“I didn’t even ask anything yet,” Juliet fires back.
“I already know what you’re going to ask,” Gino says. “And it’s not happening.”
“Seriously? It’s not like we’re going into the city,” Juliet argues. “We’ll be ten minutes away.”
“I still don’t like it.”
I’m not sure what to do or say, so I hover awkwardly while they argue. Then I feel Mateo step up beside me.
“Can I add something?” Mateo cuts in.
“No,” Juliet snaps, shooting him a look that clearly says don’t test me.
Mateo rolls his eyes dramatically. “I don’t like it either,” he says, unfazed. “But take someone with you.”
“We don’t need anyone with us,” she says firmly. “It’s a girls’ trip—no boys allowed.”
Gino arches a brow. “Are we teenagers again, Juliet? You’re going to go anyway, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Juliet replies without hesitation.
I can’t help it—I snicker.
Gino lets out a long sigh and looks over at Mateo. Mateo gives a small nod.
“Fine,” Gino says at last. “You can go. But if there is any trouble, you call us, and someone will be there.”
“Deal.” Juliet grins and turns to me. “Come on, Vanessa.”
She loops her arm through mine, and we head for the door.As we step out of the kitchen, I glance back and smile at the two of them before we disappear down the hall.
We make the ten-minute drive to a parking lot where the farmers market is set up. I love farmers markets on my days off. If there’s one in the city, which there almost always is, I’m there.
We wander through the rows, Juliet picking out fresh fruits and vegetables as we go. I stop at a stand overflowing with fresh flowers—sunny yellows, soft pinks, and bursts of lavender everywhere I look. I manage to talk Juliet into picking out a bouquet to brighten Gino’s house and my apartment.
After more than half an hour of shopping, we stop by Juliet’s favorite coffee cart, Java the Cup. She orders a vanilla latte and a ham-and-cheese roll, while I go with a caramel iced latte and a cheese Danish.
Once we sit down at a small table tucked into the market, Juliet lets out a content sigh.
“This is always my favorite part,” she says, glancing around. “The people-watching. If I could, I’d sit here all day and just watch everyone.”
I laugh at that. “I love people-watching too. It’s something we love to do at the hospital. When it’s quiet. We make up scenarios about what the doctors and nurses are talking about. Some of my coworkers come up with the wildest stories.”
“Oh, I bet,” she says, smiling back at me. “I hope you enjoyed the time away from the guys. They’re great, and they’re my closest friends, but they can be a bit overbearing at times. Gino especially. He feels this responsibility to protect all of us, since most of us aren’t really part of the mafia world.”
“Really?” I ask, surprised.
“Yep,” she says. “My parents met your dad in college, but they had no idea what he was involved in until after he died. By then, I was already too far in, working for Gino, to let them stopme from helping him.” She pauses, then adds, “Mateo and the Cambio brothers are the only ones who were actually born into this life. The rest of us? We all became friends in college.”
She shifts slightly in her seat. “After graduation, Gino started a business, and that’s how we all ended up working here. He really thought we wouldn’t need to be involved in the mafia side of things, but separating himself from it has been harder than any of us expected.”
“And you became a housekeeper?” I ask.
She nods. “That’s what I chose. It keeps me close enough to help when I’m needed, but it also gives me a cover—just in case things ever go south.”
After we finish our coffee, we stand and start making our way back to the car. Halfway across the lot, a prickle of unease crawls up my spine. I feel watched. My pulse quickens, but when I glance around, I don’t immediately see anything out of place.
Juliet seems to sense it too. Her pace picks up, and I hurry to keep up with her.
