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Sam’s lips were twitching like he was fighting a smile. “So what would you do if you were trying to attract his attention?”
“I wouldn’t try to attract his attention.”
“Fair enough. What about someone you were interested in?”
“I’m not really sure. I’ve never really tried to get any guy’s attention before.”
“But you want a husband, babies.”
I sighed. “I’ve heard this speech a number of times already from my family. Why don’t you date?” I asked, not so subtly turning the conversation on him.
“I just don’t. Do you have anywhere on your list of places to travel?”
“I’m not sure. The where doesn’t matter so much as the why. I want to go somewhere I can help children who need love. I’d love to open a school or an orphanage or something.”
Sam was looking at me strangely. “So you want to save people from their lives. Have you ever met a kid who grew up in a broken home?”
“You don’t think I can do it.” I straightened my spine. I didn’t need to hear his opinions on how unprepared he thought I was. Quinn had already given me her opinion on the idea, and I didn’t need to hear it from anyone else.
“I didn’t say that. I just think you’re picking a challenging path. You should know that it’s going to be harder than you could imagine.”
“If they can live through it, I can survive being there for them no matter how hard it is.”
“I know.” His eyes dipped down. “You can.”
That wasn’t what I was expecting. Sam didn’t doubt me the way my sister did, yet somehow his belief made me doubt myself.WasI cut out for the foster-care system? How could I relate to a child who’d been through some form of hell? Here I was, standing in a penthouse, drinking champagne and wearing jewels that cost more than some people’s cars.
“Ah, here comes your fiancé,” Sam said.
“I’m not engaged,” I hissed, looking to where Orlando and Freddie were walking over to us.
“Yet. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds some way to win you over.”
And then Freddie and my brother were close enough to effectively end that conversation.
“Alfio, you know my sister, right? And have you met Samuel, Nacio’s business partner?”
Sam’s lips thinned slightly at the introduction. “Yes, we’ve met.”
Orlando seemed oblivious to the tension that surrounded us. “Alfio and I were just talking about the house he’s buying in the country. It sounds terribly boring. You’d probably love it, Piper.”
I opened my mouth to say something sarcastic in response, but Sam cut me off.
“A house in the country. Giving up the city life?”
Freddie smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. “Maybe. I haven’t decided if it will be a permanent home or a retreat just yet.”
“A country house must be a nice place to raise children. I’m surprised your family doesn’t have one, Siren.”
I tried to read what he was playing at because there was definitely a calculating edge to his words, but I couldn’t guess at what he was thinking. “I used to wish we did, but Papa didn’t want to travel to a second house. He said he’d had enough traveling to last a lifetime and only wanted one home.”
“We all knew that was bullshit,” Orlando said. “We used to vacation as a family at least once a year.”
I sighed. “That was for Mamma, and you know it. Papa would never leave Boston again if she’d be happy with it.”
“That’s the secret to happiness, or so I’ve been told,” Sam muttered. “Happy wife, happy life and all that.”
“You don’t believe that?” Freddie asked.
