Page 9 of Surprise Baby for the Don

“Fine,” I say, finally meeting his gaze again. “I’ll take the job. I’ll work for Mr. Rossi. But, Dad, you’re done. No more gambling. If you do, I will never speak to you again.”

He looks taken aback, glancing away. “Gin, come on, baby,” he pleads, clearly already itching for his next fix. “It’s not that simple.”

“It is that simple.” I cross my arms, holding his gaze, my voice unwavering. “If I’m going to do this for you, then I need to know you’re finished with it. Completely. Or you’ll lose me, Dad. For good.”

He starts to protest, but the words die in his throat. I can see the defeat in his eyes, the acknowledgment that he’s backed into a corner. Finally, he nods, his voice barely a whisper. “All right, Gin. No more gambling.”

I hold his gaze for a moment longer, letting the weight of the promise settle between us. “Good.”

We sit in silence as he drives us back to the diner, and I try my best to keep my breathing even, to keep my temper in check. I don’t know what to make of Mr. Rossi, that’s true. He was nice enough to me, but I’ve seen his men hanging out around here. I know who he really is, what he really does. I don’t want to get sucked into the darkness of his world, but I don’t know what he’lldo to my dad if he can’t pay off his debts. At the very least, this could be good for my career. If there even is one by the end of this.

I walk back into the diner, going to the back to splash some water on my face and grab my notepad. Cassidy finds me there, a concerned look on her face.

“So, what was all that about?” she asks curiously, though there’s a sharp edge to her voice.

“I need some time off,” I answer, avoiding her question. If Cassidy knew what was really going on, she would cut Dad off completely. He’s run out of favors with her, and I don’t want to see this fracture our family for good. We only have each other at the end of the day.

“Why?” she asks coldly. “What’s he dragged you into?”

I plaster a fake smile on my face and look at her with confusion. The name of the game is to pretend.

“It’s actually a really exciting opportunity,” I lie, forcing my emotion down as I try not to think about exactly what I’ve agreed to. “Mateo Rossi needs some design work done at his house and he asked Dad if I’d be interested.”

“Bullshit,” she responds fiercely.

I shoot her a glare, keeping up the ruse that this is all real, that Mateo Rossi actually wants me for my design skills.

“You don’t think I’m up for it?” I ask, wounded.

She crosses over to me and clutches the tops of my arms, looking me meaningfully in my eyes. “Of course I think you’re up for it, Gin,” she says kindly. “You are amazing and you cando absolutely anything you set your mind to. I just don’t believe that Pops just happened to mention to Mateo Rossi that you’re an interior designer, or that Mr. Rossi just happened to need one right now. He doesn’t have that kind of luck, does he?”

I can’t answer her. “Tell me the truth, Gin,” she finally says.

“I’m not sure I know the truth,” I tell her honestly. “I don’t know what kind of deal he’s made with Rossi or what I’m getting myself into. But this is a big deal for me, Cass. Rossi owns properties all over town. He’s told me that if I do a good job on his house, he’ll let me work on some of his other places.”

Cassidy whistles lowly, impressed. “That’s actually kind of awesome,” she smiles, giving me a tight squeeze. “You could finally stop working at this dump and pursue your dreams.”

“Your diner isn’t a dump,” I shoot back fiercely, too proud of my sister to let her talk about herself that way. “This place is your dream, isn’t it? And if it isn’t, Cass, I can use some of the money I earn from Mr. Rossi to help you build your dream. It’s you and me against the world, right?”

Her eyes get glassy as they fill with unshed tears, and she holds out her pinky. I wrap my own around hers, a secret promise we’ve kept with each other since our mom died.

“It’s you and me against the world,” she repeats.

With that, I get back to my shift, taking orders and turning over tables until the diner finally closes late that night. While I work, I have time to think, and the more I turn it over in my head, the better this sounds. I can get out of Dad’s apartment while I do this project, and that’s definitely a plus. I can earn honest money doing the thing I love most and secure a huge client for my portfolio. Maybe, just maybe, our dad’s done something right.For once.

“Hey, kiddo,” he calls to me as we’re getting ready to leave for the night. I’m exhausted, dead on my feet, and though I’m excited to start my next adventure, I’m still annoyed with him for how it happened.

“Hey, Pops,” I yawn, grabbing his arm as we head out onto the street, toward his car.

“Listen, I was wondering if I could borrow a fiver to go get a lottery ticket. The jackpot is huge this week.”

I stop walking and stare at him, incredulous. He’s joking, right? He must be joking. But the earnest look on his face tells me that he’s serious. My stomach turns.

“No,” I say firmly. “You promised no more gambling. That includes lottery tickets.”

His face falls and he looks taken aback. He opens his mouth to argue, but I put up a hand to stop him.

“No,” I repeat, more firmly. “And I think I’ll walk home tonight.”

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