Anna chuckled over the line. “Yeah, but it was actually a misunderstanding, and they have the guy in custody. Honest. I’m not in any more danger than usual.”
Than usual? At this point, Marlie didn’t care. She knew one woman in this town who could potentially be considered a friend, and Anna was it. “I’m almost there.” They were meeting at Smiley’s Diner, which was just a few blocks from Marlie’s apartment.
“Me, too.” Anna clicked off.
Marlie found a parking spot by the curb and slushed through the billowing snow into the diner, instantly relaxing as the smell of homemade apple pie hit her. Her stomach growled, and she moved down the counter to a nice clean booth in the back, sliding in and shucking her coat.
The bell over the door rang, and Anna walked in, shaking snow out of her thick hair. She spotted Marlie and made a beeline to sit across from her. Today she wore a navy-blue suit with a pretty pink blouse. Stunning sapphires sparkled from her ears. She pulled out of her wool coat and set it on the seat next to her. “Morning.”
“Hi.” Marlie straightened her green sweater. “I like your suit. What do you do, anyway?”
“I’m a lawyer,” Anna said, brushing more snow off her skirt. “What about you?”
“I teach at the college. Or I will when the spring semester starts in a few weeks.” Marlie paused as a pretty woman with reddish-blond hair and deep green eyes brought over a coffee pot and turned over their cups.
The woman started to pour. “Mom called and said Nick’s grandma was making noises about us dating. You need to talk to him.”
Anna nodded. “And say what?”
The waitress stiffened. “To knock it off. I don’t want anything to do with him.”
Anna’s grin revealed that dimple. “Marlie, please meet my sister, Tessa. Who has a crush on Nick Basanelli and should stop hiding it.”
Tessa smiled, and the resemblance between the two women became noticeable. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you. You live next to Bosco, right?”
Man, it was a small town, and the Albertini family seemed to have zero secrets. “Yeah. It’s nice to meet you, too.” Marlie reached gratefully for the cup of coffee and took a sip. Delicious. “Who’s Nick?”
“Nobody,” Tessa said firmly.
Ah. It was like that, was it? “I get it,” Marlie said honestly.
Anna rolled her eyes. “Nick is the prosecuting attorney, and we once worked together. Tessa blushes when we talk about Nick, he gets cranky when I talk about Tessa, and if you ask me, they should just get a room and work out their frustrations.”
“You sound like Nonna,” Tessa groused, turning her attention on Marlie. “You just missed Bosco and Rory. They had breakfast.”
Heat filtered into Marlie’s face. Her thighs were still whisker-burned from the man.
Tessa patted her shoulder. “Yeah. I thought so. Bosco is a great guy, but if you can’t handle his job, then let him go.”
“I don’t have him,” Marlie burst out and then calmed herself. “I can handle any job, but we’re not dating.” The monkey-sex night notwithstanding. “When a guy tells you you’re just friends, you believe him. It’s that simple.” Yeah, she’d forgotten that last night, but it was a one-time thing—no matter how great the jackass was in bed. “Right?”
Both Albertini women nodded. “Yeah,” Anna said. “Definitely.”
Tessa’s gaze narrowed. “Of course, men are morons.”
Marlie ticked her head. “You’re not wrong.”
The door burst open, and the man in question stomped toward them, scattering snow. “I saw your cars. What the hell are you two doing having brunch like there isn’t an insane stalker leaving Anna bodies?”
Marlie’s breath seized. Wow. Bosco Albertini in a full temper was a sight to see. He looked broad and dangerous in his muted green jacket and faded jeans. His eyes blazed a wild amber, and he had his jaw clenched tightly enough to show off his tough-guy neck. “Um,” she whispered.
“Um, nothing.” He reached around Tessa for Marlie’s arm. “Out of here. Now.”
Anna snorted.
He turned on her while starting to pull Marlie from the booth. “Get your ass up and move. Now.”
Anna’s snort turned to chuckles, although her grayish-green eyes narrowed dangerously. “Listen, cousin. I have one man already bossing me around, and since he provides phenomenal orgasms, I let him. You, on the other hand,are about to get your butt kicked.”
