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“Meaning,” Jewel chimed in, “we could either subdivide and Rogen could buy half of the land from me for his own purposes. Or…” She pulled in a long breath and stole a glance at Rogen before returning her attention to Vin. “We could partner up. Fifty-fifty in procuring the land, developing it, and managing the inn and the winery.”
“Jesus Christ.” Vin dropped his fork on his plate and reached for his wine. He sucked down a healthy amount. “You’re shitting me.”
“No,” Rogen and Jewel said in unison.
Vin piled a second heap of pasta on his plate and ladled the sauce over it. Jewel topped it with freshly grated Parmesan from a stainless-steel grater.
“Seriously, the best Bolognese I’ve ever had,” Vin commended her. “But, honestly? You two are fucking out of your minds.”
Jewel returned the grater to the table and pushed her food aside. She stood and paced. Her crimson-painted toes distracted Vin for a moment.
“It’s not going to be easy,” she said. “We already know that. And like Bay and Scarlet have told me a dozen times before, the whole idea is a house of cards. One false move and Rogen and I could come up empty-handed. But—” She halted abruptly and speared Vin with a solemn look. “No guts, no glory, right?”
She smiled. Though it was a bit shaky.
His stomach wrenched.
No, that might have been his heart.
Damn it.
Vin didn’t say anything for a while. Finished his pasta so that he didn’t immediately discount the business-plotting effort on Rogen and Jewel’s part. They were smart and worked for their respective family empires. Neither would hastily or recklessly come to terms with each other after all the Angelini–Catalano feuding. And all they’d been through personally.
Sure, Vin recognized that Rogen and Jewel’s history would play a part in their decision. The fact that they’d once been in love. Not to mention they obviously still held each other in high regard. The attraction and affection were clearly still there.
No doubt emotion influenced them, but again … Vin knew them well enough to know that neither would propose something this audacious if they didn’t fully believe they could pull it off.
Provided they procured the land.
Vin sat back and sipped some more, still contemplative.
Rogen said, “We could use your help, man. We need that property free of all the restrictions the current contracts have placed on it, and we need to make sure we have new contracts drawn up that are solid—so that Jewel and I don’t lose this opportunity because of a parental vendetta.”
“They’ll all go through the roof when they find out you want a joint venture,” Vin told him. “How many times did we hear your father say there will never be an Angelini and Catalano partnership again? He and Anthony even went to the extent of declaring you and Jewel will never marry, never have ‘mixed-blood’ heirs. Then you were sent off to Trinity, in hopes you’d get over each other.”
Vin shoved back his chair, took his plate to the sink, and rinsed it off.
Rogen said, “We were fourteen when I left for Trinity. Now we’re twenty-eight. He’s not shipping me anywhere. And if Jewel and I want to go into business together, then goddamn it, that’s what we’re going to do.”
“While I admire your spirit and tenacity,” Vin told them both, “I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you. And you’ll need to find an independent attorney, because this would be a conflict of interest for me.”
“Vin—” Jewel began.
He held up a hand. “I work for Angelini, Inc. For Gian Angelini, ultimately. And not only does he sign my paycheck, but he took me in after my parents’ plane crashed. I owe him a lot, Jewel.”
“And you’ve achieved a lot for him,” Rogen reminded Vin. “You’ve worked your ass off for him. For the family. I understand what you’re saying, because I face the same dilemma. But let’s not forget that, one, he’s willing to double-cross Jewel. Two, that land is a part of both our inheritances, so it will eventually pass to us. But it’ll continue to sit there for the next four decades. I’m not really interested in starting a vineyard when I’m seventy. Third, we—”
“Hey,” Vin said, cutting him off. “I’m aware of all the reasoning.”
“Maybe not,” Jewel interjected. “Because one thing that only Rogen and I might be considering is that proving we can be partners and build something together could be a great way to get our families to bury the hatchet.”
Vin’s gaze locked with hers. “And then you can marry Rogen.”
ELEVEN
Jewel stared at Vin, aghast.
“That just came out,” he said crossly, and turned away. He wrapped up the remainder of the bread as Jewel tried to wade through the dynamic in her kitchen. All the surface stu
