‘Why on earth do you need a pretend girlfriend?’ Gio was gorgeous enough to have women lining up to be the real thing. If they could put up with his working hours and always having second place in his life to Giovanni’s, that was. Which was exactly why she’d never have a relationship with Gio for real: she wanted to come first.
‘I told you, I’m not looking for a relationship right now. But…’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘There isn’t an easy way to put this.’
‘Try starting at the beginning,’ she suggested.
‘Just don’t get offended by anything I’m about to say. Please.’ He sighed. ‘My mother doesn’t believe you’re just my office manager. So she and Netti have been talking to Nonna—who now thinks that you’re my secret girlfriend. And when Nonna rang me last night…I don’t think I’ve ever heard her so happy at the idea I’ve finally found someone and settled down.’ He pushed his bowl away. ‘Bottom line—I can tell her the truth and make her believe it, but it’s going to hurt her terribly. She’s only staying for a few weeks. And…’ he looked away ‘…this is going to make me sound either like a sentimental fool or incredibly morbid, but Nonna’s not going to be around for ever.’
She knew exactly what he meant. ‘And you want to make her happy while you still have the chance.’
He nodded. ‘I’m the only one of my generation who isn’t settled down. Even Marcie—my youngest sister—is engaged. All my cousins are married, mostly with children or planning them.’
‘So all the pressure’s on you to follow suit.’
He sighed. ‘Yup.’
‘This isn’t the right thing to do, Gio. If we pretend we’re an item while your grandmother’s here, what happens when she goes back to Milan?’
‘I haven’t thought that far ahead,’ he admitted. ‘We can split up gracefully—it’ll be my fault because you can’t stand me being a workaholic, or something like that. And then we can get back to normal.’ He waved a dismissive hand. ‘Look, I’m trying to buy some time. And there isn’t much. Nonna’s going to be here in two days.’
‘I’ve worked with you for nearly a month. And I’ve never seen you panic,’ Fran said thoughtfully. ‘You’re panicking now.’
‘Because I can’t see a way out of this without shattering Nonna’s illusions. Hurting her. Which I really, really, don’t want to do. She’s special to me, Fran. She’s always been there for me. Listened to me when I wanted to talk about things I couldn’t tell my parents.’
She frowned. ‘Gio, this is the twenty-first century. It’s perfectly OK to be single, you know.’
‘Not according to my family.’ He drummed his fingers on the table. ‘And I’ve already disappointed them enough.’
Fran guessed immediately what the root of that particular worry was. And why it was so important to him to please his family now. She reached across the table and took his hand. ‘Listen to me, Giovanni Mazetti. You’re not a disappointment to your family. Look at you: twenty-eight years old, and you’ve built your dad’s business into a chain with the plan to expand it even more. And you were not responsible for your dad’s heart attack. It could have happened any time—even if he’d been sitting down relaxing at home that evening, it could still have happened.’
Gio didn’t look in the slightest bit convinced.
‘Gio, you went to the concert because that was the right thing for you to do at the time—if you hadn’t gone, you’d have disappointed your teacher and your family because you hadn’t tried, and you’d have spent the rest of your life wondering if you were good enough.’
He lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug.
She squeezed his hand. ‘I mean it, Gio. It was the right thing to do, to go. And you were good enough. You could’ve made a career in music, if you’d wanted to. But you gave it up for your family. You put their needs before your own. So no way have you disappointed them. If anything, they probably feel guilty that you gave up your music for them—and I bet they think you’ve sacrificed your personal life, as well as your dreams, to run the business.’
Gio was silent.
‘It’s true,’ she said gently. ‘That’s why they fuss about you so much. They love you and they worry about you and they want the best for you. So don’t be so hard on yourself.’
‘Hmm.’ He looked her straight in the eye. ‘So was that a yes or a no?’