Page 17 of Gin & Trouble

Sophia reached me and folded her arms. “Why the hell was Dante Marchionni making puppy eyes at you?”

“He was…my date—” My stomach roiled as I hovered over the disgusting public toilet. “Danny is Dante.”

“You’re date? You slept with a Marchionni?” Sophia scowled.

“I should have told you earlier, but I was a mess. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t say another word. She didn’t have to. Her tapping toe said it all.

I pulled myself together and eased back from the bowl. “I should have warned you as soon as I knew he was here.”

“Ya think?” She smirked. “I almost wish the little shit had realized who I was. It would have given me an excuse to kick his ass.”

I hadn’t considered that Dante might show up at the convention or that he might recognize Sophia. It seemed I hadn’t considered a lot of things lately, like the guy I’d fallen for might not be who he said he was.

She drew a deep breath. “I did warn you it was a bad idea to get involved with anyone.”

“Yep. You told me so.” I couldn’t believe her. While I knew better than to expect compassion, I didn’t appreciate her blaming me for the situation.

Sophia pulled me to my feet, lifted my chin, and inspected my makeup. “It’s a good thing your face is covered for photos.”

“I can’t go back out there.” The mere thought of facing Danny… No, of facingDantemade me nauseous all over again. I lurched for the toilet, but she held me upright.

“You’re not going to puke. You’re going to wash your face, put that ridiculous helmet back on, and get your ass back to work.”

Is she insane or just heartless? Both?

I shook my head hard enough to pull a muscle. “I can’t see him right now.”

“He left.” Her frown deepened. “Not to state the obvious, but the only thing youcan’tdo is see him again. Ever.”

“To state the obvious, I know.” I mimicked her voice, even though I knew she was right. Heck, I agreed one-hundred percent, but hearing the words outside of my own skull hurt.

“I can’t believe you had sex with one of them.” Her upper lip curled.

“Trust me, I’m not happy about it. I mean, in theory he could be my half-brother.” The thought made my already-queasy stomach go into a full-scale revolt.

“No. The timing is off. Mamma is sure only Enzo is Papà’s son.”

“It wouldn’t matter if all six of them were secretly Abruzzos by blood. They are Marchionnis in every other way.” It killed me to lump the man I knew from online in with that bunch of pompous jerks, but I couldn’t deny the truth.

I’d been raised to hate all things Marchionni, including Dante. Whatever feelings I thought I’d had for the guy were nothing more than illusions. They were no more real than the video game we’d played—or so I told myself.

“I mean it, Frankie. You can’t email or text or play that game.”

“Not a problem. Now that I know who he is, I never want to speak to him again.” I put as much force into my words as I could, but they still came out soft and uncertain.

“You’re sure he didn’t know it was you all of this time?”

I would have had an easier time of it if he had been playing me, but I refused to lie to myself any more than I already had. “No.”

“Who was that kid with him?” She guided me to the sink and turned on the water.

“Zach, Joe’s oldest son.” The memory of him asking me where I worked sent a chill down my spine. “I think he recognized me.”

Sophia froze. “Recognizedyouor Julia?”

“Julia. Zach’s been in and out of the offices with Gabe. I think they’re grooming him for an internship or something.” I couldn’t look at her. I’d screwed up and we both knew it. “That’s it. It’s over. I’ve failed. I have to quit.”

---