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Gianna wiped her palms on her dress pants and hitched her laptop case more securely over her shoulder as she entered the mansion, following Rafe to his office. She’d finally gotten up enough nerve to call Gio and ask if she could meet with him and Rafe. She suspected Gio had known what the conversation was about because he hadn’t asked but had instead set a date and time, then told her they were looking forward to seeing her.
She hadn’t said a word to Keeley about her ambition, but it was no secret amongst her friends that she was dissatisfied with her current employment situation. She had a degree in hotel management. Rafe and Gio were soon to have a hotel. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together and figure out why she wanted to talk to them.
The fact Gio had been willing to meet—and so soon—did very little to calm her nerves. She’d been so stressed out this morning, she’d gotten sick. She was used to experiencing anxiety, but it had never reached the level to where she’d thrown up.
“Hey, Gianna,” Gio said, rising from the seat behind Rafe’s desk. While both men lived in the mansion with Keeley and were working to renovate it, Rafe was the only one who worked from here on occasion. Gio’s full-time job was with the restorations business he ran with Tony and his twin, Luca. Before he got his gig hosting ManPower, Joey had been their fourth.
“Hi,” she said, placing her laptop case on a nearby chair. “I really appreciate you guys taking the time to meet with me.”
“We were glad you called,” Rafe said, gesturing to one of three chairs that had been set up together in a cozy seating arrangement. “In truth, you beat us to the punch.”
“The punch?” Gianna asked as she sat.
Rafe and Gio claimed the other two. “Yeah. As you know, we’re getting close to finishing our renovations on the mansion, and it’s time to start looking toward staffing, as we’re hoping for a June first opening.”
“Keeley told me.” What Gianna didn’t say was that she’d hung on every word Keeley had ever said about the inn preparations, and when her friend had dropped the opening date, Gianna realized it was time to, as Grandma had always said, “piss or get off the pot.”
Rafe leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Keeley’s been yelling your name in our ear ever since we decided to turn this dusty mausoleum into an inn.”
That was what Gianna had both hoped and feared. Suddenly, she was glad she’d gone the extra mile. There was no way in hell she wanted anyone to say she was hired simply because of nepotism.
“You are here to talk about running the inn, right?” Rafe confirmed.
She nodded. “I am.”
Gio smiled. “Great. Then we’d like to look at your resume and talk to you about your previous work experience. Rafe’s been coaching me on interviewing. This is the first one I’ve ever done…from either side of the desk. My dad basically had to hire me at Moretti Brothers or risk me living in his basement until I was in my thirties, drinking beer and playing Kario Mart with this yahoo.” Gio crooked a thumb toward Rafe.
Gianna was aware of Gio’s love of the epic Mario Kart-style drinking game, since he’d roped her into playing it more than a few times.
Rafe rolled his eyes. “Obviously, I didn’t do enough coaching. Thought we agreed we were going for an air of professionalism.”
Gio snorted. “Yeah. That was never gonna happen.”
Gianna laughed as she opened her laptop case, silently acknowledging that simply running the inn wasn’t the only thing making this her dream job. Working for two men like Rafe and Gio, who were kind and supportive and fun, would also add to her workplace happiness.
She pulled out two copies of her resume and handed one to each of them. Then, she pulled out her computer and opened it, standing to set it on the edge of the desk so they could both see the screen easily. “In addition to the resume, I’ve created a portfolio that will give you an idea of my plans for the inn if you decide to hire me.”
She watched as Gio and Rafe exchanged a look, one that she understood in an instant. It was why she’d gone the extra mile, preparing for this meeting. Time to address the elephant in the room.
“We’re friends, but this isn’t personal. It’s business. I know that. I don’t expect you to hire me just because of my friendship with Keeley, or even our relationship,” she added, gesturing to herself and them. “I want to prove to you that I’m the best person for the job because of my education and my experience.”
For the next two hours, she shared her plans for reservations, staffing, special events, and even her list of potential names for the inn. She realized that somewhere in the last thirty minutes, the conversation had drifted away from the standard interview and had turned into a staff meeting, the three of them chiseling out a lot of the finer details as if she was already the manager.
“Jesus, Gianna,” Gio said at last, glancing at Rafe, then gesturing to her laptop. “I can’t believe this. It’s…incredible.”
“You’ve got the job. Of course, you’ve got it. And this hire doesn’t have a damn thing to do with the fact we’re all friends either.” Rafe reached for a file folder, handing it to her. “Here’s the job description—though given what you’ve just shown us—it’s clear we missed a few bullet points as far as duties. We’re going to have to defer to you, since neither Gio nor I have any experience running a hotel. Something you’ve just made painfully clear.”
Gio nodded emphatically. “We need you. No doubt about that.”
“That file also includes the salary and benefits package,” Rafe added. “But it’s negotiable.”
Gianna opened the file, her eyes widening. Holy crap. This would be a huge pay raise.
“We were hoping you could start February sixteenth. That would allow you to give two-weeks’ notice at your current job. Of course, you don’t have to tell us right now. Take some time to look that file over and if you have any ques—”
“I’ll take the job,” she interjected.
Gio laughed, then stood up, reaching out to give her one of those big bear hugs the Morettis were so famous for. It reminded her of Elio, and her heart panged. She’d missed him more than she thought possible these past few weeks. The only thing that kept her going was her current job and the preparations she’d made for this interview. Well, that and reorganizing her closet…for the twelfth time.
