Always Be True (4 page)

No doubt it was a girl thing, but she was already fretting about what to wear Thursday night. With her ex, she'd never had that problem, mainly because Benton had never once done anything unexpected. Not only had they grown up in the same social circles, their parents were close friends. Sometimes she thought the two of them had simply drifted into their engagement, because that was what had been expected of them, not just by their folks, but by their friends, as well.

Her decision to break up with Benton had sent shock waves rippling through their little world. Most of their friends had sided with him, offering Benton their sympathy and their support. From what she could tell, she was the only one who didn't think her decision to end their engagement was a huge mistake. Too bad. Her only regret was that she'd waited so long.

But back to Thursday night. Maybe telling Tino to surprise her hadn't been a smart idea.

What if she wore a dress and heels, and he showed up in jeans? Or the other way around? Either way, it could prove interesting.

Her cellphone chimed, signaling that her mother was calling. It was tempting to let it go to voicemail, but her mom would only keep trying.

Surrendering to the inevitable, she picked up the phone. “Hi, Mom. What's up?”

“I wanted to remind you about Friday night.”

As if Natalie would've forgotten. Her mom had been talking about the event for weeks. They were all going to opening night at a local gallery, which would be showcasing an up-and-coming artist whose work her mother really admired. She would undoubtedly expect Natalie to use the foundation's money to buy at least one painting as a show of support.

“I'll be there. It starts at seven, right?”

“Yes, but you should get there early. We've been asked to be part of the receiving line to greet the other guests as they arrive.”

Great. Another evening of smiling until her face ached while she made endless small talk with people she barely knew.

“Who are you bringing as an escort?”

All right. Now she knew the real reason her mother had called. For a second, she considered asking Tino if he'd be interested in going with her. No, that wouldn't be fair to him, especially when he barely even knew Natalie.

“I'm coming by myself. In fact, do you want the extra ticket back to give to someone else?”

Silence.

It was too much to hope that the call had been disconnected, accidentally or otherwise. No doubt her mother was busy regrouping, looking for another plan of attack to get Natalie to do what she wanted. That wasn't going to happen, but the woman was nothing if not determined. It would be easy to resent her mother's attempts to manipulate her if she didn't know that her mother honestly just wanted Natalie to be happy.

The problem was that lately her mother's idea of what would make Natalie happy wasn't anywhere close to her own ideas on the subject.

Here it comes. Drumroll, please.

Sure enough, the next words out of her mother's mouth were exactly what Natalie expected. “I'm sure Benton would be glad to act as your escort. His mother happened to mention the other day that he hasn't shown any interest in dating since you gave his ring back.”

Meaning that it wasn't too late for Natalie to come crawling back to him. So not happening. “Mom, sorry, but that ship has sailed. I won't ask him when I have no interest in getting involved with him again. It wouldn't be fair to either one of us.”

On impulse, she added, “Of course, I could always ask Grandpa Cyrus to come with me.”

Another long silence followed before her mother finally responded. “Come on, Natalie. We both know he wouldn't enjoy himself.”

That was true enough. Her suggestion had been more along the lines of a bluff than a real threat. Her mother's relationship with her father was often a bit problematic these days. Natalie waited to see what more her mother had to say. For now, the heavy silence was back again. Interesting how her mother could convey such disappointment without saying a word. Finally, she said, “I really hate how running the foundation eats up so much of your time. At your age, you should be out having fun.”

Natalie did have fun, just not the kind her mother would understand. Like when an attractive man gave her lessons in cutting out damaged drywall. Maybe she should admit that she was already seeing someone else, but it was too soon for that. No use in getting her mother's hopes up—or her own—until she saw how the date went with Tino.

“Thanks for worrying about me, Mom. Tell Dad hi for me, and I'll see you both at the gallery.”

In an attempt to end the call on a happier note, she added, “I'm really looking forward to viewing these paintings you're so excited about.”

“You'll love them. The colors are so vibrant. It's as if she's captured the movement of the flowers in the breeze. The first time I saw her work, it stole my breath away.”

Her enthusiasm rang true. One thing Natalie and her mother had in common was that they never went for half measures. If her mother truly loved a painting, she did everything she could do to help the artist succeed.

“Well, my dinner is ready, so I need to go. I'll see you Friday. And it sounds like I should bring my checkbook.”

Her mom laughed. “You do that, Nat. I promise you won't regret it.”

After hanging up, Natalie put the phone on mute. It was unlikely anyone else would call at this hour, but she didn't want to take any chances. Right now, all she wanted to do was add more hot water to the tub, take her time eating her makeshift dinner, and think about Tino Gianelli's brown eyes and wicked smile.

A nice ending to a long day.

The sun was barely up on Monday morning, and Tino was not particularly happy about already being on the clock. At least Jack had already done a coffee run before picking him up in their father's old truck. Their next stop was the building supply store to get the last few things they needed for the new job.

They rode in silence, giving Tino a chance to savor the coffee's rich taste while he waited for the caffeine to kick in. He appreciated the fact that Jack was a man of few words, especially at this hour of the morning. Besides, they'd just had dinner together the evening before. There hadn't been time for anything new to come up in the interim.

But evidently he was wrong about that. They hadn't gone more than three blocks before Jack gave him a sideways glance, the kind that suggested he had something to say but wasn't sure he should. It was too much to hope that he would listen to what his conscience was telling him.

“So, Mom said you had a good time helping out at the community center on Saturday.”

Well, crap. Where was he going to go with this? “It was okay.”

“Are you going to keep helping them out?”

Rather than answer the question directly, Tino countered with one of his own. “Did Mom put you up to this?”

Jack's noncommittal grunt was answer enough. Damn it, couldn't she just let it drop? He'd get his act together in due time. “I'll tell you what I told her. I didn't commit to going back next Saturday, because I knew you might need my help to finish up this job on time.”

Another grunt. “And if you didn't have that as an excuse?”

Tino gave his brother the look he'd perfected during his years in the military police, the one that warned troublemakers to back off or there would be hell to pay. He should've known Jack would be immune. It was almost funny when they both let loose with identical sighs.

Almost.

“You know Mom worries. She means well.”

“I know that. And since Dad's gone, she's focusing all of her attention on us.” He took another sip of his coffee. “With you settled and married, I'm the only one handy for her to fuss over. Too bad Mikhail isn't around to get his fair share of this stuff.”

An evil thought crossed his mind. “Hey, since he's back stateside again, maybe I should spring for a plane ticket for Mom to go visit him. Say, for a month or so.”

Jack laughed. “Our baby brother would kick your ass for even suggesting such a thing.”

That was probably true, but Tino's pride had him sneering. “He could try. He'd also kick yours for calling him baby brother all the time.”

“I calls them as I sees them. He is the youngest even if it's only by a matter of months.” Jack signaled for a right turn and pulled into the supply store's parking lot. “He's also smart enough not to tangle with me. We both know how that would turn out.”

Yeah, they did. Jack was built like a tank. A fast-moving, no-holds-barred tank. One who was still talking. “On the other hand, you wouldn't stand a chance against him. Do I need to remind you that he has about four inches in height and thirty pounds of pure muscle over you?”

No, he didn't need a reminder. If Mikhail was the baby, Tino was the runt, at least by their family's standards. At a shade under six one and weighing in at a solid one ninety-five, he wasn't exactly small. Even so, he'd be hard put to win a fight against either of his brothers. That didn't mean he'd go down easy. They might end up victorious, but they'd be bruised and bleeding in the process.

At least Jack dropped the discussion when they walked into the store. That didn't mean he wouldn't bring it all up again the first chance he got. It was obvious Tino needed to come up with some better answers if he wanted to have a little peace in his life. The trouble was he'd been asking himself the exact same questions since before he left the army behind. Whenever he tried to imagine what form his future should take, the picture refused to come into focus.

Tino grabbed a cart and let Jack lead the way. As he followed in his brother's footsteps, his mind wandered down the same old frustrating paths. Who would have thought at age twenty-eight he'd still be wondering what he wanted to be when he grew up?

At this rate, in the not-too-distant future, he'd reach age twenty-nine and still be no closer to an answer. Yeah, he could take on a full-time role in the family business, but he couldn't quite see himself swinging a hammer for the next forty years. Even if they built up the company enough to support Tino as well as Jack's growing family, he didn't enjoy working on his own like his brother did. With the types of jobs they took on, it would be unlikely that they'd ever need to run a crew of more than four or five employees.

One of the things Tino missed most about life in the army was being part of a team that worked toward a common goal. He wanted that feeling back but had yet to find it in the civilian world.

“Hey, watch it.”

Tino had been so lost in thought that he didn't see Jack stop and rammed him with the cart. “Next time you might want to signal.”

Jack dropped several boxes of nails and screws into the cart and glared at Tino. “How about next time you keep your head out of your ass long enough to do what you're supposed to? Damn it, Tino, that kind of inattention could get us both killed.”

Tino winced. Guess he wasn't the only one who had trouble remembering their lives were different now. “That's not likely to happen here in the hardware aisle, Jack. You do know that neither of us is in the army anymore.”

Jack closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he met Tino's gaze again, his temper had faded as quickly as it had come. “You're right. We're not, and I do know that.”

He glanced at their surroundings and then tapped his forehead with a finger. “Most days I know that in here, but damned if a few bad memories don't still sneak up on me when I least expect it.”

Tino sympathized, especially knowing the kind of missions Jack's unit in the Special Forces had faced on a regular basis. The last one had ended Jack's career when he shattered his knee on a night jump. “Yeah, well, I have a few of those moments myself. Last week, I almost swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid a cardboard box sitting on the side of the road.”

“Been there, done that.” Jack then took charge of the cart and marched down the aisle. “I want to pick up a new saw blade while we're here.”

Evidently the moment for sharing had passed, which came as a relief. Both brothers knew the transition back to civilian life took time and that hitting a few speed bumps along the way was to be expected. That didn't mean Tino wanted to stand there and broadcast their problems in public. Or in private, for that matter. Neither of them was much for the touchy-feely stuff. It was enough to know that his brother knew and understood the burden of memories they both carried.

As they walked along, he decided to throw Jack a few crumbs, something he could take back to their mother to show that he'd done his duty as the big brother. “I thought one of these days I might stop by the career center at one of the community colleges to see what kind of placement or aptitude testing they offer.”

Jack stopped to study the array of saw blades. “Think any of the online classes you've already taken will transfer?”

“I hope so, but I would guess it will depend on what program I'd be applying for. Regardless, I'll probably start off with a few general education classes if I decide to enroll.”

“Mom would be happy to see at least one of her sons go to college.” Jack took one of the blades off the rack and added it to the other items in the cart. “In fact, Caitlyn suggested I should see if they offer classes on running a small business. For sure I'll need to upgrade the software we're using when I get to the point where I need to hire some permanent help.”

“So you're planning on sticking with the business long term?”

Because none of the three brothers had been particularly happy when they'd found out at the reading of Joe's will that he'd left them equal shares in the family business. As the only one of them already out of the military, Jack had reluctantly moved back home to finish up the remaining jobs that their father had already started. Neither Tino nor Mikhail had thought he'd keep the business going beyond that, despite knowing it would've disappointed their mother. Of course, no one—least of all Jack—had expected him to take in a foster son and then fall in love with the tutor he'd hired to help the kid get caught up with his school subjects.

In an incredibly short amount of time, Jack had formed a tight-knit family with Caitlyn and Ricky. They'd each been through some pretty tough times, but those experiences seemed to make them appreciate what they'd found together even more. Tino wouldn't mind a little of that for himself.

Which had him thinking about a certain petite blonde again. After his conversation with his mother, he'd been tempted to look up Natalie's name online to see what he could learn about her and her background. So far, he'd resisted the urge; it felt like that would be cheating. Maybe she had assumed he would've recognized her name and her connection to the Cyrus Waines Foundation. However, from watching her in action Saturday, he suspected that Natalie preferred to downplay all of that and be treated as just one of the gang rather than as the person with the big checkbook.

Jack nudged him with the front of the cart. “Earth to Tino, come in, please.”

Damn, how long had he been lost in his own little world this time? “Sorry. Did you want something?”

“Actually, I asked if there was anything you needed before we check out.” Jack gave him a considering look. “Now I'm wondering if your head's in the game today enough for me to trust you to run power tools.”

Tino wanted to tell him to fuck off, but he couldn't blame Jack for being concerned. Running an electric saw was no time to be thinking about anything—or anyone—else other than the job at hand. “I'll be fine.”

Then he gave Jack a light tap on the arm. “But an extra shot of caffeine wouldn't hurt, so what do you say to picking up a second round on the way?”

Naturally, his brother returned the punch with just enough interest to sting. Not that Tino would give in to the urge to rub the spot. “Fine, but you're buying.”

No surprise there. “Of course. And because I'm feeling generous, I'll throw in a couple of breakfast sandwiches.”

“It's a deal.” Jack pulled out his credit card and handed it to the clerk. “And about Mom. How about I tell her that you are making plans, but you'd rather not talk about them until you've got all the details figured out?”

Not bad. That should reassure her long enough to buy him some breathing room. “Thanks. I owe you.”

Jack grinned. “So, does that mean you're also buying lunch today?”

God, brothers were the biggest pains in the ass. His were, anyway. On the other hand, there was no one else he'd rather have at his back. After picking up their bags, he headed for the door. “I'll buy, but I get to pick where we're going.”

Another one of those love-you-brother punches was Jack's only response.

Tuesday was always Natalie's favorite day of the week. She might officially be in charge of the foundation these days, but that didn't mean the man it was named after and who funded its coffers was no longer involved. No matter how busy her schedule was, she always set aside one morning a week to spend with her favorite relative.

As always, her grandfather's housekeeper met Natalie in the foyer. “Good morning. How is the old grouch this morning? As charming as ever?”

Esther's laugh echoed off the marble walls and floor in the foyer. “I'm pretty sure they left the word ‘charming' out of your grandfather's dictionary. He certainly has no idea of what it means. To answer your question, though, he's been a real bear to be around for the past few days.”

Natalie grinned. “What set him off this time?”

“What didn't?” Esther held up her fingers and counted off the world's most recent transgressions. “His team lost. The stock market took a serious dip. I was three minutes late with his coffee. Oh, yes, and that blasted dog has been sneaking under the fence again. This time it dug up one of the rosebushes. The gardener was able to salvage it, but it will need time to recover. I'm talking about the bush, by the way, not the dog.”

That last event was probably the one that put her grandfather over the top. He and the neighbor's beagle had been waging war for two years now. She would've worried more about the situation if Esther hadn't let her in on a little secret a few months ago. Evidently Cyrus had her add salmon-jerky doggy treats to the shopping list on a regular basis. No wonder Digger kept sneaking over to visit if Cyrus was slipping him salmon when no one was looking.

Even if her employer had been on a real tear, Esther didn't seem to be too worried about it. Esther Carlin had been Cyrus's housekeeper for nearly twenty-five years now, which made her practically family. Natalie had no idea how much money the woman made for taking care of this enormous house and putting up with an irascible old coot. Regardless of the amount, it wasn't enough.

“Well, I'd better go see what I can do to improve his mood.”

Esther gave Natalie one of her warm hugs. “He's waiting for you out on the patio. I'll be right out with the tea and scones. He wanted Earl Grey this morning, but I can fix you something else if you'd rather.”

“No, Earl Grey is fine.” Natalie headed for the patio. “Wish me luck. Sounds like I'll need it.”

She found her grandfather sitting with his wheelchair facing due east and soaking up the early-morning sun. His eyes were closed, but that didn't fool her into believing he was asleep. Sure enough, as soon as she kissed him on the cheek, his eyes popped open. Over the years, they had faded to a shade lighter blue than her own, but age had done little to disguise the sharp intelligence behind them.