Or rather, he ignored me all the time until he deigned to insult me or question something I was doing. I had no ill will towards him, I mostly just wished he would shut the hell up.
We chatted politely for a few minutes, despite everything I had heard them say just an hour before, but then Ambrose joined in and my part in the conversation ceased. Fortunately, Rosetta came in only a minute later, pushing a trolley full of plates. Rachel had been right. The plates Rosetta placed in front of me were laden with food — a larger portion than I thought any of us would manage.
The flattened and tenderised chicken breast was smothered in rich homemade marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella, sundried tomato and parmesan. It smelled great, as I’d come to expect from anything Rosetta whipped up. The steamed seasonal vegetables, vibrant greens and oranges, sat by a small serving of hand-cut fries.
“Looks amazing Rosetta, thank you,” Kaleb said as Rosetta placed his plate down in front of him. She smiled in thanks and patted his shoulder before moving on.
“You four enjoy now, can I get you anything else before you eat?” she asked, looking around the four of us. When no one said anything, she bid her goodbyes, wishing us a lovely evening. Her cheery disposition and the delicious-looking food didn’t stop my mood from being sour.
“Good night, Rosetta,” Rachel called from the other end of the table, as Rosetta retreated out and into the hallway again with a polite wave of acknowledgement.
I barely controlled my urge to roll my eyes. It was petty but I couldn’t look Kaleb or Rachel in the eye for the rest of the night. I barely spoke a word as their conversation flowed around bites of food. An occasional nod or one-word replay was about all I could manage.
I couldn’t believe they’d been questioning me, my abilities to take over for Kaleb. Here, I’d thought that I’d been doing a good job.
What were they going to do if I didn’t rise to their standards? It’s not like they could take back the arrangement between them and the Bellucci’s. Hmph. That put a small triumphant smirk on my face the rest of the night.
They were too far gone, they couldn’t back out now. They had no choice, despite their opinions.
