Page 31 of Once Upon a Lie

My brother’s jaw tics, and I quickly try to extinguish the heat. “For the record, I’m not out here searching for love either. I like my life the way it is.” I slide the fancy white cloth napkin into my lap, and another sigh leaves my dad’s throat.

But Nico is practically beaming now. Dad sighs, grabs his wineglass, and mutters, “You two are impossible.”

“Family trait,” Nico says.

I change the subject before Dad and Nico end up at each other’s throats again.

“Where is Mom tonight?”

“She’s meeting with the event planner for the ball,” Dad answers, flagging the waiter down for a refill on his wine and another basket of bread.

“Ah. Makes sense why she sent me six centerpiece options today,” I say.

Dad waves a hand. “Your mother likes to stay busy. It keeps her out of trouble.”

“Yeah.” I snort and give Nico a playful nudge. “That makes sense, Daddy. Nico creates enough trouble for all of us.”

My brother takes the jab, dramatically biting into a piece of bread covered in butter.

My dad chuckles. “Of course he does. Leo, though, he stays away from the trouble. Shows up when he’s supposed to.”

Oh my God. How are we back here . . . again? I swear, this is a record.

“I know men who show up,” I retort. “The UPS guy. My flour guy. Nico.”

My dad levels me with a stare that has me considering mutiny, but thankfully, the server arrives with the antipasto, setting it directly in the center of our table. The plate is filled with cured meats and olives and fancy breads and cheeses, and if there’s anything that can distract old-school Italian Americans, it’s burrata.

Dad doesn’t hesitate to fork salami and a variety of cheeses onto my plate. “You work too hard, Teeny. And you really need to find a new place to move into. Move back to Bellevue so you can be closer to me and your mother. Living so close to a college campus is not safe for a woman.”

He says it like he’s concerned, but my ears are trained to recognize this frequency for what it is—a trap.

Clearly, my father came to this dinner tonight with an agenda—harass me about all the things he thinks I’m doing wrong with my life. I live close to Vanderbilt University, for goodness’ sake. It’s known as the Ivy League of the South.

“Dad, I like my building. It’s safe, and the commute is perfect for my shop.” It might be a little overbearing at times with Rita Fortune running the HOA ship, but you have to take the good with the bad. I can’t imagine having to commute thirty to forty minutes to The Hole Story when I already have to be there at 4:30 a.m. Anything farther out, and the traffic would be murder.

“Well, you work too hard. You should hire more staff. And you should definitely think about letting other people take care of you more.”

“You want me to . . . what? Hire a nanny for . . . myself?”

He rolls his eyes like I’m the ridiculous one. “Teeny. I’m being serious. A woman’s life should be about luxury. Relaxation. Being taken care of. A hobby, sure. Ownership stake, of course. But the labor is not for you, my love. The labor is for—”

“A man?”

He glances at Leo again. “Exactly.”

Sweet Lucifer. Talk about not being subtle at all.

“Well, for tonight, Daddy, I suggest the men at this table take one job very, very seriously,” I say sweetly. “Eat your pasta and mind your business. Okay?”

“Always such a smart mouth, Teeny Girl.” Dad sighs. “You shouldn’t talk to your father like that.”

“Sorry, Daddy,” I apologize hollowly as the waiter sets down our salads. “I guess all this reevaluating my life has worked up my appetite.”

Nico chuckles softly beside me. “Teeny’s hangry, Dad.”

Luckily, our father occupies himself by ordering a bottle of Barolo without consulting the table, and we all dive into our salads and the bread.

“How’s your girls?” Nico asks me around a mouthful of salad. My brother gets a kick out of coming into my bagel shop to see Sunnie and Cher’s antics. Not to mention the way they always fawn all over him. “Still menaces to society?”