So you wanted to listen in on the dinner talk, did you?

Chapter 116.

Jess' new dress was spectacular. I doubt it would have been quite so striking on anyone else. The gold- color brought out the flecks in her brown eyes, and the dress itself emphasized all of her curves without being too revealing. A peak of the top of her well-formed breasts and her slim thighs made her look even sexier than usual. Okay, maybe I'm prejudiced, but I think she's a gorgeous woman, never more than that evening.

I changed to a fresh button-down shirt, but decided against a tie. By six-thirty we were ready to go.

"Father will meet us there. He sounded excited about eating at Uncle Gianni's"

"And your uncle didn't object when you told him we were going to bring your father with us?" I locked the door behind us.

She smiled. "He said he's looking forward to seeing Dad again, now that he knows me and Nina."

"I'll bet." I had my own ideas about why Johnny wanted to see Peter.

She playfully punched my shoulder. "I hope you'll behave. This is going to be stressful enough for me."

We were both quiet during the ride, arriving at seven on the dot. Johnny greeted us at the door. "I'll take you to your table and bring Pietro when he arrives."

Jess glanced at me before replying to her uncle. "Are you sure you don't want us here to help you greet him?"

Johnny chuckled. "Don't you trust me to be civil with him?"

She shook her head. "It's not you I'm worried about, believe me."

She was right. Her uncle was an urbane man with impeccable manners. It wasn't surprising he made it in the restaurant and other businesses since he was good with people. Still, I remembered what she told me about what had happened between the two brothers in the past. I was sure they both remembered that too. While her father was more likely to cause trouble, Johnny wasn't going to ignore their past differences.

He winked at her. "Relax, Bella. I can handle him, maybe even put him in a good mood before he talks to you."

"C'mon, Jess." I took her arm. "Let's sit."

She finally agreed. Johnny had the hostess take us to a table. From my red velvet-covered seat I saw Senior enter and Johnny greet him, almost like a long-lost brother, which he was. Okay, they didn't exchange kisses on the cheek or anything like that, but they didn't exchange punches, either. If they traded insults, I couldn't tell. Still, as promised, Daddy dearest was smiling when his brother brought him to our table. I said a silent Thank you Johnny.

"I'm sorry I can't join you tonight. The restaurant is busy and I must make certain my other guests are well treated." Johnny grinned. "Let me or my staff know if you have any requests, anything at all. Buon appetito."

Senior rubbed a hand over his face as he watched Johnny move through the restaurant.

"Guess you didn't expect that kind of reception." I smirked at him. Maybe that had been Johnny's plan all along. Act completely opposite what his brother expected.

Peter turned to us. "To tell you the truth, I didn't know what to expect." He looked around the place, taking in the elegant furnishings and soft lighting. "Nice place."

"Your brother knows how to run a successful restaurant." I smirked at him.

"What's that supposed to mean? That I can't match him? You forget, I've been running a place in Dorsey for many years."

"So, you're planning a bar and grill like Boomers?" Jess kept her expression neutral.

"I'm not sure yet. Keeping my options open." He adjusted his suit jacket, then picked up the menu. "So, what's good here?"

"Everything. But I'd recommend the calamari to start and the veal Marsala." That was my favorite.

"The scallopini is better than Mom's." Jess smiled.

He shook his head. "No one could make that better than your mother did. I guess I'll take the good doctor's recommendation."

The waiter approached when I signaled we were ready to order.

"Beer or wine?" I asked Giordano.

He smiled. "This is a special occasion." He turned to the waiter. "Bring us your best Merlot."

"Very good, sir."

"And we'll start with an antipasto." Once the waiter was gone, he pressed his palms together and held them to his lips. "I've been wondering why the two of you asked me here tonight."

"Isn't it possible I wanted to have a friendly dinner with my father?" Jess smiled brightly. "It's time for us to let bygones be bygones." It sounded like she was borrowing a page from her uncle. It had disconcerted her father. Would it work again.

His eyebrows went up. "I take it you want something from me." He looked at me rather than his daughter.

"Maybe. But not what you think." I couldn't keep that smirk from making a reappearance.

"Doctor, how do you know what I think?" He smirked too.

Jess sighed. "All I want is for you to let me live my life the way I want. Nina and Petey do, too. You're moving to Princeton and we hope it isn't to interfere in our lives."

"Of course it isn't. Jessica, you know I love my kids. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"Oh, no? Maybe you don't stifled we've felt under your thumbs."

"I...I..." he sputtered.

"Let me finish and then you can say your piece." She swallowed. "I guess you thought you were helping us all, but to us, well, I at least always felt you were holding me down. Keeping me in Dorsey to do your bidding. But there's so much more I wanted to do."

"Like what?" He rolled his eyes. "I still don't know how you intend to support yourself, beyond your trust fund." He pointed to me. "I suppose House is supporting you. It looks to me that you've traded my protection and financial support for his."

She shook her head. "I suppose you'll find out soon enough if you stick around..."

"If? You're not getting rid of me so fast." His face was turning red.

"Will you stop interrupting? It's hard enough for me to stand up to you even now. Nina and I are starting our own business."

"Business?"

She glared at him. "Yes. A catering business. We've already completed contracts with suppliers, found office space, even developed a promotion plan."

I watched her face, proud that she was able to confront him. Then I turned to her father and smiled at the astonishment in his eyes. "Told you she didn't need you."

He got over it quickly, though. "I suppose I should let you continue with this foolishness, but I can't promise that I'll give you a job with my companies when you fail."

"Thanks for your confidence in me." Her scowl couldn't be more intense. "See, this is just why I could never work for you again. I'm not going to predict that we'll be more successful than you will, but I will assure you, you'll never have to worry about either Nina or I asking you for a job."

They stared at each other in silence for so long I felt I had to say something. "So, where's that waiter with our food?" I rubbed my hands together and looked around.

Giordano sighed. "Tonight was a mistake." He started to rise.

"Oh, sit down. We're not finished with you yet, and you still haven't tasted your brother's food. Wouldn't want to miss that." I smiled as the waiter approached. "Now, doesn't that look yummy?" I took some prosciutto, cheese and foccachia on my plate. Jess took half of the olives, since she knew I never ate those.

Giordano hesitated only briefly before he, too, loaded his plate with peppers, meat and mushrooms. "Smells good. I would bet the olive oil is imported." His voice was more subdued. I don't know what he expected about the food or us.

"I'm sure it is." Jess smiled slightly. "Uncle Johnny uses only the finest ingredients."

He nodded, but his mouth was too full to talk. When he finally had his fill, he turned to me. "So what else did you want to bitch at me about?"

"Oh, just a little matter of a hostile takeover of PPTH." I chewed my final bite of ham and swallowed. "You know it's been tried before, and not very successfully. None of us welcome the interference of so-called businessmen. The hospital is not a cash cow. It's a place of healing. And this one happens to also be a teaching institution. Administration of a hospital isn't the same as management of a hardware store or a dress shop."

"I thought you'd be delighted that someone with money to throw at the hospital would be taking over."

"Huh?" That wasn't what Cuddy said he was planning.

"I have no intention of micromanaging the day-to-day operations. I intend to endow a few departments, that's all." A sly grin appeared on his face. "Of course, those departments will have to prove to me that they deserve my support. Yours, for instance." His eyes narrowed. "What have you done to make the continued existence of the diagnostics department desirable?"

"You don't call that micromanaging?" The irritation in Jess' voice matched what I felt.

"Mr. Giordano, I can assure you, my department is a major asset to the hospital. If you're going to challenge me to prove it, you're going to have a fight on your hands the likes of which you've never seen before." I made sure to smile instead of frown. It wasn't easy. "And now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, it's time to focus on what the hell you're trying to prove, and to whom." I wanted to see him squirm, to sweat. To realize that, if he wanted a place in Jess' life, he'd have to play by our rules.

He didn't answer right away, but busied himself with folding and refolding his napkin. Our entrees appeared on the table and Jess and I dug in, murmuring our pleasure over our food. I took a bite of her veal, and nodded my approval. Her father moved his chicken around on the plate for a few minutes, but our enjoyment must have prompted him to eat. It changed him mood.

"This is fantastic."

"Didn't we tell you it was worth sticking around? Dad, whatever our differences, I hope we can be civil with each other, act like adults, enjoy a meal together occasionally."

He took the olive branch, nodding at her. "I would like that. I hope you know I worry about you. Your sister and brother, too."

"We know. You just have a strange way of showing it sometimes. But if we don't get in each other's way, maybe we can all live with that."