"good plan," she murmured.

joe picked up his duffel. brenna glanced toward the tables and wondered if she should say something to nic about joining him in a few minutes. then joe started toward the house and she hurried after him.

temporary staff filled the kitchen. brenna collected a plate of food, a bottle of wine, and two glasses, then led the way into the dining room.

"take a load off," she said, jerking her head toward the large table.

joe set the duffel on the floor, then pulled out a chair. he took the plate she offered, along with flatware.

"is that wine all for me?" he asked.

she laughed. "don't sweat it. i'm not trying to get you drunk. i thought it would take the edge off. besides, marcelli wines is your heritage. think of this as the beginning of your education. your inheritance won't come for free."

he ignored her statement and glanced toward the kitchen. "you have any beer?"

"peasant," she muttered as she expertly opened the bottle of cabernet. after pouring them each a glass, she took the seat opposite his and sank onto the chair.

"are you all right?" she asked.

he sliced off a piece of chicken. "sure."

"you look a little shell-shocked."

his dark gaze narrowed. "the hell i do."

she laughed. "sensitive, aren't we? does this have something to do with your rough-and-tumble reputation? do you really know fifty-seven ways to kill me?"

he chewed without speaking. brenna sipped her wine and studied his face. his coloring was more italian than irish, but his features were a blend of the two.

"second thoughts about coming here?" she asked.

"i'm way past that." he picked up his wineglass and frowned at the contents.

"you're supposed to admire the color," she told him. "appreciate the blends of reds and purples. next, smell the bouquet." she demonstrated. "black cherry, chocolate, a little plum."

he sniffed. "it smells like wine."

she winced. "right. next, a sip. let the liquid roll around on your tongue as you experience all the-"

joe chugged about a third of the wine, swallowed, shrugged, and set the glass on the table. "not bad."

"that wine received a ninety-two from wine spectator," she said faintly. "it was so highly allocated we had people offering nearly double the retail price per case. i won a gold medal for that wine."

"it's fine."

she leaned back in her chair. "gee, thanks."

how on earth could her grandfather consider leaving everything to a man who said their prize wine was fine? it was so wrong, it was almost funny. she would start laughing just as soon as the pain faded a little.

the door to the kitchen opened and mia entered. "hi, joe," she said as she sashayed toward them.

he eyed her cautiously.

mia rested one hip on the table and leaned toward him. "so, you're quite the hunk. are there more like you at home?"

joe made a show of glancing at his watch. "aren't you up a little late."

mia grinned. "i'm eighteen, big brother. all grown up."

brenna waved her hand toward the door. "torture joe tomorrow. he's already nervous enough to bolt."

his intense gaze swung toward her. "what did you say?"

"that you're a little uneasy. it's perfectly understandable."

mia pouted. "but i want to ask about his friends."

"later."

her baby sister ignored the hint. "so if you don't want to talk about yourself, what about us? are we family yet?"

he shrugged. "sorry, no."

"brenna says grandpa lorenzo is going to want to leave you everything. that has to be exciting."

joe's expression turned unreadable. "maybe."

mia shook her head. "don't worry about offending me. i was never going to run the place. i'm sure there will be cash settlements on the girls, which makes me happy. but still, it's a big deal."

"a forty million dollar big deal," brenna murmured, feeling sick to her stomach.

joe frowned. "the old man doesn't even know me."

"not a problem," brenna told him. "traditional italian grandfathers love to leave the family business to their grandsons. that would be you."

"will you accept?" mia asked eagerly. "i would. i mean you can sell it or leave brenna in charge."

"thanks for the endorsement," brenna said.

she wanted to run from the room, but it was like watching a car accident. she couldn't seem to tear herself away, even though the truth was going to cut her to her bones.

"i wouldn't say no," joe admitted. "but it's not an issue yet."

brenna swallowed hard. "it will be. try to act surprised. it will make my grandfather happy."

mia pushed off the table. "okay, i'll go now. but i'll be hanging around tomorrow. we can get to know each other and you can tell me all about your hunky friends."

"i can't wait," joe muttered and returned his attention to his dinner.

brenna was grateful for the few minutes of silence. she had to collect herself, to figure out how to act normal. this wasn't news. she'd known that joe showing up was a possibility, and if he did...

maybe grandpa lorenzo wouldn't offer him everything, she told herself, even as she didn't believe the words. maybe...

she sighed. maybe she should just get used to the fact that the odds of her ever running marcelli wines was about zero. she had a plan, a chance for success with her own thing. that was good. better than good. it was great.

five minutes later joe finished dinner. brenna led him upstairs to the guest room at the end of the hall.

"you have your own bathroom," she said as she pushed open the bedroom door. "sleep as late as you would like." she grinned. "unless you want to rejoin the party."

"no, thanks."

he tossed his duffel onto the floor, then crossed to the window. it faced the backyard. from there he could see the people milling around.

"sorry i came?" he asked without looking at her.

"no. why do you ask?"

"my being here could change a lot of things."

"he's your grandfather, too. even though you've just found out about us, you're still family." she searched her heart. "i can't regret that you exist."

he smiled at her. "gee, thanks."

"you're welcome." she moved to the window and stood next to him. "i know this is all a little overwhelming, but you'll get used to us with time."

"i'd settle for keeping the names straight."

he was big and tall and despite her teasing, he probably did know fifty-seven ways to kill her. but that didn't mean he wasn't currently out of his element.

"did you ever think about what your real family was like?" she asked.

"sometimes." he closed the blinds. "i never pictured anything like this."

"i wouldn't think so. who could possibly dream up the marcellis?" she touched his arm. "i need to get back to the party. want me to check on you later?"

he scowled. "no."

she chuckled. "okay, then. i'll see you in the morning." she walked to the door. "you will still be here, won't you?"

"what do you think?"

"that you didn't get to be who and what you are by quitting."

"good call."

she opened the door and stepped into the hall. "despite everything, i'm glad you decided to pay us a visit, joe. good night."