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For her part, Gianna didn’t give a crap what anyone’s last name was. She’d gotten to know Gage over the past few months since he and Penny became a couple, and she really liked him.
“So what did my dear big brother do?” Gage asked.
Liza scowled. “The Grinch insisted on a meeting with me. This evening. Like it couldn’t wait. FYI—it could have fucking waited. There was nothing he wanted to discuss that couldn’t have been said in January. Or in a stupid email. It’s the goddamn Saturday before Christmas. What’s wrong with that guy? Did he misplace his soul somewhere?”
Liza, typically good-natured, fun, and kind, had one hot button, and its name was Matt Russo, though her anger toward the man had nothing to do with the family’s war and everything to do with the man himself. Liza had recently landed her dream job as Executive Director of the Philadelphia Initiative—a foundation that worked to increase philanthropic donations in the city. Her friend loved everything about the gig, except Matt Russo, who served as the chairman to the board for the same foundation. It placed him and Liza in similar circles far too often for her friend’s comfort.
Gage lifted his hands in a “what can I say” manner. “Matt doesn’t do holidays. Or weekends. Every day is a workday in his world.”
“That’s sad,” Gianna mused as Keeley returned to the foyer.
“Why’s everyone still out here when the party’s in there?” Keeley pointed toward the living room, which was bursting at the seams with people.
“This is the only place we can talk and actually hear what the other person is saying,” Penny pointed out.
Keeley snorted. “I told Gio the music was too loud. Hey, Gio!” she yelled into the living room.
“Yeah?” he shouted back.
“Turn the music down. Nobody can talk.”
Gio shouted something in reply, but Gianna couldn’t hear it. Regardless, the volume of the music did dip down. A little bit.
Keeley’s eyes widened in exasperation. “I swear to God, the guy’s hearing is shit. Doesn’t bode well for the ‘growing old’ part of our relationship. I’m a brilliant conversationalist. How is he going to appreciate that if he can’t hear me?”
“Is it the conversation you want him to hear or the nagging?” Liza teased.
“I don’t nag,” Keeley replied. “Much.”
Everyone laughed. Gianna joined in, but her laughter was forced. She was rethinking her decision to come. Socializing, smiling, faking happy was going to take more energy than she had to give.
“Now…what were you guys talking about?” Keeley asked.
“We were just explaining why we were late,” Liza replied. “Or at least I was, and I can sum it up for you in two words. Matt Russo.”
Keeley groaned. “Ugh. What a douche.” Then she also recalled Gage’s presence. “Sorry,” she murmured.
Gage just grinned, unoffended. “I’m well aware of my brother’s reputation in this particular social circle.”
“Yeah, but…still.” Keeley quickly changed the subject. “Soooo…why are you late, Gianna?”
Gianna considered brushing the question off but decided against it. The reason she’d come to the party tonight was because she needed her friends. “I had to stop by the mall to pick up the last part of my boss’s Christmas present after work and I ran into Sam.”
“Oh,” Penny said, sympathetically. “That couldn’t have been easy.”
Gianna nodded, briefly glancing at Gage, who must have sensed her unease with his presence. She really liked Penny’s fiancé, but this conversation was going to be hard enough to have with her girlfriends.
Gage, mercifully astute, gave Penny a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll let you women chat. Toby and Rich have been holding up that back wall long enough, studying the damn quarters game. By now, they’ve probably worked out the physics behind it and are itching to give it a try. Time to draw my posse into the game.”
“You just called the nerd circle your posse,” Penny teased, grinning.
“That’s right,” Gage said unabashedly. “And I stand by it. Twenty bucks says I can have Toby rolling quarters off his ass into the glass by the end of the night.”
“Behave yourself.” Penny swatted her soon-to-be husband, looking at him with so much love, it physically hurt Gianna to witness.
Had she ever looked at Sam like that?
She and Sam had fallen in love in high school during their sophomore year. Gianna suspected that at some point, she had stared at Sam like he hung the moon, but after so many years together…the rush of first love had given way to comfortable companionship, something she’d, well…liked.
