Page 69 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
My father paused, poker chips in hand. Everyone read between the lines. That wasn’t a question. It was a statement with an edge.
You have not been supporting your family, and you better have a good reason for it.
“I’ve been busy,” I said. Which was true. But I couldn’t tell them I’d spent most of the time with Hallie—taking her on dates, thinking about her, or trying to figure out what came next. What I could say though, was the intention I’d made clear to them already. “I’ve been busy working on solutions for the pizzeria, as a matter of fact.”
Brandon snorted into his drink.
“It’s true,” Emilia said, jumping to my defense. She sat across from me, legs crisscrossed under her chair, wearing a volleyball hoodie. “James is going to make the restaurant go viral.”
My grandfather took a thoughtful pull from his cigar. “Your father mentioned something about social media. Some app thing.”
Tony snorted, but before he could say anything, a roll flew across the room and smacked him in the back of the head.
“Antonio, show some respect,” Aunt Maria scolded, wooden spoon in hand.
“I didn’t say anything, Maria!”
“Let your nephew speak,” Maria said, pointing the spoon at him for emphasis. “We’ve talked ourselves in circles the past few months. Maybe it’s time to try something new.”
Every eye in the room turned to look at me. I’d given presentations to CEOs of Fortune 100 companies. I’d competed against some of the toughest sharks on Wall Street. Yet my family was easily the hardest group I’d ever had to convince of a business proposal.
“Well, Nonno,” I began, turning toward the head of the table, “consumers live online now. They’re looking for their next purchase, their next favorite restaurant, their next favorite store online. Whether they’re looking at reviews or influencers telling them where they should spend their money. We are losing out on potential sales by only updating our single social media account once a month.”
The room remained silent as Lorenzo flicked some ashes from his cigar into the tray next to him. While my father and uncle made the majority of the business decisions, as long as my grandfather was still alive, the final decision would always lie in his hands.
“Do you really think something like that could help our business?”
“I do,” I said. “I have a food writer and photographer lined up already. They’ll review the restaurant in the next few weeks, and if even one table books because of it, that’s proof we’re heading in the right direction. She also mentioned she could help revamp our social media. We can even hire someone for the position to maintain the accounts. I’ve already come up with how Dad can move the budget around to afford to bring someone in.”
“I gave him the idea,” Emilia added.
Silence fell over the entire house after I finished. My family spoke the language of food. That was what made the pizzeria a well-loved local joint in its neighborhood. I could talk about numbers until I was blue in the face, but they would never understand me. They did, however, understand a packed restaurant without a single table available for a walk-in.
“If you give me a chance,” I tried again, “I promise weekends will be so busy again that you might even have to call me in to help.”
My grandfather took a long sip of wine. “Alright,” he said finally. “If this review brings in even one extra sale, we’ll look at your budget and hire someone.”
Brandon held a hand under the table for a subtle high-five. I didn’t hesitate to slap it. Before anyone else could say a word, my grandmother’s voice cut through the house.
“I think that’s enough talking shop for the evening,” she cut in. She started making her way to the kitchen, squeezing my shoulder as she passed. “Now, clear that table so that we can eat!”
Hallie answered her apartment door with her hair still damp and wearing Disney pajamas. The sight made me smile—so effortlessly her. Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped by unannounced after family dinner, but I was too wired from the night to resist. I could’ve texted, called, even emailed her the update. But none of those options would’ve brought me here, standing in front of her, seeing the way her face lit up when she saw me.
A few minutes with Hallie were worth any excuse.
Not that I’d ever say that out loud. That would make me sound like a man completely wrapped around her finger.
Which I most definitely was not.
Oh, who was I kidding? I most definitely was.
“James!” She opened the door wider, stepping aside to let me in. “What are you doing here? I thought we weren’t seeing each other until dinner on Friday?”
“I had some news that I couldn’t wait until then to tell you.” As we entered, I spotted the TV paused on a familiar film. “Is thatThe Parent Trap?”
Hallie’s smile twitched the corners of her mouth as she glanced between me and the screen. “It just started.”
The microwave went off in the kitchen, and I finally noticed the smell of butter filling the apartment. On the end table beside the couch sat a half-finished glass of red wine. “Popcorn and wine? You are really treating yourself tonight, aren’t you?”
