Just as I was getting ready to leave for the day, my phone rang. “Hello?”
“Victoria, this is Elena. I’m really sorry I haven’t had a chance to talk to you directly. It’s been hectic here. I spoke with Anna and wanted to check in.”
I quickly stood up even though she couldn’t see me and tried not to make a fool of myself as I nervously answered. “Elena, I mean Ms. Salas. It’s so amazing to speak to you. Meet you. I mean. Sorry, thank you for everything. For this opportunity.”
Chuckling, she said, “It’s Elena. And you’re very welcome. I hear good things about you already. I think you are going to do well. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything. I have to run, but great job on the Austin project.”
“Thank you. I’m so grateful to have gotten it,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound as breathy as I felt.
“Take care. Talk soon. Ciao,” she said, followed by the dial tone. Pulling the phone away from my face, I smiled and did a happy dance. Wait until I told Ren that I’d spoken to Elena.
Now all I needed to do was stay focused.
I could do that, right?
seven
. . .
Miles
“Susan, have I told you how much I appreciate and value you?” I asked my office manager, who returned my praise with a deadpan stare. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling because I knew this look. She knew how grateful I was that she and her husband Don had come with us from NorCal to San Diego. But she hated when I gushed.
“If you’re making a pass at me after all these years, I’ve got to tell you that Don is starting to take Krav Maga and can flatten you like a bug.” She walked out of my office, leaving my door wide open like my mouth.
“Did, did you just make ajoke?” I blurted out to her retreating back.
“You wish, Austin.” With that, she disappeared. I couldn’t wait to tell Luke about this. He had tried to get her to smile for years, which was hilarious, since they had been mirror images of each other until Sofia came into his life.
I leaned back in my chair and ran my fingers through my short beard. I thought I’d seen a gray hair there the other morning while brushing my teeth, and it almost made me choke. Thirty-two wasn’t old, but some days my body reminded me that my twenties were a distant memory.
Why this thought made my mind drift to Vicky wasn’t a mystery after the group text Luke and I received last night. Picking up my phone and scrolling back to it, I let out a resigned sigh. There was no need to read it, since I had memorized it word for word.
My thumb hovered over the words anyway, as the same feeling of dread washed over me as when I first got the text.
Enzo Lazzara:Hey, guys. I meant to reach out when Vicky first got there. Please look out for my baby sister. She’s never really experienced, well, anything outside of Rome. If she needs anything you know of, please let me know. Thanks.
Luke:Hey, man. Vicky’s doing great. Miles needs a decorator, so he’s her first client! Be proud of her. We’re all looking out for her.
Enzo Lazzara:Just as long as she stays focused on work. Nothing else.
Me:Will make sure of it. Don’t worry
I groaned as the thought echoed in my mind. Enzo was making it perfectly clear: Stay away from his younger sister. As if the glare he shot me at his wedding last year hadn’t already made that obvious. I just wish he could see her the way I did. She was just out of university and moved to another country to pursue her career. Who does that?
Yes, she was only twenty-four, but she had a magnetic pull within her that drew everyone around her in. Her shyness was sweet. Adorable really. But beneath it all, there were glimpses of a strength and courage her own brother didn’t seem to recognize in her.
His baby sister.
I scoffed and pushed my phone aside. Yeah, that’s not what I saw when I looked at Victoria Lazzara. I was convinced that there were layers to Vicky that I’d be lucky to discover. I heard her laughing when I entered the house the other night, and it was like listening to the most beautiful music. Her amber eyes held a depth I wanted to delve into.
The way she looked and smiled at my daughter rendered me speechless. MJ had her full attention, and I could see Vicky scribbling in that notebook, trying not to miss a thing. The thought of the two of them dancing in her room was enough to keep me awake at night.
And those curves. Blowing out a loud exhale, I rubbed my face and tried to erase the image of her in those jeans.
“Inappropriate, Miles,” I muttered to myself, getting back to work. “She doesn’t need some guy drooling over her.” Why did I say that? Now the thought of some guy drooling over her was like swallowing a rock.
“Miles?” A knock on my open door startled me, and I looked up to find one of my new coders, Nathan, staring at me. “You okay? Is this a bad time?”
