Harlequin Romance September 2021 Box Set Page 17

  But why did the success of both of their businesses have to hinge on marriage?

  He raked his fingers through his hair as he tried to figure out another solution, one that was amenable to both of them. He stopped walking. He turned to Carla and gazed into her beautiful brown eyes. For a moment, he forgot what he was going to say. Her beauty, well, it was unique, and it didn’t come from makeup.

  It started with her heart-shaped face, her warm brown eyes and long lashes. She had high cheekbones, a pert nose and lush lips. She was stunning. But he refused to let himself get distracted. This was too important.

  He swallowed hard. “Does your agreement with your father state that you have to marry me in order for it to be valid?”

  “Of course not. My father hates your family.”

  He refrained from stating that his grandfather felt the same way about her father. Though he did recall his grandfather’s warning that he couldn’t trust a Falco. So did Carla have something else in mind besides a business arrangement?

  “I propose you marry someone else,” he said, though the idea of Carla pledging her heart to someone else didn’t appeal to him—not at all. “And then you’ll be free to do business with my company.”

  “I’ve considered the idea.” She hesitated.

  “And?”

  When her gaze met his, her eyes were shuttered, blocking him out. “And I can’t trust anyone else to do this.”

  “And you think you can trust me? Maybe you should talk to your father about that.” He was certain her father would talk her out of this crazy idea.

  She stepped up to him. “I can trust you because I know you’re totally opposed to marriage.”

  “And what does that have to do with this?”

  “It means that when it comes time to dissolve this partnership, you won’t give me a hard time. You won’t have developed any illusions that there was something more to this arrangement than what we agree to now.”

  There was certainly more to Carla than he’d ever imagined. This cool and calculating businesswoman was a side of her that he’d never seen before, and he wasn’t quite sure how to react. Part of him respected the fact that she took her family’s business so seriously that she’d be willing to go this far to look after it. Luckily he hadn’t had to go that far—well, not yet.

  He’d worked like crazy over the past several months, meeting with smaller restaurant chains and grocers, but no satisfactory deals had been reached. His grandfather had made sure to point out his failures. The comments still stung. But Franco was determined to prove to his grandfather that he was a skillful businessman. And now Carla was offering him a prime opportunity to do exactly that, but could he afford her price?

  He couldn’t believe he was asking this, but stranger things were known to happen. “How long would the marriage have to last?”

  “Six months.”

  Six months. Twenty-six weeks. One hundred and eighty-two days. A lifetime.

  As they resumed walking, he forked his fingers through his hair again. The last thing he was worried about at this moment was appearances. He was more worried about breaking the promise he’d made himself when his mother had dumped him and his brother on their grandparents’ doorstep—he would never let himself be vulnerable again. And that included marriage—most especially marriage.

  But this wasn’t a typical marriage. Right?

  His sideways glance met Carla’s expectant look once more. “And do you promise that if we do this—if we marry—you won’t expect anything from me?”

  She averted her gaze. “There might be some stipulations.”

  He knew it! He knew when it came to marriage no one could be trusted. “Forget it.” He shook his head. “We aren’t doing this.”

  “Don’t you even want to hear the stipulations before you write off my offer?”

  Did he have to hear them? She probably wanted weekends together, family gatherings and all the other stuff that people did when they were trying to show the world their marriage wasn’t a complete and utter sham. He wasn’t doing it.

  “No. Forget it.”

  “Well,” she said, “you might not want to hear them, but I’m going to tell you. There will be no stepping out on the marriage. So you’ll have to say goodbye to any girlfriends for the length of our marriage. I won’t be made a laughingstock.”

  Hmm...that wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t like he had a serious girlfriend. Unlike his brother used to do, he did maintain girlfriends for longer than two weeks. But he made it perfectly clear from the beginning that the relationship wouldn’t go anywhere. It was all for fun—nothing more.

  But the last woman he’d casually dated had been a little scary. So he’d been avoiding dating for the past couple of months. He didn’t see how Carla’s stipulation would be an issue, especially with a wife like Carla. His gaze lingered on her. They could definitely have some fun together.

  “And we will not be consummating the marriage.” It was as though she’d read his mind. Was he that obvious about his attraction to her?

  “Are you sure that part isn’t negotiable?” He sent her a teasing smile.

  She glowered at him. Okay, so she was taking this all very seriously. He supposed he should, too, though he didn’t want to. No matter the outcome, there was still an integral part of him that was utterly opposed to this arrangement.

  He cleared his throat. “Sorry. I guess I’m just really having a hard time taking this seriously.”

  “Don’t I look serious enough for you?” Her unwavering gaze met his.

  “It’s not that. You definitely act as though you’re negotiating the most important deal of your life.”

  “Then what’s the problem? I thought this deal would give you exactly what you wanted.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s the marriage part that I’m having problems with. Couldn’t we just fake the marriage like my brother and your cousin did with their engagement?”

  “It has to be a real marriage, otherwise I won’t assume control of the company and I won’t be able to hammer out a mutually beneficial arrangement to put your products back in my family’s restaurants. But this time around, I’m foreseeing a much bigger tie-in and promotion.”

  She certainly knew how to sweet-talk him. But still, he’d promised himself not to marry—not to make the same mistakes as his parents. He knew a secret about their marriage—a secret that his brother didn’t know—a secret he wasn’t supposed to know.

  His conception had been a mistake. That’s how his father had put it in an argument with his mother. He was the mistake that kept them married longer than they’d wanted. If it wasn’t for his presence, his parents would have gone their separate ways without destroying the childhoods of both him and his brother.

  And though the logical part of his brain said that none of it was his fault, the other part of him felt bad that his mere existence had caused his brother so much harm, from their father walking out on them to their broken home to their mother abandoning them on their grandparents’ doorstep.

  But if he didn’t do this—if he didn’t agree to marry Carla—how much more damage would be done? Because those products that were in danger of being pulled out of production weren’t just from the company’s past. They were the future of the company.

  The company’s sales had slumped over the years. Younger buyers weren’t recognizing the Marchello name. They weren’t rushing to the grocers to buy their product, so it was just a matter of time until their company became extinct. Did he really have a choice in the matter?

  “Wait.” Carla’s voice drew him from his intense thoughts. They paused along a quiet stretch of sidewalk. When his gaze focused on her, he saw her withdraw folded papers from her purse. “This should explain the details of the agreement.”

  He was a little dumbfounded that she would have a legal agreement already dra
wn up. Surely he’d misunderstood. But when he wordlessly took the papers from her, he saw her name at the top followed by his.

  He was shocked that she would think he would just readily agree to such an outlandish idea. After all, he wasn’t an author, like his younger brother, and eager to live out a fictional life.

  But he was also impressed with Carla’s get-it-done attitude. It said a lot about her. It also told him that they had a lot in common. Was it something they could build upon? Not as in building a real marriage, but a real business relationship. Something told him that this deal, though it went against everything he’d ever promised himself, was too good to pass up.

  And besides, it would be a marriage on paper only. Soon it would be over—though not soon enough.

  He glanced down over the top sheet, catching the important details: their names; the length of marriage; the agreement to display, use and serve Marchello spices in all Falco Fresco Ristorantes.

  “Okay.” He folded the papers. “I’ll have my attorney go over these. Then we can sign the papers and set a date for the—well, you know.”

  “The wedding. I had a thought about that, too.”

  Why was he not surprised? It appeared she had thought about everything. He wondered if this was a sign of how things would go with their m...arrangement.

  He cleared his throat. “And what would that be?”

  “I think we need to get moving on this. We can get married at the same time we sign the papers.”

  “That soon?” His throat grew tight, and it was getting hard to breathe.

  “Is there a reason we should put things off?”

  Other than to give him more time to get used to the idea—which was never, ever going to happen—nothing stood in their way.

  When his gaze met hers, he saw the worry reflected in her eyes. It was now, as the initial shock subsided, that he noticed the shadows beneath her eyes and the lines bracketing her mouth. Though she might be proposing this plan, it didn’t appear it had been by choice but rather one of self-preservation.

  “If you aren’t interested in the deal, I’ll find someone else.”

  She didn’t say it, but he filled in the blank—she could easily find another willing participant. And if she were to do that, he was certain the door would be firmly closed on ever getting his products back in the Falcos’ restaurants.

  “I’ll do it.” Once the words passed his lips, he felt as though he’d just shackled himself to Carla.

  He gave her a quick glance, from her long dark hair to her warm brown eyes down to her pouty lips that were just begging to be kissed. Okay, so there were much worse people to be chained to.

  “Good.” She glanced around as though trying to determine where their meandering had led them. “Perhaps we should turn around.” When he nodded in compliance, she said, “Have your attorney look over the contract, and we’ll set the date to finalize everything.”

  “Don’t you mean set our wedding date?” He couldn’t resist pointing out the obvious.

  Color flared in her cheeks. “Yes, that, too.”

  So she wasn’t any more eager than he was to exchange wedding vows. But it wasn’t going to be that easy.

  “I have some demands, too,” he said.

  Carla’s eyes momentarily widened with surprise before she returned to her neutral expression. In a practically monotone voice she asked, “What would those be?”

  “We need to move immediately on getting Marchello Spices back in the restaurants.”

  She nodded. “I knew you’d expect nothing less. It’ll be our first order of business.”

  “I have other ideas—”

  “I’m sure you do, but don’t get ahead of yourself.”

  “But I won’t sign unless it’s in writing about Marchello Spices being returned to tables immediately.”

  As they continued their stroll, Carla didn’t say anything at first. In her beautiful eyes, he could see the wheels of her mind turning. Surely she had to see the merits of this plan. It would breathe new life into the restaurant chain. It would benefit both of their companies.

  “Have your attorneys write up an addendum to the current agreement and I’ll have my people go over it.”

  He stopped next to her small yellow sports car. “I’ll do that.”

  “Remember, time is of the essence.”

  “This will be my top priority.” He opened the car door for her. “Are you really sure you want to do this? This agreement is quite unprecedented.”

  Her unwavering gaze met his. “Sometimes sacrifices have to be made. It is a marriage in name only. And it is only six months. But it has to look convincing. My father has to believe this is a real, traditional marriage. Anything less and he’ll have us tied up in litigation.”

  He sighed. “Agreed.”

  “So how do we get him to the wedding without him knowing that he’s going to our wedding? Because he’ll need to see it with his own eyes if he’s to believe it.” She paused as though giving the dilemma some serious thought.

  Franco gave it some thought. “I know. We’ll invite everyone to a special event—a special announcement.”

  Her eyes lit up with interest. “I like the way you think.”

  “Just remember, this was all your idea.”

  “How could I forget? But it’ll be worth it in the end. Everyone will get what they want or need.”

  He nodded in understanding. It wasn’t until he was seated in his own car that he realized he’d been holding his breath. Perhaps because he’d been holding back an argument—this was too much of a sacrifice for business.

  Wait. Had he just thought that? He was the one who was all business, all the time. But this marriage contract felt over-the-top even for him.

  What if Carla changed her mind about what she wanted from this marriage? Then he recalled her cold and businesslike demeanor during their dinner. She was no longer the fun and vivacious young woman that he’d met at his sister-in-law’s villa not so long ago. Something had changed in her—something he couldn’t identify.

  And when it came down to it, her offer was just too good to pass up.

  But could he really utter the words I do?

  CHAPTER THREE

  THERE WAS A diamond ring in his pocket.

  It felt as though it were burning a hole through his slacks.

  Franco thought back to when his grandmother had given him the ring, the same evening she’d given his brother an heirloom ring to properly propose to his now wife, Gianna. His grandmother had told Franco that she was giving him the ring, even though he wasn’t involved with anyone, because he was the type to play things close to his chest. And she doubted when the time came to propose that he’d come to her for the ring.

  He’d tried vehemently to refuse it, but what can you do when your grandmother gives you that look? You know, the one where her face turns serious, a brow is arched over the rim of her glasses and the look in her eyes says if you don’t do what I say, you’re going to live to regret it? Yeah, that one. Well, that’s exactly what she’d done to him. And the last thing he’d wanted to do was have his grandmother upset with him. Because he loved his grandmother dearly—she was the only true mother figure in his life. She never wavered—never shrank away. She was calm and she was steady.

  So when Carla sounded frantic about making time for her father, attending to business at the office and preparing for the quarterly board meeting, he’d offered to have his assistant send out invitations to a private party where a big announcement was to be made as well as throw together an intimate wedding. Carla had sounded so relieved when she’d accepted his offer. And that was why he had a diamond ring readily available when his assistant had asked about Carla’s engagement ring. It was the one detail he needed to take care of personally.

  Still, this wedding was so much more involved than he’d been pre
pared for when he’d first agreed to the marriage contract. He’d thought they’d exchange empty vows and then coexist for six months. Instead, they needed a real wedding with select guests and a photographer. He’d had no idea their arrangement would go to these lengths in order to sell it to her father. But Franco didn’t want to leave anything up to chance.

  Today was their wedding day. Franco’s gut was tied in a knot. He hadn’t eaten a thing since yesterday. Not even coffee appealed to him. He wondered if all grooms felt this anxious.

  He pulled to a stop in a no-parking zone, right in front of Carla’s apartment building. He couldn’t back out now. He just had to get through the day the best he could.

  Franco exited the car at the same time she stepped onto the sidewalk. She rushed up to him with her overnight bag in hand. Her face was pale, but that was the only clue she was nervous.

  “Are you ready for this?”

  “As ready as I’m ever going to be. My father wasn’t happy about the mysterious party, but I talked him into going. What about your grandparents?”

  “They’re out of the country.”

  “Oh.”

  He didn’t like her disapproving tone. “What’s the matter?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing.”

  When she moved to walk past him, he stepped in her way. “If we’re going to marry, you have to learn to talk to me.”

  She glanced away. “I just wondered if getting married without your grandparents—well, if it would bother you.”

  “If this was a real wedding, yes, it would. But since this is a business arrangement, I can live with it. In fact, it’ll be easier this way. Besides, it’s probably best my grandfather and your father aren’t in close proximity.”

  She nodded in agreement.

  He took her bag and stowed it in the boot of the car before they set off on their journey. The fact of the matter was he had a surprise in store for Carla. He hoped she’d like it.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as they headed away from the center of Verona. “I thought we’d have a quick wedding in the city.”