Page 54 of The Boss

“Okay, I’ll see you then.” I get ready, and when I leave, I notice how Gino’s office door is closed.

Once I get to the restaurant, I am seated at a table towards the back of the restaurant. Lucy arrives not that long after me and sits across from me. Lucy is beautiful with her curly brown hair, brown eyes, strong jawline, and lightly tanned skin. She’s wearing black pants and a navy blue top. Vanessa trusts her like a mother, and she’s in this life, so I’m hoping she can guide me in the right direction.

She looks at me with a soft smile. “Juliet, is everything okay?”

“I don’t know. I want to get your advice,” I say.

She smiles again. “Advice on what?”

Do I tell her Gino and I are not actually dating, and our first kiss since we started ‘dating’ was this morning? Or do I lie?

“If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell Vanessa, at least not right now?”

“What is it? Is something wrong with Gino or Mateo?” she asks nervously.

“No, umm, Gino has been…” I pause.

This is probably normal to her. Kevin has probably been doing this for years.

“Ahhh, you found out, or did he tell you?” she asks.

“Tell me what?” I reply.

“That he’s been paying for everything and that he’s been in love with you for a very long time. It just took him a long time to admit it,” she says.

“How did you figure that out?” I ask.

“Well, for one, I see the way he looks at you, and two, he’s just like every man in the mafia. They want to provide but sometimes forget how to say that or do it in the standard way,” she says.

“It’s probably normal to you,” I say.

“It wasn’t at first, but once I got over my need for independence, I realized Kevin was giving me more freedom than I ever experienced,” she says, the adoration for him visible in her eyes.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I didn’t grow up like any of these men. My father made some bad bets and owed Antonio a lot of money. The compromise for him not getting killed was for me to work for Gino’s father. When Vanessa’s mother died, Antonio asked me to take care of Vanessa with Kevin.

We built a relationship and created a life for ourselves over that first year. The second I got off that plane in Salt Lake City. I was Kevin’s; I just didn’t know it yet. It scared me for months, the constant pursuit of me. I thought he was doing it to have control, but he was doing it to show how much he cared. It’s in their blood to care for their partners. Sometimes it feels suffocating, controlling, and unnecessary, but it’s who they are, and trying to stop it makes them do it even more.”

I take a deep breath. “Gino and I, our relationship is different.”

“How so?” she asks.

“Well, for one—” I get cut off before I tell her our secret.

“Lucy,” a woman's voice behind me calls out.

I turn and see Marco, Jake, and Gabe’s mother, Francesca. She has her dark brown hair in a low bun and is dressed in a sleek black dress and heels. Her green eyes look between us, and her olive skin is lit up by the lighting in the restaurant.

“Francesca, hello. I was just telling Juliet about what it's like being in love with a man in this mafia world.” We both get up and hug her.

I’ve met Francesca a few times. She’s always been very kind, but she made it known her issues with what some of the men have done. Especially when it came to Antonio and her husband, Emilio's decisions.

“Ahh, sit, sit, this conversation will need more coffee and bread.” She waves over a server and sits with us.

“Did you have this conversation with Vanessa when she and Mateo got together?” I ask Lucy.

“She already knew what it was like, but yes, I talked with her at great length about it.” She sighs. “Juliet, why are you bringing this up now? You and Gino have been dating for how long now?”