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Jake slapped him on the back and walked away, but Adrian felt the sting of his words far longer.
Chapter 16
Sofia pulledup to the Shah project Friday morning. They had three days left to finish the house before the big reveal, and she needed to be there every step of the way for the finishing touches, despite her desire to avoid Adrian. Her punch list was flooded with details, and she couldn’t afford to let a single one slip. As she got out of the car, her brother Enzo leaned against his shovel and grinned. At eight a.m., his brown hair was already plastered to his head, and he wore a smudge of dirt across his high cheekbone.
“You’re out here early.” She greeted him as she walked up the drive.
“Been here since six. I figured I’d get as much done as possible before the film crew slows me down. It’s gonna be a hot one today.”
“Cameras roll at nine?”
“Yep. Not your usual filming attire,” he pointed out. She looked down at her torn denim jeans and her ancient college intramural basketball shirt, both splattered with a rainbow of paint, and shrugged.
“I’m not wearing nice clothes on a get-dirty day. How can I help with the yard?” Her little brother loomed over her as he gave her a hug. As she wrapped her arms around him, she realized his skinny waistband was bare. He’d managed to avoid being miked yet. She let her guard fall just a little and hugged him tight. Enzo had always been a string bean, ever since he grew six inches the summer before sixth grade. He never had been able to hold much weight on his frame. Working in landscaping had helped him pack on some muscle, but he was still a wiry giant who loomed over hisbig sisterwhen he hugged her. Not for the first time, Sofia wished she could share some of her padding just to fill him out a little. Her Italian grandmother gene was strong.
“I’m good. You don’t need to get all dirty.”
“Yes, I do, Enzo. You’re covering the labor on this for free to keep us on budget. The least I can do is reduce your personal labor.”
“Fair enough. Grab some gloves from my truck. You can run wheelbarrows of dirt from the truck to the beds, and then fill up with trimmings to take back to the dumpster from these olives I’m pruning.”
“You’ve got it. I really owe you one.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Got any requests?”
“Just…keep an open mind over the next few weeks.” With that, her cryptic little brother clammed up and turned back to his clippers.
Why would she need an open mind? Was he talking about the show? Or Adrian’s proposal? Or something else? She hated not knowing, but she deliberately did as he asked and moved on. “I don’t know if I said it before, but I love your plan for this yard. Simple, native plants with modern touches of wood and whimsy. They’re going to love it.”
“Thanks, sis. I’m glad you approve. You gonna get movin’ or what?”
“On it.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss on his sweaty cheek. “Thanks again.”
“I’m doing it as much for me as for you.”
They worked in companionable silence, and Sofia got caught up in thoughts of Adrian. He was here. She’d seen his truck. She wondered how he was doing, but she was too embarrassed over the way she’d left that she decided to let it be until after they finished the pilot project. As the pile of cut shrubbery grew and the pile of dirt to be shifted diminished, a comfortable numbness descended. So when Enzo interrupted her flow with a question, she was caught off guard and answered honestly.
“So what do you think of this thing with Adrian?”
“I don’t know what I think. It all happened so fast.”
“Not so fast. He has worked for the company for twelve years.”
Ohhhh. The partnership. Right. Of course that’s what he meant.Sofia looked around to see if they were being filmed, before she answered. She’d rather not have their private family business shared on camera.
“True, and he is a reliable contractor. But I just don’t see how this is going to work. Has Dad given you any specifics of his plan?”
“Not in so many words, but I’m for it. If it gets him off my back about leading the company, let’s do it. Yesterday.”
“You don’t have any qualms about handing over part of our family legacy to someone else? No concerns about who’s going to be in charge?”
“Not really. I trust Adrian. I want him on the team.” Enzo snipped more branches from the olive, making it look more topiary than tree.
“As a team member, for sure, but Dad can’t seem to answer the question of what role exactly Adrian will be playing. Is he going to be your boss? My boss? An equal partner? A lesser partner?”
“All I know is that ever since Gabe died, Dad’s been looking at me like I’m some replacement oldest son, and I’m sick of it. If he wants Adrian to step into that spotlight, more power to him.”
