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My father moved from his spot on the other couch and sat beside me. He held a glass of red wine, choosing to drink it at family events instead of the scotch he preferred. I knew he drank it when he was alone in his office because I’d caught him a few times. “Tesoro, how are you?” My father had raised me like a son, pushed me to be strong, smart, and independent. It annoyed me when I was young, but now I was grateful he pushed me as hard as he did. I believed it was much harder to be a woman in a male-dominated world than people realized. My father prepared me for that. If it weren’t for him, I never would have escaped Knuckles. And if it weren’t for him, I’d be panicking right now.
“Good. How’s the winery?”
He didn’t answer me, his hazel eyes watching me with quiet intelligence. “You seem distracted.”
I wished my father couldn’t read me so well. “It was just a long semester, and I’ve been thinking about my future as an artist…stuff like that.”
“Talk to me, tesoro. You know you can tell me anything.”
Not anything. Not this. “I’ve liked going to school, but I’ve been considering dropping out…”
Instead of getting angry or shouting his disapproval, he just stared at me. “You know the winery is yours if you decide you want to take it. But you’re very talented, Vanessa. I don’t think you should give up just yet.”
That’s not what I meant, but I appreciated his words anyway. “That’s not what I meant. I was thinking of dropping out of school so I could focus my time painting. I want to start my own gallery, but since classes take up so much of my time, I thought it would be more effective for me to spend time creating something…but then that would mean two years of education down the drain.”
It would be easy for my father to get upset because he was the one who paid all the money for my education. Even though he was extremely wealthy, that was still his savings. “If you’re asking for my approval, you don’t need it. Follow your destiny. No one knows the path better than you do.”
“Well…do you think that’s a good idea?”
He took a long pause before he answered. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you have the talent. Getting an education may help you in some ways, but you already have the foundation of an artist, and that’s something that can’t be taught. It’s something you’re born with. But I can’t tell you to withdraw from the university or stay. That has to be your decision, and I won’t influence you either way.”
My father had been hard on Conway and me when we were younger, pushing us to be talented and smart. But he was incredibly caring and understanding. He guided us where we needed to go without directing us. Now that we were adults, he was still involved in our lives, but in a much more distant way. He had faith in both of us to become the people we were supposed to be.
I was extremely lucky.
“So, what do you want to do, tesoro?”
“Well…I would like to focus on my painting.” I couldn’t believe I was actually listening to what Bones said, but his words had been ingrained in me. He wouldn’t say he believed in my work unless he meant it. He was honest, even when I didn’t want to hear him speak the truth. “I just have to open a gallery somehow. Milan might be a good place for that.”
“I can help you do that.”
I knew my father would buy me anything I wanted, not because I was spoiled, but because it was important to my parents that their children have what they needed to be successful. But I didn’t want his money. I was twenty-one and shouldn’t be using his cash anymore. “No, I’ll figure it out.”
He kept up his stern stare, his silent authority. He did the same thing Bones did, made moments tense with just his silence. It was a trait powerful men possessed. “Do you have a plan to do that?”
“Sell some paintings and save some money.”
“Where will you sell them if you don’t have a gallery?”
“Well, I was thinking I could display them at the winery. When people come in for tastings, we could have them up. Maybe people will buy them…maybe they won’t.”
It was the first time my dad smiled. “That’s a great idea.”
“Yeah?” I asked. “I don’t want to do something you—”
“Your mother will love the idea too. It’s perfect.”
“Thanks…”
He moved his hand to the center of my back and patted me gently. “I’m proud of you, tesoro. You’re going your own way in life. In my experience, successful people do that. They don’t follow the herd. They become a leader.”
