once brazenly called him son, which I’m sure was a hopeful premonition. Then, Anthony cheated on me. My father still called him son, but this time, it was followed by three choice words.
My mother is another story. While I was heartbroken and confused by Anthony’s infidelity, she was the one who cried herself to sleep. A Sorrentino-Buonno marriage is something she’s been dreaming of for a long time. She’d be thrilled if I took him back.
“Even if Anthony did want to get back together, cheating is a hard limit for me. Trust and honor are on my list of what makes a great man. The bar has been set high by my dad, and I won’t settle for less. Anyway, none of this matters because I am one hundred percent focused on my future, and that includes my new promotion.”
“Congratulations on that, by the way. I’m not exactly sure what you do, but it’s something fancy with numbers, so cheers to that!” She raises her wineglass and takes a hefty sip. “However, when you mention your future, you are including a soon-to-be love interest, right?”
I bite my lip. “Well, I wouldn’t be completely against meeting a nice guy.”
“Speaking of nice, your boyfriend is working tonight.” Sienna smashes her lips together.
Her eyes roam to something behind the bar as her eyebrows lift in delight. There’s no need for me to turn around to know who she’s staring at.
Jesse Grant.
With dirty-blond hair and blue-green eyes, he’s the opposite of every man who walks into this club. His jaw is masculine, yet his skin looks soft and golden. He’s rugged and clean-cut at the same time. And his smile—oh man, that smile—is dazzling, the kind that crinkles around his eyes.
I hit her on the thigh for speaking so loudly, and she giggles. Jesse is most definitely not my boyfriend. He’s not even a friend, really. He’s nice though and funny in a reserved way.
As I sneak another glimpse over my shoulder, he notices me, and his cheeks rise with a twinkle in his eye.
“You’re blushing,” Sienna observes, and I widen my eyes in an attempt to quiet her. “He’s smiling at you.”
“His salary is ninety percent tips. He smiles at everyone like that.”
She shakes her head with a wicked grin. “I wish.”
My jaw lowers. “I didn’t know you had a thing for Jesse.”
With a shoulder shimmy, she combs her long tresses. “Oh my God, who wouldn’t? He’s so Leonardo DiCaprio circa early 2000s. Super-hot. But it would be for only, like, a night because he’s … you know.” She trails off, and I have to tilt my head in wonder at where she’s going with this, so she leans forward and whispers, “Not Italian.”
I let out an exasperated laugh. “Okay. I thought you were going to say it was because he’s a bartender.”
“Oh, yes. For sure, that too. My father would kill me—and I mean, literally kill me—if I came home with a white-bread bartender.”
I’d argue with her, but she’s right. While my uncle Frankie wouldn’t murder his child, he would disown her if she brought home anyone who wasn’t of the heritage and economic standing of his approval. In short, Sienna needs a rich Italian boy.
I glance at Jesse as he laughs at something someone at the bar said. It’s a great laugh. The kind that makes you think what you just said was the funniest thing in the world. Sienna seems to appreciate that laugh as well, but she won’t act on it. Not with her father’s requirements. Plus, she likes the finer things in life, and a boyfriend with a tip-based income wouldn’t suffice.
I’m the complete opposite, as I plan to make my own path. I don’t need a man with money to buy me things or provide a certain lifestyle. That’s what the women in this family desire. All I want is a good man. Someone who values family, works hard, and makes me laugh.
“Moscow mule.” Jesse startles me as he appears on the other side of the bar top, sliding a copper cup over to me.
My heart races as I smile at the sentiment. “You read my mind.” I lift the glass in cheers and take a sip.
“Well, you’re the only one here who drinks those. I ordered more of the organic ginger beer you like. Don’t tell my manager though. It’s pricier than the crap they have in the back.” He winks.
“I appreciate it.”
Sienna shows her bottom teeth with how awkwardly she’s smiling. Like she has something