I apologize profusely for the delay in posting this chapter. During our travels, I've had a lot less time to write, post, read, etc. than I anticipated, and often had no Internet access. We'll be home in a few days, and I hope to be able to return to posting regularly.

Chapter 76.

The next day, as I sat in my office, whiling away my time on my computer, I had a brainstorm. It took Jess' ideas for Nina's new party catering venture one or two steps further. I grinned as I planned how I'd tell Jess, and then we'd both explain the plan to Nina.

When Jess stopped by at eleven to give me the latest statistics from the study, I had my chance. I barely glanced at the stats, then placed them to the side on my desk. "We've been going about this all wrong."

Her brow frowned along with her mouth. "The study?"

I shook my head.

Blood drained from her cheeks. "You mean you don't think we should be living together?"

"Huh? No!" I snickered. "I'm not talking about us. I mean Nina. She's good at organizing, especially parties, right? But that doesn't mean she has to start a catering company from scratch, hire all the staff herself, or develop a client list."

Jess crossed her arms and stared at me. "And you're going to tell me what you think it does mean."

I was so intent on explaining the idea, I ignored the sarcasm in her voice. "She should convince some restaurants that she can manage their party rooms. The only staff she'd need would be Petey and Ellie. She won't even need a chef. The food would come out of the restaurant kitchen."

Jess frowned. "You can't run a business like that with just three people, Greg."

"Why not? The restaurants will be able to offer home catering with Nina to organize it, and they'll use their own staff with the addition of Ellie and your brother, so it'll be to everyone's advantage."

"But she'll be limited by what the restaurants can produce."

"Any more objections?" I didn't let her answer. Instead, I waved that off as a negligible problem. "She can get around that."

Jess finally grinned. "And she'll start with The Taverna, I suppose."

"That's certainly a possibility. As long as Niko is included in the package."

"I guess it could work, at least to get her started." Although she wasn't as enthusiastic as I'd expected, at least she was getting the idea. "But it'll be up to Nina to decide whether she's willing to relinquish so much control to the hands of someone else. And also whether she wants to hire Ellie and Petey."

"So we're going to tell her about the plan?"

"Sure. As you say, why not." She pursed her lips. "This approach might also keep Nina's vulnerability to my father to a minimum."

"How do you figure that?"

"He might take each of his children on, but I doubt he'd attempt to tangle with any restaurant owners he doesn't know."

That surprised me. The day before she was worried that he'd somehow attack the hospital because she was working here, so why would he hesitate with a restaurant? "Why not?"

She took a deep breath. "Because he has more respect for anyone who runs a restaurant than for anyone else." Her grimace indicated that she wasn't any too happy about that.

"There's got to be more to it than that. What part are you leaving out?"

"Oh, only that his family owned a restaurant in Italy, and his brother, the one I told you about? The one who came to the U.S. after Father did, he made a fortune in the restaurant business, in addition to the produce business and everything else he touched."

I scratched my chin as I thought about that. "He never made the attempt himself." But then I remembered the restaurants in Dorsey. How could I have forgotten? "Except for the Italian restaurant you told me about, the one that closed after your grandmother died, and Boomers, which seems to be going strong."

Jess nodded. "It's not the success he wanted it to be. I think he dreamed of starting a chain of bar and grill places throughout New Jersey, but there's just the one."

"It seems to draw a crowd. The food was good the couple of times I ate there."

She shrugged. "It's the only game in town, and it doesn't hurt that the cook, Shorty Travers, settled down there with his wife and six kids."

"Why didn't he ever think of putting Nina in charge of Boomers instead of the dress shop?"

"She's a mere girl. He couldn't imagine that she'd be able to handle a real business. Hmmm, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all."

"But he accepted your abilities to manage his financial affairs."

"My father can be practical. He might not have any respect for women in general, but I showed him what I could do early on, so he ignored the fact that I was female."

"Then how can he object to what you're doing now?"

Jess shook her head. "He hasn't yet. But he won't be happy that I've convinced Nina to attempt anything he's certain she can't do."

"So he'd be wrong on two counts. You didn't convince Nina of anything she wouldn't have eventually done on her own." I grinned. "And she can do it."

She put a hand on my arm and grinned at me. "I'm glad you have so much faith in her."

"I have faith in you, and you say she's good at organizing parties, so what else am I to think?"

Jess suddenly shrugged. "I guess we'll see what he does or at least tries to do when she tells him her plans."

"Whatever she decides to do, and if she even tells him."

"Oh, she'll tell him. I think she'll take great satisfaction in doing so, even if she worries about his retaliation. I do think she'll go for your idea." She put her hands around my neck. "The first step is to share your plan with Nina. I'll call her later. Meanwhile, I'd better get back to my numbers." She let go of me, stepped back, and reached for the report she'd brought me. "Lunch in forty-five minutes?"

I nodded, then watched her leave. I decided to spend the forty-five minutes putting together a defense against Peter Giordano Sr. I might not need it, but it was best to be prepared. The bits and pieces I'd learned from Jess and her siblings about dear old dad gave me a few leads to follow. The first, and hopefully the best, would be to contact the man's brother, the successful one, the one with contacts in the restaurant business.

All I knew was that his name was Giovanni, he had a produce-selling empire and had branched out into the restaurant business. A search on the name Giovanni Giordano and produce drew a blank. Maybe he changed his name. Peter hadn't always had that name, surely. Probably Pietro or something. So I searched on John or Johnny Giordano and bingo! The man had a produce empire indeed. And not one, but three restaurants, one not too far from Princeton. Well, well, well. This would work quite well, that is if he'd be willing to work with his niece.

At noon I went to find Jess to tell her the latest wrinkle, and to have lunch.

"What?" Hands on hips, she scowled at me when I told her what I thought. "Are you trying to make matters worse?"

"Why would it be worse?"

"Aligning Nina with Uncle Giovanni will really make my father angry!"

"I thought he wanted his to set things right with his brother."

She shook her head. "Not anymore. He's sworn vengeance on the entire family."

I added that piece of information to the picture I had of Peter Giordano. "OK, let's switch this around. What if Nina went to your father for his help in setting up a business to rival Giovanni's?"

"You mean you think she should open her own restaurant?"

"Why not?"

"Because..." Her brows drew together and she shrugged. "I guess it's a possibility. One with a big party room for people to hold wedding receptions and sweet sixteens and anniversary parties."

"Does anyone have sweet sixteen parties any more?"

"You'd be surprised, although they've come a long way from what they used to be. We can give Nina all of your suggestions and see which one catches her fancy." She smiled. "I'd like to help her set it up from a business prospective, that is, if my boss will give me the time."

I worked my mouth as I pretended to consider that, then finally nodded. "But now we have more important things to do. Let's eat."