I quickly toss her clothes in the washer before returning to keep her company.
There’s no sign of Moreno, Nikki, or Nova for dinner this evening. If I had to guess, Dante suggested they go out to eat. It’s not as though Moreno is doing much work this evening with Harper’s parents under their roof.
“You have a lovely house,” Catrina says as she takes a seat across from us at the dining room table. Her husband sits beside her, with Dante next to him, and Nikki sits across from him.
I grab the seat next to Mom, hoping to make it a little easier for Harper if I’m between Mom and her.
Harper sits with Zeke on her lap.
“Can I make anything special for Zeke?” Nikki asks after everyone’s seated.
“There’s plenty of food,” Harper says, noticing the spread on the table of everything from mashed potatoes and squash to roasted chicken and brisket. “He’ll be fine.”
Everyone serves themselves, passing the dishes around. I help dish out food on Harper’s plate since she’s holding Zeke and he keeps reaching for everything on the table.
I don’t know what she likes to eat. I also don’t have any idea if Zeke has any allergies. She hasn’t mentioned anything, so I’m hoping everything on the table is okay to serve her.
I fill her plate with enough food to feed two adults.
“That’s more than enough, Luca.” She laughs as I keep heaping more potatoes onto her plate. Those have to be a safe food for Zeke. I don’t want him choking on dinner. “Are you trying to feed a hockey team?”
“Well, in case he likes it, I wanted you to have enough.”
“Did I just hear hockey?” Jacks asks, grabbing my attention. “Do you play?”
“Yeah, I play for the Narwhals,” I say, putting enough food on my own plate for myself now that I’ve taken care of Harper. “I’d love to go pro someday.”
“Isn’t that every hockey player’s dream?” Dante says without the slightest hint of admiration for me.
Can’t say I’m surprised.
He’s made it known that he despises the sport and, even more so, my career aspirations. But it’s not like all of that matters anymore.
“Please, feel free to start,” Nikki says as she gestures toward everyone’s plates. She’s still dishing out her own meal onto her plate, but she’s trying to make sure that the guests know they can start eating.
Catrina smiles, her gaze on Zeke. “What are your plans after college if you don’t make it onto a professional team?”
“The realist,” Nikki says with a soft laugh.
Dante’s cold stare is on me, waiting to hear what I say. “I plan on joining the family business.”
“Oh,” Jack says. “What is it you guys do?” He turns his attention to Dante, waiting for him to explain his profession and endeavors.
I take the opportunity to shove food in my mouth, so I’m not forced to talk. If I’m eating, then hopefully they’ll leave me well enough alone. Plus, I’m starving. I skipped lunch, big mistake, so I’m more than hungry for dinner.
“We handle quite a bit of temporary contracts and provide support services for those businesses that need assistance,” Dante says.
That’s my father’s code speak for shaking down businesses and offering muscle for those businesses he acquires.
“Sounds quite busy,” Jack says, clearly not having any inkling of what Dante does for a living. He glances around the dining room. “But clearly, your business does well. You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you,” Mom says. “What about the two of you?” She always knows how to steer the conversation away from trouble.
It’s probably wise that Moreno and his family were out for the day. It might seem odd having two families that live and work together under the same roof.
No sense in rousing suspicion with Catrina and Jack.
“I’m home with Zeke,” Catrina says, “but I worked as a barista at the ski resort in town since they first opened. I’ve been with them since new management.”
