"And last he heard Hugo wasn't responding."
I wince. "Imiiighthave ambushed him."
Vivi shrugs. "Nobody ever moved forward by standing still."
Daisy side-eyes Vivi. "You're full of wisdom today."
Vivi winks at her in an overdone and leering way. "You tell Mama what you need, I'll make it happen."
Daisy shakes her head as she palms her forehead. "Prepare yourself for what's coming next," she mutters to me.
"Wha—"
"You gotta problem? Yo, I'll solve it." Vivi sings, deepening her voice and jutting out her chin.
Daisy eyes me. "She must like you if she's doing her Vanilla Ice routine in front of you."
Vivi looks at me, sending me the same wink. "Might as well get comfortable in front of Mallory now."
My brows pinch in suspicion. "Why is that?"
"Because Hugo's in lo-ove."
My cheeks flush with heat, my hand waving back-and-forth over the table, as if I'm declining something. "He feels bad for a pregnant lady. That's why he's being nice."
Vivi snorts. "Keep telling yourself that. I know my brother, and I've never seen him so..."
Her lips twitch as she searches for the best word. "Invested."
I laugh off Vivi's words, even as my stomach flutters. "He's indulging me."
"I don't think so," Daisy says. "It's time, if that makes sense. All of it. He's retired from a successful fencing career. He's stepped into the operation of Summerhill, a role his dad always wanted for him. It's time for Hugo to wade through all the feelings he's been running from for years." Daisy glances at Vivi. It seems Hugo isn't the only person Daisy thinks this of.
Sal arrives at the table holding a tray. "Here's your usual, ladies." With a shaky hand he sets down two large saucers and cups, holding what looks to be a latte with a heart formed in the foam.
"Mallory, I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty ofmaking one for you also. Decaf," he adds, sliding the dish in front of me. He's not blushing, but he seems bashful. It's probably one of the cutest things I've ever seen.
"Thank you, Sal," I say, picking up the coffee. I love the warmth of the cup, the curl of the steam. "You're so thoughtful."
"It's vanilla," he says, his voice taking on a grumble. "If you don't like vanilla, well, I don't know what to tell ya." He turns away as quickly as possible for his age, retreating with the empty tray dangling by his side.
Daisy cups a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter. "What in the world was that?"
Vivi's laughing, too. "That's how he acts around pregnant women," she whisper-hisses. "It's the emotional equivalent of being all thumbs. He wants to treat you like you're made of glass, but he's not happy about his inclination to treat you like you're made of glass."
I'm laughing too, but my heart is doing this stretch in my chest, almost as if it's making room for the sweetness of Sal's gesture.
Vivi and Daisy settle into mundane conversation. I sip my decaf vanilla latte, listening, picking up on details. Daisy and Penn are remodeling his childhood home on the adorably named Lickety-Split Lane. Vivi is worried because recently she noticed a group of employees huddled together, and when she walked past, they stopped talking.
"They weren't looking at me with guilt, like they were talking shit about me," she says. "They were looking at meas if they felt bad for me. Kind of like they thought I was pathetic."
"You're the boss," Daisy reminds her gently. "It probably had nothing to do with you."
"Sure," Vivi says, sipping her coffee. "They were probably discussing how drunk they got last weekend, and who slept with who." Vivi looks at me. "In case you don't know, restaurants are lawless places."
"I was a server to put myself through college. The debauchery was disturbing."
Vivi nibbles her lower lip. "I'm still perturbed by the way they shut down when they saw me. I know I'm their boss, but this was different."
