I’ve never believed that. My mother loved us too much. Something else happened. Back then I was too small to find out what.
I didn’t have the money, power, or respect to gain answers. Now, all of those things are at my fingertips, so I won’t run, and I’ll give up all hopes of ever having Carleen as more than a friend. Even that has its dangers, but I don’t think I could breathe if she weren’t in my life at all.
However, I’m going to find out what happened to my mother. That last night before she disappeared, I overheard something, and I think I know where to start looking for answers. If that means going through with this trip to the other side to get them, so be it.
I pull my phone from my pocket as it buzzes. Seeing it’s Grandpa Esposito, I groan. He’s been calling nonstop.
Gio already told me to avoid his calls. I don’t know what that’s all about, but Gio always has a reason for everything he does. I don’t dislike my grandfather.
Of us three brothers he’s always been the kindest to me. He’s the one who has spent most of my life talking about me running the Di Lorenzo family someday. Now that I’m older, I’ve wondered why we’ve never taken the Esposito name. To be honest, I don’t think my mother ever took it either.
“More bullshit and secrets,” I mutter.
I know why Dante hates him, but I don’t know the deal with him and Gio or what happened between him and Nonno. Frustrated with it all, I dial the one person I need to talk to in order to clear my head. All of this shit is ready to crush me.
Carleen
“Ugh, what do you mean? I thought we had all the permits.”
“We did, then you asked for a few changes, and I had to pull new ones.”
“Okay, fine but I can’t live like this. What happened to moving in sections so I wouldn’t have to move out during the renovation? You’ve torn my entire place apart,” I seethe at my contractor.
“The guys messed up. Joey got confused and told the guys to demo everything.”
“Got confused? He got confused. Do you guys not communicate? What am I supposed to do? I don’t have time for this.”
I’m fuming. It’s bad enough Dario will be leaving the country and for the first time, I’ll be running the restaurant by myself. I’m so nervous, I could shit my pants every time I think about it.
Now this. I knew I should have waited to do this.
It’s not that I don’t think I can run the restaurant on my own. Dario insisted we open a restaurant together. I had no idea he planned for us to open it under his family’s empire. I mean, it does make sense, but the Di Lorenzo name comes with so much pressure.
Pressure I tried to avoid by dropping out of my residency and becoming a chef. My father still looks at me with so much disappointment. As a third-generation surgeon and the chief of staff at his hospital he had such high hopes for me as a surgeon.
I loved having a scalpel in my hands, but the politics and pressure were threatening to snap me. I would leave the hospital no matter what time of the day or night and go to hang with Dario in whatever kitchen he worked in. I found myself happiest with an apron on.
I’m a fast learner, some call me a sponge. I have always been determined to learn. I hate not being able to learn something once I put my mind to it.
It’s beyond learning by watching because I can understand and adapt the why of the matter. I connect the dots from A to Z even if they’re not explained or shown to me.
After watching Dario for years, I started cooking school to pursue my hobby, but eventually I fell out of love with the operating room and in love with the kitchen.
Okay, maybe my mentor and best friend had a little to do with me falling in love, but I’d never tell Dario that. I’ve been in love with him since we were eight and he blew on my scraped knee and held my hand as our mothers cleaned it for me. I loved Ava too. It wasn’t long after that day that she disappeared. It broke my heart. She was always so nice to me.
“I’m going to kill Gio,” I hiss under my breath.
He recommended this guy when I asked for someone who wouldn’t rip me off for being a single woman. I’d gone behind Dario’s back to ask his brother because I know Dario. He would have taken on this entire task himself.
He has enough on his shoulders. My phone rings right as I get ready to lose my shit on this man standing in front of me.