Page 28 of Ciao, Amore

While his mouth opened and closed, trying to come up with an answer that made sense, Dani moved on from that heavily weighted topic. Sprinted from it, actually.

“What if you say no to taking over? If you say no, does he cut you out of his will?”

“Believe it or not, I’m a trust fund baby,” he said with a short laugh. “It vests when I’m thirty-five regardless of what I choose to do. Even though Nonno wants what he wants, he loves us creeps, and he would never turn his back on any of us financially. Sometimes I wish he was an asshole because then I wouldn’t feel like I’m letting him down.”

“Does that mean you’ve already decided you’re saying no?”

Nico exhaled briskly, frustration coiling in his body whenever he contemplated his choices.

“I don’t know what I’m going to say. Maybe the Bronx isn’t the high life, and over there, I’m just an average bastard cuttin’ hair for a living, but it’s my life. It’s what my granddad Patrick left for me. But I love it here too. This is Nonno’s legacy. Everything he’s worked so hard for isourlegacy. It means something. If I drop that ball, it’s over. We fade.”

He could see she was mentally grappling with the information he’d given her. But he was surprised at her next question.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but why does all of it fall on you? Has anyone ever considered your brothers for any of this? There’s, like, fifty of y’all. It sounds like a lot to expect from one person.”

She was the first who’d said that aside from Gina. He was touched that his welfare and his burdens were what concerned her most, more than the money and the property. More than the omissions too, hopefully.

“I’m the oldest. You know how that is.” When she nodded, he said, “There you go. Anyway, when Pop is ready to retire, Gina and Angelo will take over the restaurant. That’s a good thing because my cooking is terrible.”

“Tommy and Tino?”

Nico shrugged, uncomfortable. “Tommy has some issues. He’s had a couple hard years since he was fired from the department. He was drinking on the job, and then he got injured. He—Well, it’s been a couple tough years.”

What Nico didn’t mention was his unwanted side hustle: managing the allowance Nonno deposited for Tommy every month while ignoring Tommy’s blistering resentment about that arrangement.

“Tino?” Dani asked with a weak shrug.

Nico snorted with derision. “Yeah, right. The guy who posted an ad as ‘the Italian Stallion’ is going to head a multi-million-dollar company? Tino has zero interest in anything other than drama with his wife and partying. Maybe someday they’ll be in the right place for that type of responsibility, but not right now.”

They fell silent for a moment until Dani said, “Sounds like a tough decision for you to make. I guess it wouldn’t help if I came over there and slapped you around like Johnny Fontaine?”

AGodfatherreference at a time like this. God, she was adorable.

“No, I don’t think a slap would help. Might be fun, though.” When she pursed her lips at him, he grinned, then the grin faded. “I hope this doesn’t change anything between you and me, the fact that I waited to tell you about all this. My mom is always harping on us about being careful letting people know who we are or that we are comfortable until we know them better. It wasn’t a personal thing. I felt like shit not sharing this from the start when we’ve shared so much about everything else.”

To his relief, she nodded. “No, it’s probably the smart thing to do. Now, if it wereme, I’d be flaunting my shit up and down Broadway like ‘Bam.Here’s my golden crown in ya face, bitches.’ But I get it. I might have felt some type of way if you were lying about something that could harm me or my family. Or if you were testing me to see if I was girlfriend material. But since we’re not doing that, it doesn’t matter I guess. It was shocking, though. At least now I won’t have to ask if you can afford those twenty-euro iced coffees.”

“I think I can manage that. So we cool?” Nico asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We cool. Bruce Wayne.” Her sly sideward glance could have made him melt.

He was relieved at how this reveal of his “secret identity” had gone, despite the fact that she’d said again there wouldn’t be anything more between them than this holiday ruse. Trying not to care how that pang of disappointment echoed in his chest, Nico grinned again. “Bruce Wayne? Fuck outta here. That’s DC, and you know I’m a Marvel guy.”

It was time to go, to let her absorb everything he’d confided in her, but he was reluctant to part after being by her side for so many hours. That was a surprise to him. By now, he was usually bored with someone’s company, but Daniela? No. Not by a long shot. He wanted more of her laughter, more of her heartfelt sympathy for his so-called problems.

Lingering in the doorway, he shrugged casually and suggested, “It’s been a while since we ate. If you’re hungry, the kitchen’s always open. Want to go look for a snack?”

Dani regarded all the unpacking she had to do and smiled at him. “Sure. I could eat.”

They went back downstairs and found Cetta in the large modernized kitchen, feeding the guards, who were always a lot more cheerful when they had food in them. They sat around the huge marble island and chatted over cake and tea, then Nico walked Dani back to her room when her eyes started closing and she swayed on her stool. It was well past midnight, and she needed her rest, judging from the slight dark smudges under her eyes.

At her door, Nico touched those smudges with a careful fingertip. Dani didn’t move, letting him touch her and making him crave her. She didn’t step back when he cupped her cheek, leaned in, and kissed her, his mouth moving gently against hers, no pressure, no demand, but an offering. That kiss, warm and tender, would have to tide him over for the long night ahead without her. She slid her arms around his waist, and he held her close to his chest for a long time, drawing comfort from her. Closing his eyes, he could have held her like that forever.

A ROOM WITH A VIEW

DANI

The first thingDani saw when she flung open her windows and looked outside on her first morning in Naples was another villa.Oof. At night, she’d hardly looked outside and hadn’t realized the neighbors would be so close. Within the walls of the D’Alessio compound, there were gorgeous gardens with a fountain and statue, a bocce court, and a pretty lawn where she imagined the kids probably played, but beyond that was the other villa.

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