Chapter 25
HARPER
Our phones ping as I reach reception.
ELISE:
I won’t be joining you. Something’s come up.
ME:
Everything okay?
ELISE:
A friend is in town and asked if I wanted to go to dinner.
ME:
Have a great time. See you in the morning.
I walk through reception to find Alex already waiting, sitting in a chair, looking at his phone.
“Hi,” I say.
“Elise won’t be joining us this evening,” he says, standing up.
The movement sucks the air from the room. Tonight he’s dressed in beige chinos and a white linen shirt, the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows, exposing tanned forearms. My mouth waters at the sight.
“She just messaged to let me know.”
I’m beginning to wonder if the friend she’s seeing might be none other than Giovanni Esposito. The two seemed very friendly this afternoon, and when I came back into the room, I could have sworn they looked guilty, jumping apart like two naughty teenagers.
Well, good for her. He seems like a nice guy, and she’s fast becoming one of my favourite people at St Clair. Yesterday and today, she made me feel valued, including me in discussions and trusting my opinion.
“My sister is going to join us for dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”
I stop, causing him to bump into me. His hands come out to steady me, sending jolts of awareness through my body.
“Sorry,” he says.
I turn so I can look up into his face, those deep blue eyes locking on mine.
“No, that was my fault. Are you sure you want me along? I’m happy to order room service. You and your sister can have a family reunion,” I say.
He chuckles. “My sister would never forgive me. We’ve spent the day together. She wants to meet the woman who’s replaced Callie and is keeping her brother on his toes.”
Am I keeping him on his toes?
My stomach warms at his words. He talked to his sister about me?
His forehead wrinkles.
I force a smile. “As long as you’re sure I’m not intruding,” I say.
As we walk to the restaurant, my mind replays everything I’ve learned about Gabriella Bianchi.
She’s the youngest daughter of Sophia and Edoardo Bianchi, thirty-two years old, and is studying for her master’s in fashion design in Italy, where she lives with her father, who recently separated from Sophia, although the reason behind their split is unknown.
Our host appears, showing us to our table, deep in the back of the restaurant.
I keep my back to the room, not wanting to draw attention to myself.
Although I’m in Italy, according to the latest press release, Harper Frazer has been spotted working on a cattle station in the Australian outback.
The absurdity alone made me chuckle, not that I’m against the experience.
It sounds like an adventure, but really?
Good luck to the paparazzi chasing me down.
Alex stands up as a strikingly beautiful woman makes her way towards us. Alex smiles, pulling her in for a hug.
“It’s only been a few hours,” she says, swatting his chest.
Her accent surprises me, as she’s more American-sounding than her brother.
“Hey, I miss not having you around to keep Mother in check,” he says.
“I just have to keep Papà going instead,” she says.
“How’s he doing?”
“Still moping around, hoping she’ll come to her senses.”
His eyes flick to mine, and I drop my gaze to the table, clearly overhearing something that’s a private and personal family matter.
“Gabbi, let me introduce you to Brooke. Brooke, this is my baby sister Gabriella.”
I stand up and turn to the woman who’s joined us. She is stunning, her Italian heritage shining through in her dark eyes, dark brown hair and beautiful olive complexion.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Gabriella,” I say.
“Gabbi, please. Otherwise, I’ll think I’m in trouble. Only our mother and father call me Gabriella.”
I smile, surprised at her warmth.
“I hope you don’t mind me joining you both,” she says.
“No, it’s me who’s intruding,” I say.
Both siblings shake their heads. “I want to meet the woman who has my big brother toeing the line. There are not many who manage it.”
She looks at me like she’s trying to get a read on me.
“Tell me about yourself,” she says, and I notice the pattern between siblings.
Both are a force of nature. Black is black and white is definitely white. Something I’ve learned to value over the years.
The maitre d’ takes our order, while I answer all Gabbi’s questions.
I stick to the script, which, luckily, isn’t a million miles from my real life.
Only Brooke Feldmann is a mid-range student, and she certainly doesn’t have a trust fund or come from a long line of billionaires.
The more I talk, the more I hate myself and the endless lies I’m spouting.
Gabbi orders another bottle of wine, and I make a mental note of the label for Caleb’s best friend, Tristan. He’s always looking out for new vineyards to approach.
“And now you work for my brother, you poor thing.”
“It’s been good, interesting… I’m learning a lot.”
“Well, just because he’s a workaholic, don’t let him turn you into one. Life is about balance,” Gabbi says, shooting her brother a look that I’m sure holds more meaning than the words she’s just spoken.
After our main course, Gabbi’s phone beeps.
“That’ll be my ride,” she says, standing up. “You got this?” She looks at her brother, who waves her off when she reaches for her purse. She drops a kiss on his cheek. “Remember what I said.”
“Don’t worry, you spent much of this afternoon drumming it into me,” he says cryptically.
Gabbi turns to me. “It’s been lovely meeting you. It seems like I’ve known you for years. Maybe we can meet up and go out for a drink next time I’m in New York.”
I smile at her warmth, finding myself more relaxed than I have been in months.
“I’d like that,” I tell her truthfully, hoping that, by the time it happens, I’ll be free from the threats that hang over me.
She leans over and pulls me into a hug. “Safe travels home tomorrow.”
Her phone beeps again. “I’d better go.”
“Lovely meeting you.”
She dashes out of the restaurant and into the car that is waiting outside on the cobbled street.
Alex watches her go.
“You must miss her,” I say before I can stop myself, drawing his attention back to me.
He gives a little sigh. “I do, but everyone has their own path to follow. She’ll return when she’s ready.” There’s a pause. “But how about you? You spoke a lot tonight about your own family. You must miss them?” he says.
I pick up my glass of wine and stare into the ruby liquid.
“More than you can imagine,” I say before I can stop myself, the alcohol loosening my tongue.
Shit!
I stare across the table at Alex, his brows drawn together.
“So why are you doing this?”
Why?
I sit back, taking my glass with me, my gaze dropping to the liquid as I swirl it around the glass, the way I would at a wine tasting.
“Because I need to learn to stand on my own two feet. Being the youngest, everyone has tried to protect me since the day I was born. But you need to make mistakes in life to grow. I’ve learned that the hard way.”
He inclines his head. “And this is your way of growing. Moving away to find yourself?”
“Something like that,” I say, taking another sip, my head feeling decidedly light.
This is the first drink I’ve had in months, too scared to let myself go.
“Dessert? Signore, signorina?” our waiter asks, appearing at our table.
I hold up a hand. “No, grazie,” I say, shooting him a smile and earning myself a nod.
“Coffee?”
“That would be lovely, grazie,” I say, turning to Alex.
He nods, and our waiter disappears.
“Are your siblings married?”
“Not all of them. Three out of the four are in relationships. My sister, she’s complicated.”
I chuckle, thinking about her and Jaxson, stuck together in the Maldives.
Caleb dropped that one in when I last spoke to him.
“How about you?”
“No, none of my siblings are married. Enzo, our middle brother, has a daughter. She’s fifteen now.”
“You were married, though?” I say, before I can stop the words, my hand flying to my mouth. “Sorry, that’s none of my business.”
“It’s fine. The joys of being in the public eye. There are no secrets when you’re in my position. Count yourself lucky,” he says.
I bite my tongue.
He sighs before continuing, “Your dirty laundry is aired for all the world to see.”
He holds up his glass as if in salute.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
If only you knew, I’m currently front and centre.
“Don’t be, it goes with the territory. I look at all these people who fight for their fifteen minutes of fame without realising how intrusive it can be when they get it. You can’t even sneeze without someone reporting on it. Once you’ve let them in, there’s no closing the door.”
Don’t I know it!
Building up my influencer business, I invited everyone in.
My family tried to warn me, but I was on self-destruct, anything to lock out the pain.
Every party, every event, I was there. The last one to leave, not worrying about what they said.
All publicity is good publicity until it isn’t.
But by the time I realised, it was too late.
“I wasn’t the best husband. Some might say I’m a workaholic,” he says, keeping a straight face, but the twinkle in his eyes gives him away.
“I’m not sure how anyone could say that about you,” I tease, making him chuckle.
“Loretta and I have remained good friends. I’m happy for her. She has everything she dreamed of, things I couldn’t give her,” he says cryptically.
“How long were you married?”
“Seven years. We’ve been divorced for five. The presents you arranged were for her and Myles’s twin daughters.” He smiles. “Thank you. ‘They were the best presents ever,’ apparently.”
It’s my turn to smile. “I love present shopping. It’s one of my favourite pastimes.”
“I’ll have to remember that,” he says, finishing his wine, just as our coffees arrive.
We drink our coffee in a comfortable silence, both lost in our own thoughts.
When we’ve finished, Alex settles the bill, and we head out onto the cobbled street.
“You surprise me, Brooke, you seem older than your years,” he says as we make our way back to the hotel. “I had my doubts when Mother first introduced us and Sue said you’d be the perfect PA. But you’ve proven yourself more than capable.”
“I would never have guessed,” I say, nudging him with my shoulder, before realising that is not something one should do to their boss. He doesn’t take offence. Instead, he laughs.
“Credit where credit’s due,” he says.
“Well, thank you. Fighting against being babied by four older siblings. Seven years between me and the next youngest. Thirteen years between my older brother and me. I’ve had plenty of experience.”
“You, fighting against the establishment. Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
I stop and turn to face him, placing a hand over my heart.
“What do you mean? I’ve been the model PA. You just said so yourself,” I say, chuckling and finding myself gazing up into his eyes, surprised at how relaxed he looks.
“Ah, but I see the fire in your eyes every time you disagree with me. You just swallow it down.”
“Guilty as charged, but as you’re my boss, I guess I have to do what you say.”
He looks away sharply, and I kick myself when he falls silent.
Great job, Harper! Brooke! Shit!