Page 28 of Unrelenting
“Do you think your boyfriend would give us a good deal on his wines?” Stefan asks as Nicolo drifts away to get back to what he was doing.
“He’s not my boyfriend, but I’m sure Signore Volante would be delighted to do business with us. Arrange a visit to Casa di Lupo. If he agrees to make us the sole stockiest in Florence of at least one product, we could use that as a selling point.”
Uncertainty reveals itself in the twisting of Stefan’s lips. “Can’t you ask him about this?”
“Stefan, do you want more responsibility, or not?”
He sighs heavily. “Of course I do.”
“Then this is your chance. Call the vineyard. Arrange a visit. Lorenzo won’t bite. In fact, don’t even worry about Lorenzo. It’ll probably be some manager who shows you around. I doubt Lorenzo concerns himself with every case of wine that leaves his warehouse.”
Stefan’s shoulders relax. “Of course he doesn’t. I’ll call them.”
“Hey,” Nicolo shouts across the kitchen, “maybe you should ask your boyfriend to scare off our new neighbors. You know, stick a horse’s head in their freezer, or something.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, and Marco would just marinate a horse’s head and serve it with braised hispi cabbage.”
He’d probably do something far more creative with it, but my point is valid. Marco isn’t the type of man who’s easily intimidated, and I don’t want to ask Lorenzo to throw his weight around on my behalf anyway.
My grandmother faced many challenges with new restaurants bringing innovative concepts, but she outlasted them all. I’ll do the same thing she did and weather the storm.
EIGHT
Lorenzo
“Thank you for showing me around,”Giulia says as we enter the tasting room. It’s my favorite part of the winery, decorated in the style of an English gentleman’s club.
Some people might find it a little too traditional, forbidding, even, but for me it’s a space to relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Well, my worker’s labor, really, but I oversee production and that can be arduous.
Giulia has been the model guest, asking questions and appearing impressed at all the right moments. She seems like a sweet woman.
With her short purple hair, she’s cute but not what I’d call beautiful. Not that I’d tell Matteo that. He’s clearly besotted with her.
“It was my pleasure.” I always enjoy showing off my pet project to people. I can’t wait to bring Lucia out here. She’ll appreciate what I’m trying to achieve, especially in the coffee shop and restaurant. “Now, would you like to sample our new Chianti?”
Giulia hesitates, wrinkling up her nose. “A small taste, perhaps.”
I go to the bar at the side of the room, pour her a glass from the open bottle that’s sitting there and bring it to her.
“You’re not having some?” she asks as she takes the wine from me.
I glance at my brother, who returns my knowing grin. He noticed the suspicion in her voice too.
It’s good that Giulia is wary of us. In our world, it takes time to be sure who you can trust. We may be Matteo’s cousins, but we’re strangers to her.
“We know what it tastes like,” I tell her.
Giulia looks back over her shoulder, toward the door. She turns back to us and bites her lip. She doesn’t drink the wine.
“Is something wrong?” I ask.
Her face blanches as she tries to come up with a response. She clearly thinks we’re up to no good. She’s right, of course.
Damiano and I are toying with her, trying to get a sense of what she’s made of. We’ve turned a perfectly innocent situation into something fraught with anxiety for her simply because we’re curious about the sort of woman Matteo would fall for.
“We didn’t spike your drink,” Damiano says in a wry tone that I doubt is reassuring.
Giulia fixes him with a stern look. “Isn’t that what someone who had drugged my drink would say?”
