Bargaining with the Boss (Honeybrook Love, Inc. 2)

"Where are you right now? You know what, no, it doesn't matter. The point is that something has to be done about this. She's starting to talk about the family, and if you mother catches wind of this—" Natalie winced, thinking of the wiry-haired Mrs. Del Rossi. Most of the time, she was an amiable enough old woman, if a little old school in her family values. But when she was angry...

Natalie shook her head, remembering when the old woman had thrown a hundred year old vase at Franco's head in the family's summer home.

"Mama will be fine. This isn't the first time something like this has happened and it won't be the last."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"With Gianna, dummy. I thought you liked her. Granted, she was a little...dim-witted."

"Mama said she was too dumb to boil water, but just dumb enough to burn it."

"Yes, that sounds like your mother." Natalie suppressed a laugh. It was just like Isabella Del Rossi to tell it like it was. Frankly, Natalie was just surprised the old woman hadn't said it to the model's face.

"She wanted to have kids, Nattie. What was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, maybe talk to her about it? She said she came home to find her bags packed and waiting by the door."

Franco grumbled, "That's not exactly true."

"Yeah, it didn't sound like you to put all that effort into packing."

He ignored her jibe, and went on. "Look, there was nothing for us to talk about. I'm not ready for kids."

"Can't afford them?" She mocked. The Del Rossi’s had enough money to give God himself a hefty loan, and enough grit to charge him a hell of an interest rate. If Franco were going to claim he couldn't have kids, it'd be for some other equally non-legitimate reason.

"Don't be like that," he said.

"No, you don't be like that. I'm sick of watching this happen over and over again. You run when things get serious."

"What's so wrong with that? I think you might have preferred that—"

"Franco, you need to get out in front of this." Her stomach churned as she cut him off. She knew what he was going to say, but she didn't want to hear it. Didn't need to.

"Maybe I just haven't found the right one. It doesn't matter. This whole thing with Gianna will pass as soon as she's dating a big-time actor and has more reasons to be in ma

gazines. That's all it ever is with women."

"Women like that, maybe. But if you tried something or someone else—"

"Give it a rest." It was more a command than a question, so she bit back the urge to poke at him again.

"Fine, fine. You're right. You're in charge of your own life."

"You called me a couple weeks ago before all this started, though. Did you need something?"

Natalie hesitated, thinking of those pernicious roses on her desk. They were probably waiting for her now. Suffocating her work space.

But if she told Franco...

"Listen, we'll talk about it later, okay? I've got to go."

"Come on, you can't just talk about it?"

She bit her bottom lip. She'd given him enough to worry about today.

Those roses and the baggage that came with them would just have to wait.

For now, at least.