Page 51 of Effortless

“What do you think, Tom?” Sara asked, doing a spin to show off the dress.

“What’s it for?”

“Nothing special.”

“Mine’s got more sparkles!” Rebeka shouted.

Tommas laughed from the couch, and stood. “All right, girls. Go find Ma for a bit, and bug her to buy you something else.”

“Yes!”

His sisters darted into the hallway, and their shouts echoed back as they went in search of Abriella. She was probably hiding in her library again

“There’s leftovers in the kitchen,” his father said.

Tom shook his head. “Already ate.”

Tommas arched a brow. “Oh?”

“Stopped in to see Joe on the way over, and had dinner with him.”

“That’s why you were late?”

“Guess so.”

“Not because you’ve been avoiding me ever since you got back from New York a month ago.”

Tom smirked. “Do I have a reason to avoid you, Dad?”

“I don’t know—you tell me.”

Well, if his father wanted to go down that route …

“I know you had Adriano hand me over the crew to keep my attention busy, and off the gunrunning thing.”

Tommas nodded, unashamed. “And it’s worked, son.”

“No, I’m busy, but not dissuaded. It’s still on my to-do list.”

“I bet, however, it’s not an argument I want to have tonight.”

With a wave, Tommas headed out of the living room. Tom followed behind his father as the two navigated the large halls of the Trentini mansion. Soon, the two were inside Tommas’s office with the door shut behind them.

Once his father was seated behind his desk, Tom took a chair in front of it.

“How’s the crew, by the way?” Tommas asked.

“Busy.”

He knew that was the answer his father wanted, and he didn’t mind admitting it.

“It’ll be a good lesson for you, then.”

“How so?”

“Learning to delegate tasks, manage your time, and more. Being a Capo is not all sitting behind desks, idle hands, and throwing orders. Especially with a crew as difficult as Adriano’s seems to be.”

“Mine,” Tom said. “It’s my crew now, isn’t it?”