Excerpt from The Sweet Life
Chapter 3
Gia watched Jake gather her daughter into his arms and pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips, holding back a sob. Her heart ached for Sage. Her powerful, self-reliant daughter who rarely showed her soft, vulnerable side had let her guard down to find comfort from a man who’d been her nemesis growing up.
Sage had shouted more angry words and shed more angry tears over Jake Walker than any boy or man Gia could remember. At the time, she’d suspected that her teenage daughter had a crush on him. She hadn’t shared her opinion with Sage. Gia had had enough experience with volatile teen emotions by then to know when to keep her opinions to herself.
She’d gotten through her daughters’ teen years by fostering strong, trusting relationships with her girls—listening and comforting instead of punishing. She’d also swallowed angry words, gritted her teeth to keep in hard truths, and spent many a sleepless night wondering if she was doing anything right. She’d survived her daughters’ teen years with the support and wisdom of her mother and her sister Eva. Wine, yoga, and prayer had helped too.
A heavy hand gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “How are you holding up?”
In reaction to that smooth, deep voice, butterflies danced in Gia’s stomach, and her face became embarrassingly warm. It happened every time she was in the same room with Flynn Monroe. He didn’t even have to touch her or speak to her. A simple look from across the room, and she reacted like a starry-eyed teenager in the throes of her first crush.
She glanced up, her eyes meeting his. The man was as breathtakingly beautiful as their daughter. She groaned inwardly. She had to stop thinking of Willow as their daughter. Gia might have raised Willow as her own but Flynn and Cami were her biological parents. Cami was Gia’s younger sister, which meant the man was off limits.
Completely off limits, even in your dreams, she reminded herself while trying, and failing, to draw her gaze from his. After learning the other night that he was coming home for the summer to help out his father, she’d dreamed that Willow was hers and Flynn’s daughter, instead of his and Cami’s.
“Gia?” he said, his brow furrowed.
Luckily for her, her deeply tanned olive skin ensured her now-burning cheeks would be barely visible to him. “Sorry.” She forced her gaze from his, nodding in her oldest daughter’s direction. “I’m worried about Sage. She was close to Alice.”
“Willow mentioned that when she called about the search. I was with a team near the beach when we got word they’d found Alice. I thought I’d check on all of you before heading to the hospital.”
It wasn’t fair that the man was as caring and thoughtful as he was gorgeous. “How is Amos? Willow said the surgery went well.” Flynn’s father had broken his hip in a fall earlier in the week.
“His surgery did go well. It’s keeping him in the hospital, that’s the problem. They want him to stay another two days, and he’s threatening to sue if they don’t release him.”
“Are you going to give in and bring him home?” It’s what she would do if it were her mother. Over the years, they’d discovered it was easier to give in to Carmen than to fight with her.
“No way. I’m going to enjoy the next couple of days without him.” He grinned. “I’ve shocked you, haven’t I?”
“No. I’m impressed. If Carmen ever breaks her hip, we’ll call you when she tries to sign herself out, which would probably be five minutes after surgery.”
“I think your mother might be a harder case than Amos.”
Gia could almost guarantee that her mother would be putty in Flynn Monroe’s hands. Carmen thought the man could do wrong, which was high praise coming from a woman who had a low opinion of most men.
“You’re probably right,” Gia said. “Willow mentioned you were doing some work at Amos’s to get the house ready to bring him home?” It was embarrassing how Gia’s ears perked up at the mere mention of Flynn.
“She’s ruining my reputation as the cold-hearted son leaving his father to languish in the hospital while he’s having a good time with the ladies on Sunshine Bay.”
Gia laughed. “Is that what he’s telling everyone at the hospital?”
“He is, and he’s obviously quite convincing because I’ve been pulled aside by his—”
“Hey, Dad,” Willow said, interrupting Flynn. “Thanks for coming.”
It still surprised Gia to hear Willow call Flynn Dad. He hadn’t pressured or cared what she’d called him. He’d been happy to play whatever role in her life Willow wanted him to. But it became apparent early on in their relationship that Flynn, who had two other daughters and a son, took his newly discovered responsibility to Willow seriously.
“No problem. I’m just sorry it didn’t have a happy outcome.”
Willow glanced in the direction of her sister, who’d stepped back from Jake, nodding at whatever he was saying to her. “Me too. Losing Alice, especially like this, will be really hard on Sage.”
“Losing someone you love is never easy,” Flynn said. He spoke from experience. He’d lost his wife five years ago.
Willow gave him a side hug. “I’m sure it’s not, but Sage knows we’re here for her, so hopefully that helps.”
“I’m sure it will,” Flynn said.
Gia hoped they were right. “I’m going to ask Sage to spend the night, honey. I thought we could have a family dinner at the restaurant, just us girls.”
Her daughter wrinkled her nose. “I wish I could come, but I have a meeting with Cami and Hugh about the movie.”
Gia’s sister had sold her memoir for a substantial advance last fall and had completed the manuscript in early April. Cami’s boyfriend Hugh, an Oscar-winning director, had optioned the movie rights.
“Surely they can move the meeting to a more convenient time given the circumstances.” Her tone was sharper than she’d intended. From her daughter’s sigh, she’d picked up on it.
While everyone else had forgiven Cami and welcomed her back into the family fold, Gia hadn’t been able to bring herself to forget the pain her sister had caused, especially to Willow and her. But her daughter was too young to remember. Willow was also kind and forgiving, never held a grudge, and found something good in everyone she met. Since those weren’t typical Rosetti traits, Gia figured Willow must have inherited them from her father, who at that moment was glancing from Gia to his daughter with a frown on his handsome face.
“Your mother is right, Will. I’m sure Hugh and Cami would understand. It’s a little early for promotional talks anyway, isn’t it?”
Gia appreciated Flynn coming to her defense. She wondered if it had anything to do with his personal feelings about the book. He’d obviously play a starring role in her sister’s memoir.
“It’s not about Cami appearing on Good Morning Sunshine! to promote the book. It’s about me playing her in the movie.” Willow’s voice dropped to almost a whisper on the last five words so Gia had to strain to hear them.
She wished she hadn’t. She couldn’t believe Cami would ask this of Willow or that Willow would agree without a word to her. Maybe she was overreacting but Gia felt betrayed at the idea of the daughter she’d loved and raised since the day she was born portraying Cami, the mother who’d abandoned her. They hadn’t announced that Flynn and Cami were Willow’s biological parents, but word had gotten around Sunshine Bay, and it hadn’t been easy for Gia. The release of the book and movie would be so much worse. “Why? Why didn’t you mention this to me?”
“Seriously? Do you even have to ask, Mom? It’s not like you hide your feelings about Cami. I knew how you’d—”
Gia cut her off. “This isn’t the time or the place.”
She didn’t need Willow talking about this with Cami standing only a few yards away. She didn’t relish her daughter airing their dirty laundry in front of Flynn either. Then again, Cami intended to put it out there for all the world to see so it was only a matter of time. It wasn’t as if anyone asked how Gia felt about the unhappiest times of her life being shown on the big screen.
“You’re right, it’s not,” Willow agreed. “And I wish I could cancel but I can’t. Hugh has only a small window. I have to make a decision today, and he wants me to read for him.”
Gia bit back a snarky comment about how many people were doing their meetings via Zoom lately when a puffy-eyed Sage approached with Jake at her side.
Gia immediately forgot her anger and walked to Jake. She hugged him. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
He nodded. “Thanks, Ms. Rosetti.”
“Gia, please,” she said as she stepped back, reaching for Sage’s hand. She gave it a comforting squeeze before reluctantly releasing it.
Willow introduced Flynn to Jake, and father and daughter offered him their condolences. “I’m sorry for your loss, Sage,” Flynn added with a gentle smile.
“Thanks.” Sage returned his smile with a small one of her own. She’d given her sister’s father her stamp of approval when she’d met him last summer. It was a bigger deal than Carmen giving Flynn hers. These days, Sage’s opinion of most men was even lower than her grandmother’s.
“Why don’t you come to the restaurant? I’ll feed you. Both of you,” Gia said. “You should stay the night, honey. I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Thanks, Mom, but Jake and I are going to stay at the farm tonight and go through the boxes Alice . . .” Sage shook her head, looking away as she sniffed back tears. Her daughter hated showing her emotions. Though she hadn’t always been as closed off as she was now.
Gia thought it had something to do with her job. Sage had to listen without reacting when some of the women she represented recounted horrific stories of abuse. Her daughter didn’t only represent the wives of Boston’s rich and famous; she also did pro bono work for a women’s shelter.
Gia reached for Sage’s hand to comfort her but Jake beat her to it. Wrapping an arm around her daughter’s shoulders, he drew her against his side. “We appreciate the offer, Gia, but knowing Alice, she left detailed instructions for us to follow in the event of her death.”
“Of course. I’ll bring you a lasagna . . .” She caught Sage and Jake’s shared glance and half smiles that seemed to be directed at her offer of a lasagna, so Gia added, “Pizza? Whatever you want.”
“We appreciate the offer, Mom. But I don’t think either of us feels like eating.”
At the hint of a smile on her daughter’s face, Gia said, “Oh, okay then,”
“Really, Mom?”
“Well, what was I supposed to think?” Gia glanced at Flynn, who’d tucked his hands in his jeans pockets and was grinning down at his sneakers.
“Not that,” Sage said, narrowing her eyes at Jake, who’d made a low sound of amusement in his throat.
Sage elbowed him, and he lifted a shoulder at her daughter before saying, “Don’t worry about us, Gia. What your daughter and I really need is a good, stiff drink.”
“A bottle would be better,” Sage murmured.
“I’ve got you covered,” Jake told her daughter. One of SBPD’s officers called his name, and he glanced over his shoulder before nodding. “Sorry. I need to get over there.”
“I’ll come with you.” Sage gave Gia and Willow each a quick hug before walking away with Jake.
“Call me if you need anything,” Gia called after her daughter, who raised her hand in acknowledgement. Gia’s shoulders slumped as she watched the couple walk away.
“I should get going too.” Willow hugged Gia and Flynn before turning away. She held up her phone. “Cami, we have to go.”
It was all Gia could to do to hold back tears.
“Why don’t I walk you to your car?” Flynn offered, obviously picking up on how close Gia’s emotions were to the surface.
She nodded. “Thanks.”
He reached for her hand. “It was easier when they were little and you could kiss their hurts better, wasn’t it?”
“So much easier,” she said, trying not to read too much into his holding her hand or how much she enjoyed the feel of his warm, strong fingers wrapped around hers. “I feel like I have no place in their lives anymore. They don’t need me, and as you just saw, they don’t want me around.” She made a face, glancing at him from under her lashes. “That sounded pretty melodramatic, didn’t it? Just ignore me. According to my sister Eva and my mother, I’m having a mid-life crisis.” She nodded at her car and let go of his hand. “This is me.”
“Sweet ride,” he said, trying and failing to hide a grin.
“If you tell me you dreamed of having a red Camaro when you were sixteen, I’m not talking to you ever again.” She was pretty sure her recent car purchase was the reason her family thought she was going through a mid-life crisis. Apparently, they forgot she was fifty-five and not forty.
“Lucky for me then that I didn’t dream of having a red Camaro at sixteen. I owned one.” He tilted his head to the side, holding her gaze. “Because I really like talking to you, Gia Rosetti.”
“Really?” She shook her head, flustered. “I mean, I’m glad you like talking to me. I like talking to you too. But did you really own a red Camaro?”
“I did.” He bent over to look inside. “And if I’m not mistaken, this is my old car.” He gestured to an initial carved on the console and then straightened. “Who did you buy it from? They did a great job refurbishing it.”
“Ted Harris. He was our neighbor. He died recently. His wife hated to part with the car but she needed the money.” She shrugged. “I thought she’d feel better knowing it was me who bought it, and she can see the car all the time. I park it in her garage.”
“So you’re not having a mid-life crisis. You’re just a sweet woman who did a kind thing for a neighbor.”
She was pretty sure she was having a crisis of some sort, just not a mid-life one. “I don’t know about that but I really do like driving this car, even though I feel like I’m contributing to the climate crisis every time I do.”
He laughed, opening the car door for her. “From what Willow tells me, you more than make up for it.”
“I try,” she said as she slid behind the wheel. “Thanks for being there when I needed someone to talk to, Flynn.”
“Anytime. I—”
Cami, who was walking down the other side of the road with Willow, waved. “Flynn, do you have a minute?”
He nodded and then looked down at Gia. “It’s probably not my place to say this, but I’m going to say it anyway. You’re an incredible mother, and you’ve done an amazing job raising Willow and Sage. No one can take your place with your daughters, Gia.”
She grabbed her sunglasses off the console and shoved them on before he saw the tears in her eyes. She cleared the emotion from her throat. “That’s sweet of you to say, Flynn. Thank you.”
“I’m not being sweet. I’m telling you the truth. And trust me, Cami loves you and would never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll have to agree to disagree.” When he opened his mouth as though to defend her baby sister, she said, “She’s written a book that’s as much about my life as it is hers. Yours too, Flynn. But did she ask how any of us felt about it? Of course not because everything revolves around Cami and what’s best for her.” At her sister calling out for Flynn again, Gia raised an eyebrow and reached for the door. “Have a good visit with your dad.”
As she drove off, she caught a glimpse of Flynn, Cami, and Willow in the rearview mirror. The three of them were tall, blond, and head-turningly gorgeous. Anyone who saw them together would guess they were a family. Gia wondered how long it would take before they officially became one.
She felt bad for Cami’s boyfriend. Hugh was head over heels in love with her sister. Six months ago, Gia would have said Cami was head over heels in love with him too. But lately she’d sensed a distance growing between the couple. At least on her sister’s part.
Gia still hadn’t gotten over her mood when she arrived at La Dolce Vita half an hour before dinner service. She wore her usual uniform of a white shirt, black pencil skirt, and black heels, her long dark hair pulled up in a ponytail. She added a pair of locally made dangly earrings. They were purple and silver and made of jasper stone, which purportedly helped the wearer relax.
She joined Eva and their mother at the bar for a glass of wine before dinner service, a tradition spanning more than twenty-five years. The thought didn’t bring Gia comfort. It just made her feel old. She really was in a mood.
“So, you and Flynn?” her sister asked the moment Gia’s butt landed on the barstool.
“What do you mean, me and Flynn? I can’t talk to my daughter’s father without raising eyebrows?” She slid the fish-bowl sized glass of red wine toward herself. She caught her mother and sister exchange a wide-eye glance and raised her glass. “To Alice, may she rest in peace.”
They lifted their glasses, joining her in the toast.
“I thought the girls would join us but Sage is staying with Jake at the farmhouse, and Willow had plans with Cami and Hugh.” She narrowed her eyes at her mother and sister. “You two knew, didn’t you? You knew that Cami was going to ask Willow to appear in the movie, and you didn’t give me a heads-up?”
“You’re overreacting, Gia. Willow might not even get the part. Hugh won’t give her the role just because she’s Cami’s daughter.” Her sister winced. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—”
“You shouldn’t what, Eva? Remind me that Willow isn’t my daughter, that she’s Cami’s, and all Cami has to do is snap her fingers to get her to come running. Don’t worry, I’ve seen that with my own eyes.”
“You’re acting pazza,” her mother snapped, raising a warning finger. “If you’re not careful, your jealousy will drive a wedge between you and your daughter.”
“My jealousy? That’s right. I forgot. Cami can do no wrong in your eyes, can she, Ma? It doesn’t matter that she’s got you and my daughter keeping secrets from me or that I barely get an hour a week with Willow because she’s too busy working on Cami’s book tour with her.” Gia took a long swallow of the full-bodied Cabernet before setting the glass down on the bar and sliding off the barstool. “Won’t it be fun hearing our relationships dissected on the late-night talk show circuit? I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks about Cami’s poor, pathetic older sister whose husband left her for her gorgeous, glamorous baby sister.”