“Because you basically tricked me into that.”
He sat back, clearly relaxed and at ease on this boat, like some sort of GQ model or rich kid who grew up on the water, wine glass in hand.
“It was no trick. We just needed to eat.”
“Mmm, hmm.”
I tried to relax. I was a beautiful night, and the wine, a good one. At least Jerry hadn’t screwed up there. With some tweaks, it could be even better. But Sunset Vineyards had a great base and the vines in as good as a location as any on the lake.
“So you’re counting yourself as a business owner, then? Going to stay?”
Good question. “We’ll see.”
“What’s the hesitation?”
Gone was the flirty playboy, though I doubted he went too far. “I don’t love waltzing in and taking a handout from my father.”
“I did. Took a handout from my parents, I mean. As did my siblings.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“You like your parents. It’s a family legacy. This is just an investment my father only agreed to because he made such shitty choices with me for years.”
“So?”
I stared at him as we both sipped our wines. “So? That makes a difference.”
“Does it really? In the end, we both inherited robust businesses. Great. Now it’s our turn to see if we can keep it going. Or, hopefully, make them even better. Who cares how you got it?”
“I do.”
“Because you don’t want to owe him?”
“Precisely.”
He thought about that for a second. “I get that. But in the end, if you love wine, hate your job, and find you enjoy being the proprietor of an established vineyard, who are you spiting to walk away?”
Exactly what my mother and brother Dennis said, but I wouldn’t acknowledge that at the moment.
“What’s the second reason?”
His voice was soft. Seductive. Totally void of the edge he used to talk to, well, everyone else. Maybe that’s what made me answer so honestly.
“Jerry’s a total asshole.”
He didn’t flinch. “Well, obviously.”
“Although I shouldn’t have said that.”
Marco leaned forward and took the opportunity to edge closer to me. Our legs were so close to touching I could almost feel him. He smelled so frigging good. I thought for a second he would lay his hand on my leg, and he seemed to think about it before changing his mind.
“I would never, ever, use a conversation we had in private, or in confidence, against you in business. I’m serious, Rae. That’s not me.” He frowned. “Which isn’t saying much, I guess. But you know Min. She and my brothers, they have standards. We were taught by my parents to do better than ever to backstab someone who deserved our trust.”
Smiling, I said, “I noticed you didn’t say you’d never backstab anyone.”
He leaned back again. “We’re Sicilian. I wouldn’t go that far.”