Page 32 of Forty, Flirty & Fake-ly Yours

Across the room, Grayson has somehow ended up with both twins in his lap while he explains basic coding concepts to them using breadsticks as visual aids. Marco and Luna appear captivated, though that might have more to do with the fact that he's letting them eat their programming lessons.

"See?" Mac’s other Sofia settles next to me with a knowing smile. "Natural with children. A very important quality in a man."

“For the last time, we’re not—" I try again, but Nonna’s daughter Maria Gallo chooses that moment to bustle over.

"Rosalind!" Maria exclaims. "When you bring someone like him to Sunday dinner, you need to give us a proper warning! I would have made my special tiramisu!"

"Mom," Mac groans. "She literally told us yesterday he was coming."

"Yes, but not that he was so..." Maria fans herself dramatically. "And the magazines say he's worth two billion, though Nonna's friend Beatrice from church insists it's more like one-point-eight?—"

"Mom!" Lucia cuts in. "We talked about this. No discussing net worth at dinner."

"What? It's public knowledge! Even Nonna's new TikTok followers know?—"

She's interrupted by Nonna Flora's delighted cry: "Look! I have hundred views already!"

"That's the preview screen, Nonna," Mac explains patiently. "You haven't posted yet."

My phone buzzes again. This time it's a text from Emily:After your appearance at Joel and Samantha's engagement party, sources say you're likely attending the Drake-Gallo celebration. Care to comment on what you plan to wear to the big event?

I close the message just as Grayson approaches, having apparently escaped his coding lesson. He settles into the chair next to me with the ease of someone who belongs here, not someone enduring a fake-relationship obligation.

"Your Algorithm King cleans up nice," Dani observes, simultaneously trying to prop up her snoring guru. "Who knew all that code came with actual human charm?"

“I’m a man of many talents,” Grayson says. Then, quieter, just for me: "Everything okay? You seem..."

"Professional?" I suggest. "Businesslike? Efficiently focused on our mutually beneficial arrangement?"

His mouth does that almost-smile thing again. "I was going to say distracted."

Before I can respond, Siddhartha's head jerks up. "The universe... speaks... through... zzzz."

"He's basically a cat," Dani explains to Grayson. “A very spiritual cat."

Dinner progresses in its usual chaos of flying breadsticks, rapid-fire Italian, and Nonna Flora attempting to film everything for her new social media empire. Someone—probably Maria—keeps refilling wine glasses while simultaneously listing the marriageable qualities of everyone at the table.

"Being a doctor is a wonderful profession," she announces, gesturing at Derek with her wine glass. "Though I hear tech billionaires aren't bad either. Any thoughts on setting a date?"

"Mom!" Mac, Sofia, and Lucia chorus.

"What? I'm just saying what everyone's thinking!"

I risk a glance at Grayson, but he seems absorbed in teaching Marco and Luna how to write their names in binary code using pasta.

"Actually," Alex pipes up, "speaking of dates... Gray, about the engagement party?—"

"No flash mobs," Mac cuts in.

"But—"

"Or synchronized swimming."

"What about?—"

"Or that thing with the skywriting doves."

Alex deflates. “Babe, I just want it to be special."

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