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“Hey, Sam,” Sergio said, and I looked up.“Here’s a coffee.”
“Thanks.”I took it from him gratefully.
He held up a bag.“You want a donut?”
“Dad will be happy that you got them.”
“I know,” he said.“I may be one of the younger brothers, but I still observe things as well, you know?”
“I know,” I said even though I was surprised.I hadn’t realized anyone else had noticed that Dad’s go-to in stressful situations was donuts.
“You’re not the only one who wants the family to succeed, Sam.And you’re not the only one who has to carry the burden of our financial difficulties,” he said softly.“I’ll do whatever I have to do as well.Okay?”A look of understanding passed between the two of us, and I nodded.
“Thanks.”
He handed me a piece of paper.“This is Gabriella’s number.”
“Why are you giving me her number?”
“Because I think you want to speak to Valentina, right?”
“Yeah.And what’s that got to do with Gabriella?”
“Bro.”He shook his head.“If I know women, Valentina will not pick up that phone.Not if you call one time, two times, or a thousand times.As far as she’s concerned, she’s done with you.So the only way you’ll be able to speak to her is if you go through Gabriella.It’s a long shot, but maybe if you are a hundred percent honest with her about your feelings for Valentina, she’ll help you out.”
“She’s not going to help me out.She hates me.”
“She thinks you’re a really nice guy.”He smiled.
“And how do you know that?”
“She told me.She told me that the first night you met them, you really made her feel good about herself.And she felt like that was the first time a guy had looked at her and not ignored her when she was in the same room as Valentina.And she appreciated that.”
“Oh.I didn’t even realize.”
“I know you’re down on yourself, bro.And you judge yourself more harshly than anyone else could.But a lot of us know you’re a really good guy.And even members of the family can see it.”He smiled.“Don’t be so hard on yourself.You deserve the best because you are the best.”
“Thanks, Sergio.That means a lot.”
“It’s just the truth,” he said.“Now, let me go get these donuts to Dad before he completely freaks out.”
“Okay.”Watching as he walked over to our dad and handed him the donuts, I smiled to myself.I’d been touched by his words.I looked at Gabriella’s phone number in my hands and sat there thinking he was right, of course.I knew how unlikely it was that Valentina would ever pick up my call again.In fact, she’d probably block me.If I wanted a chance to explain everything to her, I needed to speak to Gabriella.And I knew that I likely only had one chance with her.So I had to figure out what I was going to say before I called her.The room hushed as a doctor walked inside.
“Hello.Elise?”He looked around.Elise walked over to him.
“How’s my mom?What's going on?Is she …?”She started crying again, and the doctor gave her a small smile.
“She has some broken ribs and bruises.But she is alert now, and she’s talking.She’s going to be okay.”
“Oh my God.Thank God.”Elise burst into tears.But she was smiling.She grabbed Stefano, and they hugged.When she gave him a quick kiss on the lips, they both pulled apart, shocked.I could see that Elise was blushing.Stefano looked confused, and I hid a smile.And here we go, I thought to myself.
“I’m going to go back to the room, but I just wanted to let you all know that everything is fine.”The doctor looked over at my dad.“So no need to call in any friends,” he said.My dad grinned and looked over at me and winked.I shook my head but smiled back.The doctor walked out, and Lorenzo grabbed another donut from the bag.
“Well, thank God for that,” he said, grinning.“There’s Sienna giving us a scare.”
“I’m so glad she’s good,” I said.“I have a call to make.I’ll be right back.”I looked over at Sergio, and he nodded.I walked down the hallway into a small, empty room and entered the number to speak to Gabriella.It rang two times, and then she answered.
“Hello?Who is this?”She sounded happy.
