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“And I hear you’ll be enjoying those perks full-time with us?” He lifted his glass to me. “Salute,” he said. “Welcome aboard.”
I took a deep drink. “Thanks.”
Marco took a seat at the bar, making himself right at home. There really were no flies on this guy.
“So you’re celebrating your new job and a big move by drowning yourself in red wine,” he said, nodding to an empty bottle.
“To be fair, it was half gone already.” Of all the Grado siblings, I was least close to Marco. He was the last person I expected here tonight. I couldn’t help but ask, “So why are you here?”
“A woman who doesn’t dick around. I knew I liked you for a reason.”
“You like me because we’re going to kick Sunset’s ass, and you, more than anyone in this family, are competitive.”
“That’s actually very true.”
He was a piece of work. “I know it is.”
“Okay,” Marco conceded. “I like you for that reason. But a lot of others too, Brooke.” His voice softened in a way I was not used to with Cosimo’s brother. “I can see why Cos fell in love with you. You’re the whole package, Brooke. I’m really sorry about how things turned out.”
What in the ever-loving...?
“I’m pretty sure your brother is not in love with me,” I countered.
“I’m pretty sure he is. I’ve known my brother a long time,” he teased.
“His whole life?” Marco made it impossible to keep a straight face with him.
“Exactly.” He smiled. “I can’t say I’m not happy to have you on board. You’re perfect for Grado Valley, Brooke. But it kills me to see my brother in so much pain too.”
“Would he want you here, saying all this to me?”
“Probably not. But it needs to be said. I know the two of you are in an impossible situation. And I have no idea how it will all play out. But he told me what happened, so I wanted to make sure you were okay. And tell you where my brother’s head was at, because I know he’s probably too stubborn to do it himself.”
Why did Marco’s kindness surprise me? “I appreciate that.”
“You’re part of the Grado Valley family now. We take care of our own.”
I knew that too. “Don’t you think it’s going to be awkward, with me working here? With everything with your brother?”
He appeared thoughtful. I’d been so devastated after leaving Cos’s office, knowing every day we’d been marching toward that very moment that I hadn’t sufficiently thought everything through. I just knew, without a doubt, if I took a city job and moved back, I’d be miserable. More miserable than being here and seeing Cos, day in and day out? That remained to be seen.
“I can’t tell you what to do, Brooke. But I will say something I know Cos wouldn’t want me to. My brother is scared.”
It felt like Marco was bestowing a gift on me that not a lot of people got from him. An honesty that I never expected from a guy who’d always seemed so flippant before. “Of?”
“Of not meeting my father’s expectations. No matter how many times I tell him to do his own thing, forge his own path, the differences between him and Dad seem to weigh him down. At least they did, until you.”
“I’m not sure what you’re saying,” I said honestly.
“I’m not either. I just thought it was important for you to know where my brother is coming from. He loves this place as much as any of us and wants to see it succeed. It’s easy for the rest of us to tell him what to do because, at the end of the day, he’s on the hook more than we are. We may have equal shares in Grado, but he was put in charge for a reason.”
Something occurred to me as he talked. “You said he’s scared?”
“I’ll deny it if you repeat it to him.”
“Of not living up to expectations?”
“Sure,” Marco said.
