Million-Dollar Marriage Merger Read Free Page A

her door. “Who could that be?” she muttered, taking up her purse and the file folder for her bank appointment and tucking it under her arm.
    She opened the door to Tony Carlino. More than surprised, Rena blinked. “Tony? What are you doing here?”
    He cast her a grim smile. “You wouldn’t return my phone calls.”
    “There’s a reason for that. I don’t care to talk to you.”
    “Maybe not,” Tony said. “But I have to talk to you.”
    Rena took in a steady breath and calmed her nerves. Just the sight of Tony brought bad memories. She’d gotten over him once and had moved on with her life. She certainly didn’t want anything to do with him now. “What could you possibly have to say to me?”
    Tony glanced inside her home. He’d been here before many years ago, but she certainly didn’t want to invitehim in. She’d never minded that she’d come from humble beginnings and that her family home was cozy and rustic, where the Carlino mansion had four wings of stately elegance, two dozen rooms, Italian marble and ancestral artwork that went back a few generations.
    “What I have to say can’t be said on your doorstep, Rena.”
    Rena glanced at her watch. “I’m on my way out. I don’t have time to talk to you.”
    “Then have dinner with me tonight.”
    “Dinner?” Rena had to focus hard not to wrinkle her face. “No, I won’t have dinner with you.”
    Tony let go an exasperated sigh. “I don’t remember you being so difficult.”
    She hadn’t been when she’d first met Tony at the age of sixteen. She’d taken one look at him and had fallen in love. They’d been friends first, Rena keeping her secret that she’d fallen hard for a Carlino. Tony had a smile that lit up her heart, and when they laughed together, Rena thought she’d died and gone to heaven. It had been painful holding in her feelings, not letting on that she loved him. It didn’t help matters that Santo Carlino was trying to run her parents out of business.
    “You don’t know me anymore, Tony.” Rena lifted her chin. “If this is about easing your conscience about David, you’re wasting your time.”
    Tony’s face tightened. His dark eyes grew cold. He stared at her for a moment, then as if gathering all his patience, he took a deep breath. “I haven’t got a guilty conscience, Rena. But what I have to say is about David.”
    Rena glanced at her watch again. It wouldn’t do to be late for her appointment, yet he’d caught her curiosity. “What about David?”
    “Have dinner with me and I’ll tell you.”
    Pressed for time and jittery about her bank appointment, Rena relented. “Fine, I’ll have dinner with you.”
    “I’ll pick you up at eight.”
    “Okay, now at the risk of being rude, I really have to leave.”
    With a quick nod of agreement, Tony left and Rena breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t think about seeing him later and breaking bread with him. She’d seen the determined look on his face and knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Frankly, she didn’t have time to argue. The bank appointment was all she could focus on. “One hurdle at a time.” She mumbled David’s favorite words of encouragement every time they’d faced a challenge.
    She had more important things to worry about than having dinner with Tony Carlino.
     
    Tony drove out of the Purple Fields gates and turned right driving along the roads that would lead him to the Carlino estate. Vineyards on both sides of the highway spread across the valley rising up hills and down slopes, covering the land in a blanket of green.
    He’d only been home about three months, and he still felt disoriented, unsure of his place here in Napa. He’d come home because his father had been ill. And now, as the oldest son, he had to assume responsibility for the business working alongside his two brothers. His father had expected as much from him.
    The timing had been right for his return. He’d made his mark on NASCAR and had enjoyed every minute