I stop breathing.
Notte Bianca.
The lights are on. The tables are set. The restaurant is empty except for us.
I turn slowly in the middle of the room.
“What…?”
“I bought it,” Nico says simply.
I stare at him.
“You what?”
“Got a good price too,” he adds dryly. “That Donald guy seems to be scared of me. Can’t imagine why.”
My brain struggles to catch up.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.” He gestures around the dining room. “It’s yours now. Do whatever you want with it. Starting tomorrow.”
My chest tightens.
“Nico…”
“But for tonight,” he adds softly, “you’re not the boss yet. So sit down and enjoy,mia regina.”
Before I can respond, Erin appears like a proper hostess.
“Good evening,” she says with exaggerated professionalism. “Table for two?”
I laugh through the tears already gathering in my eyes.
Amber appears with a bottle of wine.
“The house’s best,” she says, pouring carefully.
Rose brings a small arrangement of flowers and sets them in the center of the table.
“Daffodils, tulips, and cherry blossoms,” she says with a wink. “New beginnings.”
Savannah delivers the food herself, placing each dish down like she’s presenting art.
For a moment I just sit there taking it all in.
The lights. The laughter. My friends. And then, Nico.
God, he looks unfairly good tonight. Dark suit, sleeves rolled slightly at the wrists, that calm dangerous presence he carries like a second skin.
When he catches me staring, his mouth curves slightly.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly.
“You were looking at me.”
