“Er, at the engagement party?”
“Oh, right! Yes, Idid.” Her expression relaxed and her smile widened. “I always have a good timeat parties. They’re like, my thing. If I could do them professionally, I would.Although Ezra’s head would probably explode.”
We laughed togetherand then I realized this was a really good opportunity to covertly pry intoEzra’s life uninvited. Hey if he could stalk me at my jobs, a little secretspying on my end wasn’t going to hurt anybody.
“He’s super intenseabout work, isn’t he?” I prompted.
“For sure. He’salways been like that. Our dad was a workaholic too. I would swear it’s geneticexcept I’m the total opposite.”
“You’re in culinaryschool though, right? Killian mentioned it Friday night when we hung out.”
She nodded, pattingthe basket hooked over her forearm. “I’m almost finished actually. I just havethis semester left.”
“Where are yougoing?”
“Charlotte. CAI.”
“Oh, my friend Verawent there. She loved it.”
Dillon grinned.“Vera is basically my hero. I love her.”
I smiled back, immediatelyendeared to anybody that loved the same people I did. “Me too.” I set my basketon the ground when it got too heavy to hold and resumed my snooping. “So, areyou going to get Bianca after you graduate? I hear Ezra is having troublefinding an executive chef.”
She glanced at theceiling, again reminding me of her exasperated brother. “I wish. But there’s noway Ezra would trust me with executive chef. Or even sous chef. Honestly, I’llbe lucky if he lets me be a dishwasher in one of the three witches.”
“The threewitches?”
“His restaurants,”she clarified. “It’s what I call them because he named them after three of theworst hags that I have ever met.”
I felt my eyes bug,but there was little I could do to hide my surprise. “Are you serious?”
“You have no idea.They were horrible women. They only cared about his money.”
Swallowing a laugh,I admitted, “I always pictured these great, passionate love stories. I mean, henamed famous restaurants after them! And the names are so… exotic.”
She rolled hereyes. “Please, Ezra is not that exciting. He works too much to have eroticaffairs. Really, they were just money hungry party girls that wouldn’t know agood man if he bit them in theirlipo’dasses.”
Dillon was thisperfect mixture of stuck-up socialite blended with sass and genuine charm. Ireally liked her. “If they were so awful, why did he name restaurants afterthem?”
She shrugged.“Revenge? To remind him of all the mistakes he’s made along the way? I honestlyhave no idea. He’s weird.”
“I agree with that.He is weird.”
Her smile wobbled.“But you like him, don’t you? I mean, you’re friends?”
Not in theslightest.
“Er, maybe? I don’t really know what we are, butfriendsdoesn’tseem to fit us.”
Her eyes brightenedand she nodded enthusiastically. “You’re friends,” she decided. “He talks sohighly of you. He’s always like, Molly this and Molly that and you should seewhat Molly did to the website. Honestly, I feel like we’re already friendsbecause I’ve heard so much about you.” She wiggled her finger back and forthbetween us.
I laughednervously, not knowing what to make of any of that. “Can I ask you a question?”
She dropped herheavy basket next to mine. It was full of ingredients I would have no idea whatto do with. “Sure.”
“He has this weirdthing with me wearing a coat. What’s that about?”
“What do you mean?”
