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“I know.” Gio sighed and closed the computer. “But for some reason I keep thinking it was easier the first time.”
“Trust me, it wasn’t.”
Gio nodded and stood up. “You’re right.” A slow smile spread across his face as he gazed across the dining room. “Damn, look at all this. Reminds me of the old place. You’ve really done it, big brother.”
I stood beside him and elbowed his ribs. “We’ve done it.”
“Hopefully the public shares our enthusiasm.”
“They will,” I said with confidence. Then a wave of fatigue overcame me, and I stifled a yawn.
Gio was looking at me with concern. “Dom, when was the last time you got a complete night’s sleep?”
“Who knows.” I waved him off as I yawned again.
“You need to take better care of yourself,” he scolded. “Nothing healthy comes from exhaustion. Can’t have you nearly slicing your own hand off again.”
I opened my hand and peered down at my healing wound. There would be a scar, but it didn’t matter. I closed my fist and smiled, thinking of how I got those stitches, thinking of Melanie chasing around after me, dispensing ridiculous medical advice.
“So are you planning on coming by Espo 1 today?” Gio asked suddenly. Sometimes I wondered if the guy was psychic. I’d just been thinking about heading over to the Tempe restaurant.
“I might,” I said casually. “I’d like to go check on the staff, see if anyone has questions about tomorrow.”
Gio made a humph-like noise, but he didn’t say what he was thinking.
“You care if I go?” I asked. It was a loaded question. He might have already figured out that I was going over there to clear the air with Melanie.
“You can go,” he said, and faced me. We were the same height so it was easy for him to look me in the eye. “In fact you should go.”
Gio was sending a message: Fix it. He reminded me of Grandpa Leo the way he could get his point across with minimal words and gestures.
As for Melanie, I had no idea what was going through her mind. I hoped to god that she’d stay, that she wasn’t feeling embarrassed or offended. Making this right would mean pretending she wasn’t on my mind constantly. But if that’s what it took, then so be it. That option was better than disappointing her down the road and creating a rift with Gio.
“All right, I’ll go.” I felt around in my pockets for my keys.
“Hey, Dom,” Gio said, and his voice was warmer now. “You make sure to get a good night’s sleep tonight, okay? Brother’s orders.”
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll do just that. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Promise?”
I nodded. “Yeah, Gio. I promise.”
As I left I felt a grim kind of determination. No matter how much I wanted Melanie, this was the time to put family and responsibility first. Gio and I had worked so long and so hard, and I liked to think that somehow our grandfather was watching over us with pride. Plus the last thing I wanted was to wind up hurting Melanie and adding that to my list of painful regrets. I had enough of those already.
In the long run forgetting about what happened last night was best for everyone, including her.
