Chapter 24
James
“Oh, he’s here!” my grandmother exclaimed as soon as she opened the front door of her brownstone. The familiar sounds of my family echoed down the long front hallway as they gathered in the kitchen, the heart of my grandparents’ home. “James! Nipote . You look so handsome.”
I leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek, the top of her gray bun barely reaching my chest. My height had come from my mother’s side of the family. “Nonna, you just saw me last week at family dinner. I can’t look that much different.”
“You have not been eating enough, James,” she said, her hands gripping my biceps as she examined me like some fruit at the market. “I sent you home with leftovers last week. Did you not eat them?”
She gave me the same routine every Wednesday.
My grandmother would answer the door. She’d pull me into a hug, tell me first I was handsome, then too skinny, then ask me if I hadn’t eaten the armload of leftovers she sent me home with every week.
I always split them with Sebastian whenever he came over.
He was a fiend for Nonna’s cooking. Then she would shoo me to the kitchen, where my mom and Aunt Maria were usually elbow-deep in flour, making pasta from scratch.
I’d head to the dining room, where my dad, Uncle Tony, Brandon, and Emilia had already claimed their spots around the table, a deck of cards and a small pile of poker chips between them.
It was the same thing every week. But that was the best part.
No matter how the world changed around us, this part of life stayed the same.
It was comforting, nostalgic. Even with all the quirks of the Rossi clan—my father’s stubborn resistance to change, my grandfather turning a blind eye, my uncle’s love for a heavy pour, and my grandmother’s relentless scrutiny over everyone’s eating habits—it would never get boring. It was where I was happiest.
But I’d started to wonder if the next time I met my family for dinner, Hallie would be with me.
I wasn’t sure what would be harder—their questions, their curiosity, or the way I’d feel exposing her to this part of me.
Family dinners were predictable, yes, but they also revealed things about you that you couldn’t hide.
Things Hallie didn’t know yet. And while it terrified me, it also shot a thrill through me at the possibility.
“James!” my uncle bellowed as I stepped into the dining room. “We’ll deal you in next hand.”
“The markets looked good today,” Brandon said with a smirk. “Which should mean you have plenty to add to the pot.”
I shrugged off my jacket as I slid into my usual chair next to my father. “For the millionth time, Brandon, just because the markets are good, doesn’t mean I suddenly have millions in cash hit my bank account.”
“Sounds like a waste.” Brandon glanced at his cards before tossing a few poker chips into the middle.
Uncle Tony doubled Brandon’s bet without blinking. “Still can’t bluff worth a damn,” he muttered, grinning.
“You haven’t been around the pizzeria as much these past few weeks,” my grandfather said, his deep voice halting the banter.
My father paused, poker chips in hand. Everyone read between the lines. That wasn’t a question. It was a statement with an edge.
You have not been supporting your family, and you better have a good reason for it.
“I’ve been busy,” I said. Which was true.
But I couldn’t tell them I’d spent most of the time with Hallie—taking her on dates, thinking about her, or trying to figure out what came next.
What I could say though, was the intention I’d made clear to them already.
“I’ve been busy working on solutions for the pizzeria, as a matter of fact. ”
Brandon snorted into his drink.
“It’s true,” Emilia said, jumping to my defense. She sat across from me, legs crisscrossed under her chair, wearing a volleyball hoodie. “James is going to make the restaurant go viral.”
My grandfather took a thoughtful pull from his cigar. “Your father mentioned something about social media. Some app thing.”
Tony snorted, but before he could say anything, a roll flew across the room and smacked him in the back of the head.
“Antonio, show some respect,” Aunt Maria scolded, wooden spoon in hand.
“I didn’t say anything, Maria!”
“Let your nephew speak,” Maria said, pointing the spoon at him for emphasis. “We’ve talked ourselves in circles the past few months. Maybe it’s time to try something new.”
Every eye in the room turned to look at me. I’d given presentations to CEOs of Fortune 100 companies. I’d competed against some of the toughest sharks on Wall Street. Yet my family was easily the hardest group I’d ever had to convince of a business proposal.
“Well, Nonno,” I began, turning toward the head of the table, “consumers live online now. They’re looking for their next purchase, their next favorite restaurant, their next favorite store online.
Whether they’re looking at reviews or influencers telling them where they should spend their money.
We are losing out on potential sales by only updating our single social media account once a month. ”
The room remained silent as Lorenzo flicked some ashes from his cigar into the tray next to him. While my father and uncle made the majority of the business decisions, as long as my grandfather was still alive, the final decision would always lie in his hands.
“Do you really think something like that could help our business?”
“I do,” I said. “I have a food writer and photographer lined up already. They’ll review the restaurant in the next few weeks, and if even one table books because of it, that’s proof we’re heading in the right direction.
She also mentioned she could help revamp our social media.
We can even hire someone for the position to maintain the accounts.
I’ve already come up with how Dad can move the budget around to afford to bring someone in. ”
“I gave him the idea,” Emilia added.
Silence fell over the entire house after I finished.
My family spoke the language of food. That was what made the pizzeria a well-loved local joint in its neighborhood.
I could talk about numbers until I was blue in the face, but they would never understand me.
They did, however, understand a packed restaurant without a single table available for a walk-in.
“If you give me a chance,” I tried again, “I promise weekends will be so busy again that you might even have to call me in to help.”
My grandfather took a long sip of wine. “Alright,” he said finally. “If this review brings in even one extra sale, we’ll look at your budget and hire someone.”
Brandon held a hand under the table for a subtle high-five. I didn’t hesitate to slap it. Before anyone else could say a word, my grandmother’s voice cut through the house.
“I think that’s enough talking shop for the evening,” she cut in. She started making her way to the kitchen, squeezing my shoulder as she passed. “Now, clear that table so that we can eat!”
Hallie answered her apartment door with her hair still damp and wearing Disney pajamas.
The sight made me smile—so effortlessly her.
Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped by unannounced after family dinner, but I was too wired from the night to resist. I could’ve texted, called, even emailed her the update.
But none of those options would’ve brought me here, standing in front of her, seeing the way her face lit up when she saw me.
A few minutes with Hallie were worth any excuse.
Not that I’d ever say that out loud. That would make me sound like a man completely wrapped around her finger.
Which I most definitely was not.
Oh, who was I kidding? I most definitely was.
“James!” She opened the door wider, stepping aside to let me in. “What are you doing here? I thought we weren’t seeing each other until dinner on Friday?”
“I had some news that I couldn’t wait until then to tell you.” As we entered, I spotted the TV paused on a familiar film. “Is that The Parent Trap ?”
Hallie’s smile twitched the corners of her mouth as she glanced between me and the screen. “It just started.”
The microwave went off in the kitchen, and I finally noticed the smell of butter filling the apartment. On the end table beside the couch sat a half-finished glass of red wine. “Popcorn and wine? You are really treating yourself tonight, aren’t you?”
“Roxie’s out all evening for a gallery showing. I think there are worse ways to spend a night, like sitting at a bar every weeknight at Whiskey Locker or any other bar in FiDi.” She flashed me a knowing smile, then disappeared into the kitchen to grab the popcorn. “So, what’s the big news?”
I glanced between the couch and the kitchen, not sure if I should make myself comfortable or just share my news and go. Suddenly, spending all my free time with Hallie had become the only thing I wanted to do.
“If you don’t have anywhere else to be tonight,” I called out to Hallie, who was returning with a bowl of popcorn. “I wouldn’t mind watching a movie with you.”
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she turned back around, disappearing into the kitchen for a moment. When she reappeared, she was carrying a fresh glass of wine—and a second one for me.
Hallie paused in front of the couch, her expression softening into a smile as she settled beside me. “That sounds perfect.” She tucked her legs up under her, the bowl of popcorn resting next to her. “I’ve been wanting to watch this all week.”
It felt like knocking off rust, like we were playing house. The last time I’d gotten this comfortable with someone, I’d also gotten my heart broken. I’d been too distracted, too caught up in the routine we’d created to realize that our routine had never been as perfect as I thought it was.
But instead of letting myself dwell on unresolved feelings, I kicked off my shoes by the front door and settled down on the couch next to Hallie.
“So, that good news you were going to share?” Hallie prompted.
“Right.” I slung an arm over the back of the couch, and without thinking Hallie leaned back into me.
The two of us both moving almost involuntarily, unable to fight against our bodies’ desires to be close to one another.
“Every Wednesday is Rossi family dinner. Tonight, my grandfather asked me about my ideas for bringing the restaurant into the modern era utilizing social media, influencers, and reviewers.”
Hallie’s attention was fully on me. I never realized how unfamiliar it felt to have someone genuinely interested in what I was saying.
Rather than faking interest in me merely because it provided them a means to an end.
The only people who ever gave me that kind of undivided attention were my mom and dad, and even then, it only happened when there wasn’t some kind of family drama hanging over us.
“He was interested?” Her voice was full of excitement, and I felt the warmth of her enthusiasm radiate through me.
“Surprisingly, yes.” A burst of laughter escaped from me, the realization of everything that had happened hitting me all at once.
After all the time and effort I’d spent trying to convince my father of my plans, all I’d really needed to do was convince the head of the Rossi clan.
“He brought it up before dinner and my father and uncle cut our conversation short at first. But my aunt insisted they let me speak, and he actually listened to me. He expressed he might not fully understand social media and how it could help the restaurant, but he was adamant about hearing me out. After I gave him a quick explanation of what I wanted to do, he was on board.”
“James!” Hallie reached over to throw her arms around my neck. “That’s great news!”
My hands slipped around her waist. Her palms moved to my chest as she leaned back in my arms. “I’ll talk with Roxie about planning a day to go over to the restaurant together. That way she’s free to take pictures and I can plan out a blog posting—”
I silenced her with a kiss. I didn’t even hesitate. I was unable to resist Hallie’s intoxicating energy any further. And when her fingers fisted the soft fabric of my t-shirt and she pulled me in closer, I knew I’d made the right move.
When I heard her moan into my mouth, I nearly splintered into a thousand pieces. There was no way I was going to walk away from her at the end of our five dates. I’d already mentally shredded our agreement in my head.
Hallie Woods was going to be mine.