Chapter Twenty
T he drapes in Gia’s studio danced in the early-morning breeze, and the sun—a mellow yellow against the azure sky—warmed the floor where she was finishing up her yoga session in a reclined goddess pose.
After so many months of being unable to think about striking one simple pose, let alone completing one, being able to run through an entire routine felt like a major achievement.
She’d needed this more than she’d realized.
She remained in the pose, basking in the relaxed state of her body and mind.
She considered staying right where she was for the entire day.
And just like a worm, that tiny thought burrowed into her brain and obliterated her Zen state of mind.
Her mother had decided it was time to introduce their followers to the newest member of their brand—her golden child, award-winning actress Camilla Monroe.
Carmen had been teasing the news on social media for the past two days.
Gia had no idea how her mother had convinced herself that this was a good idea.
But no matter how hard she’d fought against today’s Instagram Live, it was going ahead.
With or without her, according to her mother.
It would be without her, Gia had informed Carmen yesterday afternoon. She’d wanted no part of it after the vile accusations Cami had hurled at her the other night. How her mother expected them to get along on camera after everything that had been said was beyond her.
Someone knocked on Gia’s apartment’s door.
Her mother coming to convince her to appear with them on Instagram, no doubt.
Gia came slowly to her feet. She’d make her mother squirm a little, Gia decided as she walked to the door.
It wasn’t fair Carmen hadn’t taken her feelings into consideration, but Gia didn’t intend to let them push her aside.
As many people tuned in for her vegan options as they did for Carmen’s and Eva’s more traditional Italian fare, and she had no intention of letting her followers down.
Besides, the three of them were equal partners in both the restaurant and their latest venture.
She had as much at stake as they did, especially now that they’d made the decision to invest in an industrial kitchen and warehouse.
But it wasn’t her mother standing on the other side of the door. It was Flynn. He handed her an Americano from Fair Trade, her favorite organic coffee shop on Main Street. “I won’t stay long. I promise. I just needed to see you.”
She opened the door wider, peeking outside to see if anyone saw him.
“I told you I don’t care what anyone says about us.”
“You did the other night.” Neither of them had been prepared for the backlash they’d received from their families.
“I didn’t see you rushing over here yesterday either.
” She closed her eyes. Could she sound any needier?
“Sorry. I had a bad day yesterday. I shouldn’t take it out on you. ” She held the door open for him.
He closed it behind him, following her into her studio. She hoped some of those mellow vibes still lingered in the room.
“The girls arrived on my doorstep shortly after I got home from here,” he said, taking a seat on the stool in front of her canvas. Nothing had come of his heated promise that night. Neither of them had felt much like making love after their families had gotten through with them.
“It sounds like your day wasn’t much better than mine,” she said from where she’d curled up on her favorite chair. “How did your girls find out about us anyway? And that fast? Please tell me my sister didn’t call them to spread her special brand of cheer.”
“No. It was Willow, but she hadn’t meant to blurt it out. She’d been talking to August when your mother texted her with the news.”
“And August told his sisters?” Flynn’s son was his dad’s mini-me, an old soul and a sweet boy. At the last few family gatherings, she’d gotten the distinct impression he’d been trying to set her up with his dad, so she was surprised and a little hurt by his reaction to their relationship.
Honestly, it made her wonder if she and Flynn were missing something.
But more than that, she wouldn’t be the cause of a rift between Flynn and his children.
He adored his kids and was an amazing father.
It was just a matter of time before he’d come to the conclusion that she wasn’t worth ruining his relationship with his kids anyway.
Or maybe he already had, she thought, taking in his tired eyes and beard-shadowed jaw. “It’s okay. I understand, Flynn.”
“Understand what?”
“Why you want to end it with me.” The backs of her eyes burned, and she stood up, determined not to cry in front of him. She didn’t want him feeling guilty about choosing his kids over her. They’d lost their mother. They were still young, and they needed him.
“How did we go from me telling you I didn’t care what anyone says about us to you thinking I’d want to throw away my chance of having a life with you?”
“Flynn, we’ve only been together a few weeks. I’m not worth throwing away your relationship with your kids.”
He stood up, put his coffee on the stool, and then closed the distance between them.
He raised a hand as if to touch her but instead shoved them both in the pockets of his jeans.
“I know we haven’t been together that long, but I feel like I’ve been waiting years for you, and I’m not about to give up on us just because some members of our families are having a problem with us being together.
Besides, Sage is in our corner, and so is August. Between the two of them, they’ll talk some sense into the others. ”
“I’m confused. I thought August was unhappy about us too. You said he was the one who told his sisters.”
“He did. He thought they’d be as happy about the news as he was.” He smiled. “I can see my son’s opinion carries a lot of weight with you.”
“I don’t really know your daughters. Other than Willow, I mean.
I just met them when you brought them for dinner over the Christmas holidays.
” They seemed like nice girls but definitely daddy’s girls now that she thought about it.
Flynn clearly doted on them, and unlike their brother, they hadn’t been happy sharing his attention with their newfound sister.
But Willow, being Willow, had won them over, and now they adored their big sister as much as August did.
“You mean when I brought them to the restaurant because we’d missed the party, and I’d wanted to see you, even if you were at work.”
She moved closer, placing a hand on his chest. “You ate a lot at La Dolce Vita over the holidays. I thought you just hated cooking and loved our food.”
“It was a little of that and a whole lot of wanting to see you.” He took his hands out of his pockets and placed them on her hips.
“I wanted to see you yesterday too. I called late afternoon, but you weren’t picking up.
I came by to check on you. I even risked the wrath of Carmen and ventured into the restaurant looking for you.
She was upset. Something about you not appearing on today’s Instagram Live segment? ”
She told him why she’d been going to bail today and how she felt about Cami being part of their new venture. He stayed quiet and listened, his thumbs stroking her sides in a relaxing up-and-down motion.
She couldn’t tell if he thought she was right or wrong, but she’d learned over the last couple of weeks that, while Flynn validated her feelings, he didn’t give her advice or try to fix things for her.
“I’ve decided to go despite my feelings about Cami.”
“I’m sure that will make Carmen happy.”
“I’m glad one of us will be.” She sighed, slipping her arms around his waist. “I was at the lavender farm when you stopped by. I’d turned off my phone so I wouldn’t have to listen to another member of my family tell me I’m selfish or I’m jealous or I’m vindictive or just a plain rotten human being. ”
She felt the rumble of his laughter against her cheek, his right hand moving to her neck, kneading the tension from her muscles.
“Anyway, I painted, or J.R. painted, a mural of Alice in the lavender fields with her cat Max for Sage and Jake. Alice was cremated yesterday, and I knew how difficult it would be for Sage and Jake to say goodbye.”
He leaned back. “Wow, your family’s right. You’re the worst.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure Sage and Jake loved it.”
“I hope so. I haven’t heard from Sage. I left one of my lanterns there so they’d see the mural, but maybe they didn’t notice.
It’s not like they’d know I’m J.R. anyway.
” Her phone rang with Sage’s ringtone. “Speak of the devil.” She smiled and moved away from Flynn to answer.
“Hey, honey. How are you? Are you and Jake okay?”
“Um, yeah, it’s…” Sage trailed off, obviously listening to whatever Jake was saying in the background. Then her daughter murmured Right to whatever he said before returning to Gia. “Mom, are you going to be home for a bit?”
“I’m actually heading to your zia’s shortly. We’re doing an Instagram Live today. Why don’t you meet me there? We have a big announcement. Lila is still under the weather, so your sister is taking over the filming.” She made a face. “Cami will be there too.”
“Uh, I don’t know…” Sage trailed off again, only this time she was repeating what Gia had said to Jake. Then she heard Sage say to him, “Do you think I should do it then? They’re all going to be there.”
Apparently, Jake thought it was a good idea, because Sage said, “Okay. I’ll meet you at Zia Eva’s. We’ll talk then.”
“You don’t sound like yourself. Are you sure you don’t want to talk to me about whatever this is now?”
“No. This isn’t a conversation you have over the phone. I need to talk to you face-to-face.”
“Honey, are you… are you and Jake engaged?”
“No! Why would you think that?”
“Madonna santa! Are you pregnant? Am I going to be a nonna?”