Jo Leigh - Daring In The City

What was supposed to have been five years of hitting the books, partying and hooking up—not necessarily in that order—had been interrupted by Tony’s rocky marriage, their dad’s first heart attack and the damn recession that had slowed construction in the city down to a trickle.

Luca left Tony talking to Sal, the project manager in charge of several of their remodels. After a quick word with Frankie, who was taking measurements for the drywall, Luca thought about his brother ring shopping. It made sense.

After their father’s second heart attack, Tony had taken over the company so smoothly there hadn’t been a single complaint. Somehow he’d managed to stay on top of his new responsibilities. At the same time, he’d fallen hard for Catherine. They were perfect for each other. Luca could definitely see them getting married soon.

Luca wished his future was a little more certain. At thirty, he’d managed to complete his architecture degree and a year’s credit toward his required three-year internship, he had a good job working for the family business and a steady income. He knew he was luckier than most people in every way that counted. But that didn’t stop him from feeling somewhat adrift.

His folks were so proud of the idea of his becoming a “big-deal architect” that he couldn’t imagine what they would think if they knew what he really wanted to do was focus on his carpentry. And not just the finishing work he did for the business, but the custom pieces he made on the side.

Right now Paladino & Sons had great opportunities doing remodels and renovations all over Lower Manhattan. But with an in-house architect, they could expand into a whole new market—public buildings, chain stores and even military contracts. Jobs that, while they wouldn’t offer much creativity, would bring a major increase in cash flow and, more important, steady work for their stable of loyal construction crews.

Presently, Luca had the last two years of his required internship lined up at a prestigious firm, after which he’d be eligible for his professional license. His family was counting on him.

“Hey.”

Luca hadn’t seen his brother walk up to him. “What’s up?”

“That’s what I was gonna ask you,” Tony said. “You seem distracted. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, sure. Everything’s fine. Just, uh... I’ve asked a couple of guys from the Sanders project to come help me move some stuff to the Mercury Building.”

“What stuff?”

“Mostly equipment and tools, but some of my personal stuff, as well. I’m moving into the apartment while I do the renovations.”

Tony’s eyebrows rose pretty damn high. “Now?”

“Yeah, now. Angelo finished putting in the new pipes, the electrical is done and I’ve started busting down walls. So I’ll live upstairs while I work on the downstairs.” In accordance with the Paladino Trust—the one that decreed no one but the immediate family could know that the Paladinos owned a great deal of real estate in the Little Italy area and kept the old timers’ rents ridiculously low—Luca had claimed one of the two-story apartments on the top floor of the family-owned building.

Tony shook his head. “What about your internship?”

“The offer’s open-ended,” Luca said. “It’ll still be there when I’m ready.”

Tony frowned. “When you’re ready? You’ve been ready for years.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Except he kind of did, and that was the problem. Tony knew about his side job. But Luca doubted either of his brothers understood just how much he loved working with his hands. And his parents? Forget about it. They’d short-circuit. Tell him he was wasting his smarts and his education.

The thing was they wouldn’t be wrong. Damn, he felt bad about spending all that money for an Ivy League education. He really did. Ironically, it had taken all those years of school to make him realize that being an architect wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life.

“You realize I can handle things without you, right? The company won’t fold while you step back.” Tony bumped his shoulder. “Besides, you know how much government work we’re missing out on while we wait for you?”

“Look, I don’t want to get into a big discussion about this.” Now who couldn’t take a joke? He knew Tony was teasing but he’d hit a sore spot. “I can’t live with the folks anymore, okay? Now that Dad’s home all the time, they’re always bickering. It’s not even that, though. I haven’t lived on my own for a long time. I barely date, because I’m not about to bring a woman back to their place. I’m feeling pressure to get married already, and I just need some room to breathe. I mean, how am I supposed to ever hook up? Keep a room at the Marriott?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, that’s true. You only had, what, two years of living on your own at college? I was all caught up in trying to patch things up with Angie when you moved back home. You really stepped up, man. Took care of the folks. Helped out more than your share with the company.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not complaining.”

“I know.” Tony shook his head. “You seeing anyone now?”

“You mean other than the women Mom and Nonna keep shoving at me?”

“Wait. Are you getting laid at all?”

“Do I look like a guy who’s getting laid?” he said, realizing he should’ve kept his voice down. “That’s why I have to get out of there. I have a date next week, one I arranged, so hopefully...”

“All right, I see your point. A year after I got divorced they started harassing me about getting married again.”

“I remember. And now that you have Catherine they’ve started going after me. So, yeah, thanks for that.”

Tony laughed. “Look, if you want to take some time off to get situated, we’ll be fine. I’m ready to get out of the office more so I can step in, and Dom’s doing great.”

Luca knew his contribution to the company wasn’t exactly crucial. The employees and subcontractors they had were top-notch. His brothers could easily carry his load. The only thing that would actually make a difference in their collective future was his becoming licensed.

If only being an architect was what he really wanted.

“And after that,” Tony said, “think about taking a step back from the company and pouring yourself into that internship at Willingham. We all had to regroup when Dad got sick, but it’s not fair to hold you back when all you’ve got is two more years of interning before you start your dream career.”

Dream career? Luca kept his expression neutral, not wanting to worry his brother. But why the hell couldn’t he have figured this stuff out before he’d returned to school?

Deep down he’d probably known then he was on the wrong track. But by that time Tony was in the middle of his divorce and understandably distracted. It had fallen to Luca to take his dad to all his doctors’ visits. Interpret what the doctor was saying. His mom had been worried sick and sometimes she got things confused.

Add to that the responsibility of managing the Paladino Trust when so many of their tenants had been hit hard by the downturn in the economy, and his life hadn’t been his own. The rest of his family had done what they could but it hadn’t been easy.

It certainly wasn’t how he’d imagined his college years being. Not that he would do anything different if he had to do it over again. Family was family.

But this was going to be his time. He’d act crazy if he wanted. Bring home a different woman every night, although that wasn’t like him. The point was the apartment would be all his and he could do whatever he pleased.

Still, the fact remained that everyone was counting on him to get his license and expand the business, but his true passion lay elsewhere.