if through a lens. “I don’t know. It has a certain Psychotic Barbie Dreamhouse quality.”
Bianca smiled.
Matteo announced he was going to check the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat, while Cesare mumbled about searching for a different chair to sit in for the meeting.
I crossed to her and wrapped my arm around her waist. Pulling her close, I kissed the top of her head. I appreciated my brother and cousin’s attempts at levity to relieve the tense atmosphere. I knew Bianca was nervous about facing off with her parents.
I tilted her chin up to face me. “When this is over, I will take you wherever you want to go. Just you and me.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist. “There is this Artist’s Residency program in Upstate New York this winter. You live in rustic cabins with no electricity or running water. You’re meant to silence the modern world so you can tap into your inner muse through communing with nature. They even teach you how to make your own pigments with natural ingredients.”
I raised an eyebrow. “A luxury suite at the Chalet Edelweiss in Courchevel, France for a week of skiing, award-winning dining, and spa treatments you say? You read my mind, babygirl.”
She rolled her eyes. “Is this how it’s going to be if we get married? You always getting your way?”
“Whenwe get married and probably yes.” I kissed her on the tip of her nose. “But I’ll soften the blow with lots of orgasms.”
There was a knock on the main door. I checked my watch. “That must be Papà.”
I left Bianca in the dining room and crossed the main hall.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to see Liliana standing on the threshold. Hooked over her arm was a large picnic basket and, in each hand, she held a silver electric kettle. “Buongiorno, Signor Cavalieri.”
I looked behind her before responding. “Buongiorno, Liliana. What are you doing here?”
“Signor Cavalieri, that is, Matteo, called the office and asked me to bring coffee and pastries over for a meeting you are having?”
He hadn’t mentioned anything to me.
This wasn’t exactly a business meeting, but I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to grease the wheels a bit by having a hospitable atmosphere.
I stepped aside and ushered her in just as Papà walked up.
He gestured to Liliana. “Coffee and pastries. Good idea.”
“It was Matteo’s.”
We both stepped inside.
As Liliana set the coffee up on the sideboard, Cesare carried a leather chair in from the study.
Matteo appeared from the kitchen. Seeing the pastries, he tossed aside the slightly bruised apple he was holding. “Thank God. Coffee and a brioche! You are an angel, Liliana!”
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
We all exchanged a look.
Bianca took a deep breath. “Showtime.”
