Page 56 of And Everything In Between

“Gio... I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you give me a reason to.”

Her words settled over him like a heated blanket. “I needed to hear that.”

“I know you did,” she said gently. “Now tell me what you’re avoiding for real. There’s something else, so don’t bullshit me.”

He laughed. “You do know me.”

“Duh.”

He blew out a breath, posture sinking a little.

“Gotta sit down with Darren later. Sienna’s supposed to be there. I swear, bruh, I’m tired of her always popping up.”

“Mmm,” Paige hummed, a little too knowingly. “Spirit going too?”

“Nah, it’s just me. And what’s that ‘mm’ for? Ain’t nobody thinking about Sienna. My focus is you.”

“Iknowthat, G,” she said, smirking. “I just meant maybe Spirit could fix it. Because if I gotta show up, I’m knocking that hoe back to the exact moment she had you fucked up. Maybe then she’ll rethink her life.”

“My nigga,” he muttered, laughing. They cracked up for a second before the line settled into silence again. He didn’t say it, but he couldn’t wait for his time off. He already knew where he was going. Where the vibe was soft, solid, where he didn’t have to explain himself.

Then Paige added, quieter this time, “Or maybe… maybe I wouldn’t know you if she hadn’t broken your heart.”

Giovanni blinked, caught off guard for a second before his smile returned.

“Oh, so you dun caught feelings?”

“Shut up,” she said, laughing but very aware that she had. “Talk soon?”

“Soon,” he promised. “Real soon.”

He set the phone down, the sketch still wasn’t perfect, the city still felt too damn big, and Sienna was still going to be in the room. But the one thing that made sense right now?

Paige.

Her voice lingered while he showered and got dressed. Dark slacks. Open collar. No tie. He looked in the mirror, adjusted his cuffs, and set his jaw. Minimal jewelry. He was in a city that wasn’t his, he wasn’t doing too much for protection. This was business. Strictly. But just in case—he was ready for whatever.

The restaurant screamed Los Angeles excess. Giovanni scanned the room until he spotted Darren waving from a corner table. And there, sliding in beside him with ease, was Sienna. Designer dress, hair styled in perfect waves, smile calculated to disarm. But the sight of her did nothing to him now. Not anger, not desire, not even resentment. Just a dull recognition of someone he used to know.

“G!” Darren called, standing to shake his hand. “Man of the hour. We’re getting started on appetizers.”

Giovanni nodded, sliding into the only available seat, directly across from Sienna. Her smile widened as their eyes met.

“Giovanni,” she purred. “You look good. LA agrees with you.”

He didn’t acknowledge her, instead he turned to Darren. “Spirit said you had some adjustments to the show you wanted to talk about?”

Darren launched into the details, and Giovanni let himself focus on the business at hand. The network wanted more episodes, more personal content, more access to his life and process. On paper, it was a good deal. In reality, it lended less privacy and less of what made his work meaningful in the first place.

Under the table, he felt something brush against his calf. Sienna’s foot, tracing a slow line up his leg. He shifted, moving out of her reach without breaking his conversation with Darren.

“I’m not interested in turning my shop into a reality TV circus,” Giovanni said firmly. “The show needs to focus on the builds, the community work, the craftsmanship. That’s non-negotiable.”

Darren hesitated. “The audience wants connection, G. They want to feel like they know the man behind the machines.”

“They can know my work,” Giovanni countered. “That tells them everything they need to know about me.”

Sienna leaned forward, cleavage strategically positioned. “What G means,” she interjected smoothly, “is that we need to find the right balance. I’ve known him for years, he’s a private person, but there are ways to showcase his personality without compromising his vision.”

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