Chapter 3

"Are you nervous?" Her mum quizzed as she smoothened Gianna's hair in front of her vanity mirror into a successful high messy bun after a failed attempt. 

"A little."

"It's normal, with time you'll feel at ease." there was silence during the process of mascara and gloss application which spared Gianna some wondering time. "There you go." Her mother smiled at her unbelievable creation. "You look gorgeous, honey. Come on, serve me a hot twirl."

Gianna did as was told with a pleasant smile, her lovely illusion-neckline cocktail robe twirling in the process. It was her favorite shade; Turquoise as her mother knew it. When she sat down once again with her smile drooped on the sides, she looked at her mother and asked, 

"What if he Isn't my first?"

"I don't remember you to have two daddies. Or is there a part of your existence I'm missing?" She rhetorically quizzed earning a chuckle from her daughter. "What I'm trying to say is, he's the first of his kind. Then again, I don't see my daughter seeing someone without her mum knowing."

When Gianna didn't say anything, Louisa pushed, "Isn't that the case?"

"It is."

Louisa smiled. With a hand holding Gianna's, she said, "I want to be your best friend, Anna, I want to know all that you're going through. I know that this is the part of your life where you undergo a lot of life challenges and I want you to know that you will not go through this alone, okay?" Gianna nodded. "Even though I'm hardly ever around, I will create time to give you a listening ear whenever and wherever because I love you, sweetheart."

Touched by her mother's revelations, Gianna precipitated to crush her mother with a hug. "I love you too, mum. Thank you."

Once the hug broke, Gianna felt her reliance unlock. She wanted to tell her mother about Sean, but on second thought, if she did, there was no guarantee that her mother will not meddle which will only get her and probably them all into more trouble. Silence sometimes was the best therapy for the ignorant.

Her door swinging open and a protruding head proved her date had arrived.

"Daddy's waiting," Petra alerted.

Gianna made it midway through the stairs to see her father fidgeting with his tie. Petra had a frown on as she watched him.

"I'm sorry, Petra, this is really not for—"

"I prefer you without it." Gianna made her presence known earning a stupefied look from her father followed by a dazzling smile.

Dressed in a pair of navy blue jeans beneath a suit jacket, Mason eased off his tie and hung it over Petra's neck.

"You're stunning, Gianna darling. What a lucky man I am to accommodate such goddess." He stretched out his palm for the descending giggling Gianna to hold. He kissed the back of her hand, then her forehead.

"Indeed, Mr. Donovan but do not forget, your curfew is at eight-thirty. No more, no less."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Petra, do you have something to add?" Louisa addressed her younger daughter.

Petra twisted her lips, undecided. "Oh, wait." She ran to the dining table, plucked out a Poppy from its vase, urged her father to bend over with a come hither palm flap and planted the flower in the breast pocket of his suit jacket. "Give it to her when you make it to the restaurant." She whispered to him.

"Thank you," he whispered back, seeded a kiss on Petra's hair, and left.

"Before I forget," Mason handed Gianna the Poppy before pulling a chair for his date to sit. They had decided to drive to Spring's dinner where he occasionally visited with Louisa and was the most classic dinner Philipstown had to offer. Small compared to the city's yet glamorous and decent.

"Thank you." Gianna took in a whiff.

After a brief order to the energetic waiter in the restaurant's signature black pants, white dress-up shirt, and burgundy waist apron, Mason pinned his full attention to his daughter.

"How have you been?" He unhurriedly began a conversation after minutes had drained. "With school, friends, and all."

"Never been fine." She tried to sound convincing.

"Great. So how'd it go without Mimie?" His question met with the arrival of their meals. Too preoccupied with her mind and trying to keep up the act of persuasion, Gianna hadn't spotted a difference in her environment until the perception of a new, familiar accent.

"Mr. Donovan, nice to see you once again, and you too, Gianna," The owner of the slightly accented intruding voice cheerfully said. His smile almost appeared genuine like it had done all the time they had shared meals on Easter and thanksgiving, sweets on Halloween, and gifts on Christmas. How unctuous to a blind eye. 

"Sean, how are you?"

Gianna's rebellious eyes fluctuated from Sean to her father. She had never known he worked at Spring's dinner and her parents who visited almost often never told her. Not vital information, however, it picked her interest.

"I'm fine, sir."

"Gianna and I are spending some alone time tonight," he proudly said, "I thought it would be fantastic to bring her here."

Sean turned to Gianna with a cool glare only she could understand. "You thought right, Mr. Donovan. There's no better place to acclimate such a wonderful date than Spring's dinner. You're welcome."

"Always so hospitable."

To her stretched surprise, Sean smiled wider than before. It was healing yet lethal. Gianna almost thought he had never been or will never be mean to her if the current day's images didn't blind her with his malicious smiles and taunts. She shivered merely thinking about it.

"I'll inform Red to regulate the air-conditioner," he impishly smirked. "And take my leave now, Mr. Donovan, Gianna." He bowed and nearly left. "Before I forget, tell Mimie I dig that book donation project idea she came up with today."

Gianna gritted her teeth. When her father's stare demanded clarification, she knew she was done for. First of all, the project wasn't to be known by anyone until the next week when all the flyers were programmed to be available. How did he know about it? Why did he mention it if he didn't prove a disrespectful act of eavesdropping?

"Mimie? I thought—"

"I'm sorry, dad, I lied." She eye-stabbed Sean's retreating figure.

"Why? Is there something happening in school I should know of?"

"No."

"Then why the lie? Why did you look sad this morning?" Her father urged. "Talk to me, Gigi. What's bothering you?" Gianna hesitated. "I'm not going to pressure you, darling, the least I need right now is anything that will ruin this moment. Let's eat before the food gets cold." He chewed on a slice of fillet steak while gesturing to his daughter to have a taste.

"Can we return to New York City?" She blurted instead. Mason almost choked. Barely gaining consciousness with a glass of water, Gianna added, "better still, can you transfer me there?"

"Why? I mean, what's wrong with Philipstown?" He wiped his mouth, "you loved it here, what changed?"

"I still love it here, dad, trust me, but, I miss my friends; Julia and Seth and I don't find high school fun without them." 

"Middle School was?"

"That was perseverance." She absentmindedly stabbed the poor sugar lime-baked salmon on her plate. 

"You don't go to school to have fun, Gigi. Whatever it is that is bothering you, tell me, I'm your dad, and...that is the purpose of this tête-a-tête." Gianna sulked. "Your mother and I thought there's something wrong ever since you made it to high school. Tell me, is someone bullying you?"

Gianna chuckled, "with the tricks I learned from mum, I'm more of the bully in the establishment."

"Okay, though I don't want you being that. However, the answer to your question is no."

"Why? If you worry about a roof on my head, there's Uncle Marley and aunt Zaphrina," she pressured. "You know they won't mind."

"No, Gianna. You stay here and proceed with Cold Spring High," he firmly said. "If you have any worries with anything be it study-related or extracurricularly related, you have Sean to help you out. That's one big opportunity you ought to grab."

"Do the McCarthy genuinely appreciate us?"

Her father frowned at her impromptu question as he adjusted on his seat. "Of course they do. Why?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering if...we could maybe give them some more land, say 44 by 40 or more?" 

Her father laughed a bit. "Gianna, what has come over you tonight? First, you want a transfer and now you suggest giving more land to the McCarthys? I don't get your point, honestly." Gianna pouted. "We were generous enough to give them a portion of the land. Not everyone will do that. That's a lot of reason for the McCarthy's to kiss our feet but we don't want that."

"Come to think of it, it would've even been worst if the bank portioned it and sold it to hundreds instead of one or use it to generate a sort of government revenue from Hotels or amazing parks or whatever. Not to talk of their home, without us they'll have been homeless."

He had a point. The McCarthys had to kiss their feet. Sean Vladimir had to kiss her ass. Gianna nodded although it was more to her conclusion than to her dad's. She felt a lot better. She felt ready to confront Sean.

"The salmon here is very delicious." 

"That's what your mum orders every time we come here." 

Gianna took her time to chew and only after she'd swallowed did she gather the courage to ask, "Do you mind me having a boyfriend?"

Mason's brows quirked. "Who's the beef?"