“Cara. Cosa è successo?”Amara stood outside the restaurant, cleaning the few bricks that had gotten slightly darker. Apparently, my aunt had decided that we couldn’t leave them like that.
Stepping up next to her, I studied the sparkling wall. Not sure it was the best use of her time to scrub bricks, but there was no way I’d try to stop her.
“Zietta. What are you doing here?”
Kissing her cheek, I put my arm around her shoulder. She was shorter than me, making her the perfect height to lean on.
Amara put down her rag and spray bottle. “I ordered the fridge, oven, and benchtops. They said they can install them in two weeks. That should be plenty of time to get the kitchen ready.”
I cringed at the thought of closing my restaurant for at least four weeks. Once we’d sorted the water damage in the kitchen from putting the fire out, we still had to find a way to get rid of the smoky smell in the dining area.
And all our alcohol was gone, the bottles damaged from the heat. Vlad had already sorted out replacements, but theywouldn’t be delivered until we were ready. He’d also found limoncello, Italian wine, and grappa, all from Italy.
I didn’t know how he’d managed to get his hands on everything so fast. Especially since it looked like every single bottle had an identical replacement.
“It shouldn’t take that much time. One good thing about having a small space is it won’t take too long to clean. We’ll get started first thing Monday.”
Amara dropped her cleaning supplies in a bucket and nodded. “You’re still going to Chicago, aren’t you?”
Neither Amara nor Vlad thought it was a good idea. But for once I ignored their disapproving frowns and did what I wanted. Liam had managed to take up most of my thoughts, and I had no intention of flushing him out any time soon.
I knew we were from different worlds. I knew he was used to women throwing themselves at his feet. He also spent more money in a single day than I would in a lifetime.
But none of it mattered because being with him felt right.
“I’ll only be gone for two nights. And it’s the weekend anyway. This is our chance to take some time off. And then we’ll get stuck into cleaning first thing Monday.”
Time to change the topic or she’ll call my mom.“Want to grab a coffee?”
Stashing the bucket in the doorway, she linked her arm through mine. “You paying?”
“Depends on what you’re ordering.”
Amara liked to order everything in the display case. According to her, sampling each piece would ensure she had exactly what she wanted.
“Just coffee. I’ve already had breakfast.”
We grabbed a coffee for Vlad as well, then picked out tiles. The only thing we hadn’t looked at were plants, but after quarreling with Amara and Vlad about the shape of thebathroom tiles for over an hour, I had no mental capacity left to continue our argument over the shape of plant leaves.
Liam hadn’t texted or called all day, and I hadn’t either. I didn’t want him to think I was clingy. No matter how much I wanted to see his name flash on my screen or hear his voice.
Vlad dropped me off outside my apartment building. “You need a lift to the airport?”
I’d mentioned flying back to Chicago, but we hadn’t talked about it further. Once Amara and Vlad teamed up, chances were good I’d find myself duct-taped to my one and only chair if they didn’t want me to go.
“Pete can drive me.”
He scoffed. “Nonsense. I’ll drive you.”
I knew there was no stopping him when he’d set his mind to something. “If you’re sure.”
His pinched expression told me he was holding back whatever he wanted to say. Instead, he nodded, and I got out, waving to his retreating car. I barely noticed Pete following me anymore. He was quiet and unintrusive, but always close enough to make sure I was safe. He’d followed us back to my apartment, and I watched him get out of his car.
I waited for him outside the building, knowing he wasn’t happy about me driving in a car with Vlad. When he made it to where I stood, he opened the door for me and held it while I went inside.
After we made our way back to my apartment, he stayed in the hallway, despite my repeated invitations to come inside. As soon as I closed my front door behind me, my eyes went straight to the empty chair in the corner. A pang of longing hit me, and I swayed on my feet.
My feelings scared me as much as they excited me. And tomorrow I’d see him again. I wondered if it would be differentseeing him in Chicago. The longing to talk to him became too overwhelming to ignore, and I sent him a text.
