"Dating apps?" Sofia suggested. "Though those are hit or miss."
"I've tried. It's mostly miss. Tonight's flake was from the cesspool of online dating."
Meredith tapped her chin. "What about through friends? We could set you up with someone."
"Do you know anyone who isn't already married or in the life?" I gestured vaguely at the opulent room. "Because I'm not exactly mafia girlfriend material. I'm a wild card, let's be real."
"You'd be surprised." Sofia grinned. "You're tough, and sure, maybe a wild card, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I think I'll pass on dating mobsters."
Elena laughed. "Fair enough. What about your coworkers? Anyone interesting at the club?"
"Most of them are either taken or not my type." I sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I should just get a cat."
"Don't give up yet." Meredith's voice was warm. "The right person is out there. Sometimes they just show up when you least expect it."
I wanted to believe her. Really, I did. But sitting here surrounded by three women who'd all found their happy endings, it was hard not to feel like the universe had other plans for me.
Then again, their happy endings were part of the criminal underworld. Maybe I just had to accept that was all I'd wind up with too, especially in this life.
Still, I couldn't shake the image of Eric standing in that bar. The way he'd moved. The controlled violence in his grip when he'd taken Jordan down. The flash of something almost like regret in his eyes when I'd walked away.
Stop thinking about him.
I forced myself to focus on the conversation, which had shifted to some adorable thing Marcello had done that morning. But my mind kept drifting back to Eric.
Four years. Four years since he'd sent that text and disappeared from my life. Four years of trying to move on, of telling myself he wasn't worth the heartbreak.
And now he was back in Ironstone.
"It's a shame Anna didn't want to come," Meredith said with a sigh.
"She had her own hot date, remember?" Elena said with an eye wiggle. "She said it's going well, he's nice."
"Good for her." Sof tipped her glass. "Seizing life in both hands."
I didn't want to say anything snarky about how she was succeeding more than me in the dating department. She deserved it more than anyone else I knew. But it still hurt a little.
"Where are the men tonight anyway?" I asked, needing to change the subject in my own head. "I figured they'd be hovering around here somewhere."
Meredith and Sofia exchanged a look.
"Big meeting tomorrow," Sofia explained. "Potential ally for the Donati and Savoca families. They're doing all their background checking and prep work tonight."
"Sounds intense."
"It is." Meredith settled back into the couch, one hand absently resting on her barely visible baby bump. "Leo's been on edge about it for a few days. Whoever this group is, they're powerful enough to make him nervous."
"Which is saying something," Elena added. "Leo doesn't rattle easily."
Sofia nodded. "Grayson's going to go over everything with me when I see him tomorrow. Make sure I'm up to speed before the actual sit-down."
"Do you go to these things?" I asked.
"Sometimes. Depends on whether it directly involves Savoca interests." Sofia examined her nails, satisfied with the color. "This one does, so I'll probably make an appearance."
The idea of Sofia walking into a room full of dangerous men and holding her own didn't surprise me. She had that same steel core that the men of the family possessed. The kind of strength that came from surviving in a world most people only saw in movies.
