The Sassy One

“I was.” Brenna carried the serving dishes to the table, then dug around for a corkscrew.



Francesca grabbed plates, napkins, and flatware. When the table was set, she collected a wineglass for each of them, then pulled out a chair.



“Grandpa Lorenzo is making me crazy,” Brenna said as she poured the wine. “I’ve heard several rumors about him selling the winery. A couple of our neighbors have talked to me about it. I’d already asked him once, and I thought we had things settled. But with all the talk, I had to ask him again.”



“And?” Francesca asked as she slid a golden brown chicken breast onto her plate.



“And he says he’s considering selling.”



Francesca froze. She met her sister’s troubled gaze. “That’s not possible. Marcelli Wines is family.”



“That’s what I said.” She scooped a spoonful of green beans onto her plate. “We’re talking nearly seventy years of tradition. I just…” Brenna picked up her wineglass and took a long drink. “Damn him. He’s saying he has to sell because he can’t depend on me to stick around. For the first eighteen years of my life, all I heard was that I had to find a man, get married, and have babies. I married Jeff right on schedule. Like I was supposed to. And now our grandfather is complaining.”



Francesca felt her twin’s pain. “It’s unfair. If you’d stayed, he would have complained about that, too.”



“I know. The thing is, I’m back. I’ve learned my lesson about men. Since Jeff and I split up, I’ve buried myself in work. Within two days I realized I shouldn’t have left. There’s nothing I love more than the vineyards and making wine. That’s all I want to do. If he sells…”



Brenna angrily cut off a piece of chicken and shoved it in her mouth.



“Have you talked to him about this?” Francesca asked, even though she already knew the answer.



Brenna shook her head. “Do you think it would help?”



“I don’t know. If he understood how much you cared, it might make a difference.”



“He’s not going to listen. He only wants things his way.”



Francesca knew that was true. Her grandfather ruled the family with an iron fist. Make that an iron fist from the nineteenth century. His outdated rules and ideas about family life meant anyone disagreeing with him could be tossed out at a moment’s notice. The exiles were usually temporary, but still painful.



“I have so many ideas,” Brenna told her. “There are these wonderful Pinot grapes coming up for sale. I desperately want to buy them, but he won’t listen. Worse, the land could be going on the market. I’d kill for that.”



Francesca might be floating just above the poverty level because of her studies, but Brenna’s precarious financial situation was thanks to spending the past nine years supporting her soon-to-be ex-husband through his medical training. Once established as an up-and-coming cardiologist, Jeff had dumped his wife for a newer, younger model.



“What about the divorce settlement? Can’t you use that money to buy the grapes?” she asked as she bit into a piece of the chicken and tried not to moan. As usual, the Grands had created something delicious, tender, and addictive.



Brenna shrugged. “It would help, but then what? I’d have grapes and no way to process them. Renting equipment and space. Jeez, Francesca, we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. I don’t know.”



She poked at the grilled potatoes on her plate. “Okay. I’ve been whining long enough. What’s going on with you? I called last night and you were out. Give me good news. Tell me you’ve met a fabulous new guy and you were having hot monkey sex for hours and hours.” She laughed. “On second thought, I might find that information a little depressing.”



Francesca pushed a few green beans around her plate. “Funny you should say that,” she told her sister.



Brenna’s mouth dropped open. “No way.”



“Way. Sort of.”



Brenna laughed, then raised her glass. “Good for you, girlfriend. I can’t believe you had sex. Are you sure? Were you all naked?”



“As there were only two of us in the room at the time, I’m pretty sure I can remember that part. Yes, we were naked.”



Brenna hooted. “This is so cool. Okay, start at the beginning. How did you meet? Who is this guy, and what on earth made you give up your quest for nunhood?”



Francesca told her about her experiment, and Sam’s rescue.



“I’m thrilled that you found someone willing to rescue helpless pregnant women, but slightly put off by him asking you out while you looked like that.”



Francesca sighed. “That’s what Mia said when she was here on Saturday. I’d already told him I wasn’t pregnant. He’s in the security business and was impressed that I could pull one over on him.”



“Fair enough. Now get to the sex part.”



Francesca grinned. “It just happened. I was attracted to him, and he seemed to be attracted to me. Normally I avoid that sort of thing.”



“Sure. Because it’s so much more interesting to go out with guys you’re not attracted to.”



Francesca ignored her. “I remembered what we’d talked about a few months ago. When you and Katie made me promise to fall into bed with the next normal guy I met.”



Brenna had been drinking. She nearly spit out her wine. “Francesca, we were kidding. If I remember correctly, we were drunk. Jeez, you can’t take that kind of stuff seriously. Is that really why you slept with him?”



“Sort of. Maybe.” Francesca remembered the night and her feeling of being so aroused, she was out of control. “I’ve spent the past few years avoiding relationships because I don’t want to get married again. But talking with you and Katie made me wonder if maybe there was a compromise. The occasional casual relationship with a man, complete with perks, and no ring.”



“I’m in favor of that,” Brenna said. “Marriage is trouble. So is love.” She cut off a piece of chicken. “Looking back on my sorry excuse for a marriage, I’m not sure I ever loved Jeff. He was the safe choice. At least, that’s what he looked like then. Now I know he was nothing but a lying weasel dog.”



“Todd didn’t lie,” Francesca said slowly, remembering her late husband. “But he wanted arm candy instead of a partner. I hated that.”



“I remember. Every time you expressed an opinion, he practically patted you on the head. As if you were as cute as a puppy performing a trick.”



Not what she’d wanted for her life, Francesca thought. Not then and not now.



“So this Sam guy isn’t like that?” Brenna asked.



“Not at all. Plus, he’s no more interested in a commitment than I am. Especially now.”



Brenna raised her eyebrows. “What happened?”



Francesca told her about Kelly’s arrival. Brenna dropped her fork as her mouth fell open.



“A kid? He has a kid?”



“Teen-zilla, according to him. I don’t think Kelly’s all that bad, although she is a handful. Her mother ignored her, gave her everything she wanted just to shut her up, and never set down any rules. Kelly is more than independent, she’s dictatorial.”



“Sounds like a fun kid. Are you sure the sex is worth it? Didn’t this unexpected arrival mess up your plans?”



“Sort of.” Sam had been worried about that, too, Francesca thought. “Sometimes I really like her, but she makes everything a challenge. I feel bad for her. She needs to be loved.”



Brenna’s eyes narrowed. “I recognize that tone. It’s the same one you used every time you wanted to drag home some stray dog or cat. You’re too soft-hearted for your own good. Do not go falling for this guy and his kid. Do you really want to take on a ready-made family? Now? You’re less than two years from finishing school.”



“I know and I agree. I don’t want to get married. I used to think I’d have children, but lately I’m not sure. If I don’t want a husband, then I’m stuck doing it on my own. I don’t know that I could stand the guilt of getting pregnant without being married. I mean, the whole family is Catholic and the Church really frowns on that.”



“You’d send the Grands into a Hail-Mary frenzy. Grandpa Lorenzo would have your hide.”



“He’d throw me out of the family.”



“Some days I don’t think that would be such a great loss.”



Francesca shrugged. “It’s not an issue. I have no plans to get pregnant, and I’m not falling for Sam.”



“Or the kid,” Brenna told her sternly. “Don’t you even think about rescuing her. You hear me?”



“Yes, ma’am.”



“All right.” Brenna refilled both their glasses. “Now I want to hear all the details about the sex. I haven’t even seen a naked man in months, and I’m going to have to live vicariously through you.”



“I do not kiss and tell.”



“Fine. Then make something up. I won’t know the difference.”



Kelly typed in the Internet address for one of her favorite clothing Web sites. “Cool,” she murmured. “Free shipping.”



After studying several camis and tops, she selected three of each, then moved on to skirts. A mock wrap with a slit caught her attention. Not that she went out all that much, but maybe Sam would take her to dinner or something.



“Not likely,” she told herself. He was turning out to be a real pinhead. Francesca?



Another no, especially after what had happened that afternoon.



She guessed she knew that Francesca was only trying to be, like, nice with her offer to go shopping. Kelly had really wanted to say yes. A trip to the mall would have been fun. And a movie. The one on the plane had been totally dumb. But she’d reacted without thinking. Not just saying no, but being mean, too.



Kelly shook her head. It was all Tanya’s fault. How many times had her mother asked her something like that? “Do you want to go shopping, Kelly?” Or if not shopping, then to the ballet or the theater. And if she said yes or acted interested, Tanya always gave her that smirky smile and shook her head.



“Well, I’m not taking you. Ask Mary.” Or Rosa or Sarah, whoever was currently in charge of taking care of her.



Kelly had a feeling that Francesca wasn’t like that. That she really would have taken her to the mall. But what if she’d just been playing, too?



Pushing the question to the back of her mind, Kelly completed her order. She changed the ship-to address on her account, so the clothes would come here instead of to the New York apartment, then clicked on “Place my order.”



But instead of the cheerful notice telling her that her order had been placed, there was only a single line explaining that her credit card had been denied.



Kelly frowned. That didn’t make sense.



She fished the credit card out of her backpack and checked the expiration date. It wasn’t until 2006. So what…?



Horror filled her. She remembered Sam yelling at her, telling her she wasn’t getting her own DVD player and her claim that she would simply buy it herself. He’d looked mad when she’d said that. He couldn’t have canceled her card, could he?



Three minutes later she hung up the phone and screamed. She flew out of her room and down the stairs.



“What did you do?” she screeched as she ran into the kitchen.



Her father stood at the stove, which was weird. Except for a couple of gay chefs her mother knew, she’d never seen a guy cook. Not that she cared right now.



Sam put down a spatula and faced her. “What’s your problem?”



She curled her hands into fists. “You canceled my credit card.”



“Yes, I did.”