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CHAPTER9
“Ithink the space is absolutely amazing, Valentina,” I said as I looked around at the bright, light-filled room.“I could see this being a really successful and wonderful coffee shop.I think the puppies would love it here.”
“Me too,” she said thoughtfully.“I just have to convince my dad.”
“You said he was going to pay, though, right?”
“Yeah, but this place costs a little bit more than he said he would be willing to pay.”She sighed.
“Oh?Isn’t he …?”I paused.I didn’t want her to know that I knew her dad was very wealthy and successful.“Maybe speak to him.”
“He doesn’t really want me to get into business,” she said, shaking her head, looking slightly despondent.“I’m his only daughter, and he feels like I should have the world, but to him, the world doesn’t include having my own business.”
“Oh no.That’s odd.”
She shrugged.“He wants me to get married to the right guy who can take over the business, and I’ll give him grandkids, and … it’s all very fifties, you know?”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.I think that’s why I like Shane so much.He goes against that type A personality my dad is interested in.”
“Oh, okay.”I looked away, feeling very guilty at that moment.
I wanted to tell her that I knew about her dad, that I knew about Shane, that I even knew about the man her dad wanted her to marry—Connor, the Wall Street guy—but I couldn’t.Her dad had already given me fifty grand with a promise of another fifty grand.That would solve all my family’s problems.It would catch up my dad’s rent and help to get Sergio and Santino into new apartments.We could get a proper office for the detective agency and run some ads.We could go to the next level, which was what we needed.It wasn’t that we didn’t have any money, but the money that my father had in the bank wasn’t ours.It was money he’d made through the Mafia, and I was pretty confident that the feds were watching that bank account.I had a feeling that as soon as someone made a withdrawal from that account, we would be in trouble.And I knew my dad felt the same way because that was why he hadn’t touched it.
My dad had made a lot of mistakes in his past, and it wasn’t even his fault.His dad had been entrenched in the Mafia, and that was just the way it was when you immigrated from Sicily and your friends and family were all part of this large family network.But things changed when my mom left.My dad changed, and he realized he didn’t want his boys to have a life of crime.He might not have been successful with relationships, and he might not have taught us emotional intelligence, but he put us on the right track, and I had to ensure that we didn’t take dirty money anymore.
“I was just speaking to you, Sam,” Valentina said.Suddenly, she was next to me.I looked over at her.She had a small smile on her face.“What are you thinking about?”
“Um.”I thought for a second.I certainly couldn’t let her in on my real thoughts.“I was just thinking that dogs would really love the way the sun hits that spot in the corner.”I walked over to the corner where the sun was shining.“It’d be really warm.”
“You know, that’s very true.”She nodded.“Such an astute observation.”
“I can be astute, you know,” I said with a small smile.
“Yeah, you can.I guess that’s why you make such a good detective.”
“You don’t know if I’m a good detective or not.”I chuckled.
“Well, why don’t you tell me some stories sometime, Sherlock?”
“Maybe I will.”I looked at my watch and groaned.“I hate to do this because I had an absolutely amazing time with you, but—”
“You have to go,” she finished my sentence.
“Yeah, is that okay?”
“Of course.How’s your face feeling?”
“Sore.How do I look?”I said, giving her my best smile.
“Still very handsome.Battered and bruised like you’ve been in a fight, but I’m sure all the women will still love you.”She gave me a cheeky grin, and all I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and kiss her.But I knew that would be a mistake.
“Well, it was really great seeing you, Valentina.You have my number, so let’s stay in contact.”I ended the sentence awkwardly.I didn’t know what to say.I wanted to tell her I wanted to call her and take her out for dinner.I wanted her to come over that night, but I didn’t want to push anything.Valentina was the sort of woman you had to tread carefully with.And even though it was apparent to me that Shane was nothing in her life, I wasn’t sure she quite realized that.Maybe because she was trying to prove something to her dad, or maybe because she was trying to prove something to herself.Shane was nothing.I wouldn’t be shocked if she never saw him again.
“Okay, well, you have a great day, Sam,” she said, and I watched as she pulled out her phone.
“Bye,” I said as I exited the store and then looked back.It was a wonderful location.I could see it doing really well.The foot traffic was amazing, and who didn’t love dogs and coffee.And she said she was going to have cupcakes too.It would be a fantastic location and setup.I knew she could do it, and I wondered why her father wasn’t interested in investing money into her business.It didn’t really make a huge difference to him whether he invested five thousand or ten thousand a month.I thought that was unfair, but it wasn’t any of my business.I couldn’t exactly go to him and tell him to invest more.
