Page 14 of Remember That Time

Gianni shrugged. "It makes him happy."

I guess I could see that. People should do what made them happy. I was lucky in the fact that I made money in the fierce field of real estate and building things. It's what made me happy.

"Does being a doctor make you happy?"

"For the most part," Gianni stated. "I'm at the tail end of my residency and then I plan to go into research fulltime. That's where my true passion lies."

This man was getting more interesting by the second.

"Research?" I asked. "What kind of research?"

"I'm basically a lab tech right now, but once I finish my residency I hope to get promoted or hired on somewhere else. My current research is on genetic cell reproduction. I just published an article in one of the medical journals on autoimmune diseases and their effects on genetic cell reproduction."

Way above my understanding.

"Is there a lot of call for that type of research?"

Gianni nodded. "There are labs all over the world studying genetics."

Huh.

"I have no idea what any of that stuff is beyond recognizing some of the words, but if you want to know where to buy the best land for the lowest price, I'm your man."

I liked the way Gianni's face lit up when he truly laughed. There was a brightness in his brown eyes that had been missing when I first walked up. I didn't know what Gianni was going through—and it certainly wasn't my place to ask—but it was weighing heavy on him.

"If you were in the lab it would be even worse," Gianni said before leaning toward me and speaking in a lower tone. "We use code words."

I let out a small snicker. "I'd probably end up blowing up the place."

"Wouldn't be the first time something like that happened," Gianni said. "I blew up the bathroom when I was nine."

My eyebrows shot up. The shock I felt was not something I was used to. "You blew up the bathroom?"

"My first chemistry set. Blew a hole the size of a dinner plate right through the wall."

My concern was instant. "Were you hurt?"

"Only after my father got done with me." Gianni laughed again. "They banned me from using chemistry sets at home for the rest of my life."

Yeah, I could see why.

"Guess it's a good thing your family went into construction."

"My grandfather started the business when he came here from Italy after World War II, but I'm pretty sure my father stayed with it because my mother gave birth to three boys. Not a girl in the bunch."

"I have a younger sister, no brothers, so I couldn't imagine what that must have been like."

"I was the baby of the family so I doubt my experience was like Frank's or Martino's. I was a bit spoiled."

I didn't want to ask.

Well, that wasn't true. I did want to ask. I just wasn't going to.

Again, I didn't know this guy.

I frowned when my phone rang and pulled it out of my pocket. I was even less thrilled when I saw who was calling. I swiped my finger across the screen and then held it to my ear. "Yes?"

"Sir, it's time to present the check for the fundraiser."

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