“I thought that was your uncle?”
His eyebrow raised again. A nervous awkward fucking laugh filled the air. Nervously I tucked a loose hair behind my ear. “No. I lied about that part…Lucien is someone I never planned on…”
“Fucking?” Miguel asked pointedly.
“We shouldn’t be discussing this, honestly,” I said. “I just wanted to let you know why I didn’t return your feelings.”
His face contorted; I could tell he was fighting to stay in control of his emotions. He leaned forward and his eyes seemed to go dark. “Tell me what he has that I don’t have, Simone. Honestly, tell me. I want to know.”
The mood had completely changed.
Oh, girl, he’s about to lose his mind, I thought.
“Miguel…I…we’re friends. Please, let's not mess this up.”
His face relaxed but he stood up abruptly. “I have to go now.”
“Ah..wait..”
He was already gone, his food left uneaten. Part of me wanted to run after him. I had hurt his feelings but another part of me knew he needed space. I gathered up our uneaten food and tossed it.
Walking out of the Panera, I reached for my phone and dialed a number.
“Are you with our father? We all need to have a little chat!”
I knew Albie had to be behind this shit with my shop. My blood had started to boil at the thought of him setting the fire while my father watching on gleefully.
