have friends and money. I’ll have a place for you tomorrow.”
Vivi smiled. “Then as soon as the curator is ready for a trip to Antonio’s that’s when we’ll go. But, remember, you can’t tell him you’re his dad.”
“Not even if things are going well?”
“He needs to get to know you.” She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. “And, honestly, Mr. B., I think you need to get to know him, too. You’re a wealthy man and he’s very poor. What if he’s a hustler?”
Constanzo’s lips turned down. “You think my own son would cheat me.” He waved his hands. “Of course, he might. We don’t really know who he is.”
“Exactly. That’s why I figured it was best to keep who you are a secret until you know each other better.”
Constanzo pulled out his cell phone. “We will start tomorrow.”
Twenty minutes later Constanzo had a gallery booked and the owner coming to his house the following morning. They toasted with Scotch, which Vivi hated, had lunch, then played pool until it was time to dress for dinner.
Vivi had never seen anyone as happy or animated as Constanzo was that day. But after an afternoon of sipping Scotch, he drank a little too much wine at dinner and left the table early.
Alone with Tucker in the silent dining room, their discussion in the car came tumbling back to her. But a funny thing happened. Before those thoughts could take root—thoughts of Cord and the shame and humiliation of being attacked then sued and bullied when she’d done nothing wrong—she remembered the happiness in Constanzo’s eyes. And she felt strong again. Yes, she was disappointed in Tucker pushing her then behaving as if her pain was inconsequential, but that just pointed out what she’d always realized. They weren’t good for each other.
As if confirming that, she and Tucker ate their dessert in near silence. She was abundantly glad when her last bite of cobbler was finished and she could excuse herself. She headed toward the stairs and her bedroom, but she wasn’t tired.
She didn’t really know what she was. Part of her was excited about Antonio and her plan. The other part was really disappointed in Tucker. But her mind no longer automatically jumped to Cord. What he would think. How he would feel about her success. It was like all of that no longer mattered. And that confused her even more.
Maybe she just needed some fresh air?
She turned from the stairs and walked toward the big formal living room with access to the pool. A few lights broke up the darkness and created sporadic twinkles on the blue water, but the area itself wasn’t lit. Using her memory of the patio, she found her way to the nearest chaise, sat and stretched out.
“Nice night to just sit outside and look at the stars.”
She almost jumped out of her skin. “Tucker! For the love of God! You couldn’t have given me a warning you were already out here?”
“That was the purpose of my comment.”
She could barely make out his long legs on the chaise, though his shiny black shoes picked up a bit of the light from the well-spaced fixtures around the patio. His white shirt was a lot easier to see. When her gaze reached his face, he smiled.
“You did a good job today.”
She sniffed in disdain. “I thought you didn’t like my idea.”
“I don’t. I’d rather bulldoze this thing and get it done. But Constanzo likes your plan and he’s the client, the one we have to please.” He toasted her with a drink he must have brought from their dinner table. “And you pleased him.”
Syrupy warmth filled her and she relaxed a bit on the chaise. It was really difficult to stay disappointed in a guy who seemed genuinely pleased with her work that day. And maybe how she felt about him didn’t matter? It wasn’t like they were friends. They were boss and employee.
Plus, bright white stars twinkled overhead. A breeze chilled the night air. She didn’t want to go inside yet.
“My only concern is that he’s too happy. You do know how easily this plan could backfire.”
She frowned. “I can think of about three ways. First, Antonio could dislike Constanzo.”
“Constanzo could dislike Antonio.”
“Or Constanzo could adore his son—”
“Who might be furious when he learns Constanzo is the father who abandoned him.”
She studied the stars. “But he didn’t really abandon him. If you listen to the story, Antonio’s mother gave up after one measly attempt to contact him.”
Tucker chuckled. “Miss Prentiss, I don’t think I need to remind you of a little thing called pride.”
Her face scrunched in confusion as she considered that. Finally, she said, “So you’re saying Antonio’s mother got her feelings hurt so she kept Constanzo’s son from him?”
“Exactly.”
“Sounds petty.”
“Really?” He rolled onto his side. “What if you, poor as you are right now, got pregnant by a man with billions of dollars? A man so far out of your stratosphere that even if he believed your baby was his, he’d question your motives. He’d make you feel cheap and like a gold digger who’d deliberately gotten pregnant for money.”
Her face heated. He could be describing the two of them. He was rich. She was poor. And the implications of what he said brought her to her senses very quickly. Forget about his pushing her in the car that day. This was why she’d stay away from him, why she should have stayed away from Cord. He hadn’t needed to be insensitive with her that morning. Women with no money, no social status, always got burned when they got involved with wealthy men. She’d learned that lesson the hard way and she wouldn’t forget it.
“I don’t have to worry about that.”
“Really?”
“Come on, Tucker,” she said, deliberately using his first name because, as with the conversation in the car, he was pushing her buttons again. “I know my place. Billionaires can have their pick of women. They don’t go for the dirt-poor, average-looking waifs. They go after the beauties.”
He laughed. “Really? You’re gonna toss that at me?”
“Toss what?”
“An underestimation of your self-worth.”
She blew out a laugh. “I know who I am and what I look like.”
“You seriously don’t think you’re beautiful?”
“Beautiful?” She laughed. “I’ll give you pretty. But only when I wear makeup. Which I don’t.”
“You don’t need it.”
She laughed gaily at the stupidity of this conversation. Though they were talking about her, it was much better than worry over Constanzo and Antonio
