Page 52 of The Price of Power

“Oh…I guess not.” Even more of the brightness faded from her eyes as her shoulders slumped. “It’s just...I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m not working.”

“Relax. Do your hair. Paint your nails,” I said, listing off suggestions I knew other women liked.

“Paint her nails?” Letizia threw her hands up. “You invite a nice girl like this to stay with us for the summer, then tell her to paint her nails all day?”

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the right answer, but what did I know?

All of my experience with ladies came in the dark of night. I wasn’t particularly up to date on what they did during business hours.

“Maybe she could help you in the kitchen,” I tried.

Letizia looked over at Liv. “Do you like to cook, signorina?”

“Not particularly.”

“What do you like?” she asked.

“Numbers,” Liv answered. “I’m an accountant. At least, I was.”

Letizia must not have heard the sadness that crept into Liv’s voice at the end there because her whole face lit up with a wide smile.

“An accountant? Well, there’s the answer.”

My brows pulled together. “What answer?”

The housekeeper rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious. “If the girl’s good with numbers, then Matteo can give her the books he’s been struggling with for the new nightclub.”

I glanced over at Matteo. “You’ve been struggling with La Sera?”

My brother gave a noncommittal shrug. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. The old owners almost ran the place into the ground with their lax bookkeeping practices. But I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”

“I’d be happy to take a look at the numbers if you like,” Liv offered.

Matteo and I shared a look. He didn’t have to say a word for me to know what he was thinking. All he had to do was arch his brows just enough to ask if it was a good idea to let the sister of one of our enemies, a woman who was being held against her will, have access to our financial information.

But seeing as La Sera was Matteo’s baby and not officially affiliated with the D’Angelo family as a whole, I didn’t see the harm.

“Would it make you happy?” I asked her.

Her eyes lit up. “Very happy.”

“Okay then,” I said before finishing off the last of my cappuccino and placing the empty cup back in the saucer. “I don’t see the harm. Maybe a new set of eyes will help you see solutions you missed before.”

“And it would also help me free up time to focus on family concerns,” Matteo said.

Right.

“Speaking of family concerns, I have some meetings on the other side of town and will be out of the house all day,” I said.

Letizia rolled her eyes. “Somehow, we will find a way to continue through the day without you.”

“I’ll be back by evening,” I said, pushing back my stool and walking over to Liv’s side. Without thinking, I pressed a kiss against the top of her head. “Be ready for dinner around 8 o’clock. We’ll be going out again.”

“Oh…okay,” she said somewhat hesitantly before immediately asking Matteo when she could see the books.

“They’re upstairs,” he said, getting up from the island as well. “Give me a moment. I’ll be down with them in a minute.”

As I headed out the door, ready to face another day, I heard Letizia’s voice behind me say, “See what I mean, signorina? Those boys aren’t so scary if you know how to talk to them right. Stick around, and I’ll teach you all my tricks. Between the two of us, we’ll have these boys whipped into shape in no time.”

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