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“Ha ha,” he deadpanned. “Yes, that’s where I figured out what I wanted to do. But it was years before I could get anyone to give me a chance to be more than a pretty face. That’s why these shows mean more to me than Hudson House ever will. These are my work, my talent, my foot in the door.”
That was a whole lot of self-worth tied up in a couple of reality shows. She knew exactly how he felt. “So is that why you’re such a hard-ass? You’ve got something to prove?”
“When I’m done, people are going to know me as the award-winning director, not some stupid kid with million-dollar dimples.”
Frankie poked him with a finger below his rib cage, and he jumped and laughed at the surprise tickle attack.
“They are cute dimples though.”
He poked her back. “Brat. They were cuter when I was six and on the cover of magazines.”
“I wouldn’t know.” Frankie flinched and held up her hands to block any more tickle attempts.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never seen the show. I know the memes, but I don't think I've ever watched an episode start to finish."
She blushed when he dropped his jaw in mock horror. “But it's syndicated! You could stream it now.”
"But it's baseball season, and then football season."
Her snark prompted more retaliatory tickles until she was breathing heavy and hunched over nearly in his lap with his arms surrounding her. Heat flushed her cheeks and she sat up abruptly, trying to get herself under control. He allowed her to scoot back into her own space, and she was grateful. If he’d put up any kind of resistance, she wasn’t sure she’d have been able to fight it.
“So why areyouso invested in this business?” he asked once she’d settled.
“Because Gabe and I always talked about running it.”
“So you’re working this hard just because you promised your big brother?”
“No, I’m doing it because it’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid, and I’m good at it.”
“Then why did you bring up Gabe?”
The question set her back. Why had she prefaced her dream with Gabe’s death?
“When we were kids, Gabe and I were inseparable. Sofia was always more interested in fashion and coloring. Enzo liked to be alone in the back garden. Gabe and I were the same, full of energy and impulsive, much to Ma's chagrin. He and I built birdhouses together and worked on the tree house with Dad. I was never happier than when we were tinkering with something." Frankie grinned at the memory. "Even when he got older and hanging out with his baby sister wasn't cool, he didn't push me away. I made him and his friends laugh, so they kept me around."
"So that's where it comes from," Jake murmured.
Frankie pushed on, searching for words to explain this thing she'd taken as a given for most of her life. "This plan to run Valenti Brothers, it was never his plan or my plan. It was ours. When he died…”
Her throat closed up, tightening around words she still wished she didn't have to say. She coughed and took a sip from her soda can before realizing it was empty.
“That’s when the plan became mine alone. Fi started working for the company when Ma quit, but that wasn't her dream. Enzo got roped in on landscaping, but he'd always planned to establish that on his own. Seth was very clear about not wanting to step into Gabe's shoes. Now Adrian is part of the mix, which in some ways is like working with a brother, but it's not the same. I'm the only Valenti who really loves the building. Before, Dad had Gabe, and Gabe had me, and we had a plan. Now I need to prove to Dad that he can count on me even without Gabe.”
Jake absorbed all of what she said without looking at her, and nodded. “I see. You’re very lucky.”
Frankie’s jaw clenched.What the fuck?“Lucky that my brother was killed?”
Jake's eyes snapped up to hers, shocked. “No. No!" He held up his hands as if he could stop her thoughts. "Lucky that you have the family you do. Shit, this is coming out wrong. You’re lucky that you’ve got people to back you up.” He let one of his hands fall to her shoulder, and she didn't shrug it off.
“They sure are backing me up, right into a fucking corner…” Where deadlines met the budget with a really low ceiling of parental doubt.
Her siblings’ wish list changed almost daily, making it impossible to stay on track. She knew everyone wanted the project to be perfect, but it seemed like everyone had a different idea of what perfect was. They all believed Frankie could magically make it all happen though. She refused to let them down. But lesson learned. This was the last project for family that she’d stake her reputation on. They were the worst clients ever.
She couldn’t admit any of that to Jake however. She couldn’t let him see her struggle, or he'd milk the hell out of it for the show.
Thankfully, he picked up the conversational gauntlet and changed the subject. "So tell me something I don’t know about you, Frankie Valenti.”
