It was only partially true. I knew why she disliked me. I should probably hate her for having her sights set on my man. But I didn’t get the sense that she was pining for Vincenzo.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Gabriella sighed.
“Try me.” I slid the book back on the shelf.
The other woman rounded on me. As she opened her mouth to speak, the door to the bookshop slammed open. She didn’t hide the flinch fast enough. Before she looked away, I caught the spark of fear in her eye at the sudden noise.
It made my heart thump double.
Crap.Another reason not to hate this woman.
“Well?” I insisted.
“There are few eligible guys, and you and your sister took two off the market,” she said quietly.
“Does that mean you aren’t secretly in love with my husband?” I confirmed.
“No,” Gabriella laughed, the sound hollow. “But I would have married him. Better that than someone…else.”
I had an inkling how marriages worked in the mob. Vincenzo explained it once, a long time ago. It was surreal to see the story-like version playing out in front of me.
“There are a lot of opportunities for you,” I insisted. “You don’t have to get married to someone you don’t want. I’m a lawyer; I can help you.”
She studied me. “You really believe that don’t you.”
“I do.”
“It must be nice to have grown up with options.” She tipped her chin up. “Enjoy that.”
Her phone rang, and she didn’t pay attention to my response.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” she said before hanging up. Ignoring me, she called out to her sisters. “Gia? Carmela? I have to go to work.”
The flock descended on her, letting out high-pitched, squeaky protests.
But Gabriella shook her head. “They need me at the restaurant.”
I pursed my lips and watched her leave, one of the guards splitting off to walk her out. I didn’t regret my position, but I had a feeling she would never forgive me for taking Vincenzo.
***
Another night of sleeping alone gave me a crazed rush of feeling when I woke. It only doubled when I walked out of the bedroom, nodded to the stone giant named Golia, and caught sight of what waited for me on the kitchen table.
My stupid heart did a little flip.
Damn you, Enzo.He was winning me over—and he wasn’t even around!
I brushed my fingers over the bouquet of flowers. I hated them. Or…I used to. After Vincenzo went to prison, broke our engagement, and didn’t respond to my letters, I decided flowers were just pieces of nature that died. That was how I felt. His fiore left to wilt and rot.
I’d spent years avoiding flowers like the plague. Even the prettiest blooms made me nauseated. I tried every so often to condition myself to them, stopping by a cute florist shop to browse, but it left me feeling sick.
Now, I didn’t dread the beautiful blooms.
Vincenzo sent them since work kept him on the streets. They were meant to brighten my day, to celebrate my new job. Lord, he was the perfect man. He knew how much I loved roses, and this was his way of saying he cared. That he paid attention to details.
He knows things are good between us.
Brushing my fingers once more over the bouquet, I left the loft with the guard. Another waited by the elevator. This one at least was capable of human interaction.
