“Not as loudly as when he tried to remove his leather pants,” Dorothy adds as an afterthought. “That was not a good afternoon for Steve.”
“A house tour?” Delilah asks hopefully, getting up and putting her empty mug in the sink. “Maybe you want us to document the bedroom?”
“Absolutely not,” I say, my voice suggesting they’re almost crossing a line.
“I apologize,” Delilah mutters. “In our excitement we don’t always remember what’s appropriate.”
Dorothy shuts her notebook and gets up too.
“Welcome to Baywood,” she says warmly, looking at Antonio. “I hope you know you got one of the good ones.”
“The absolute best,” Delilah adds.
“Okay, ladies,” I say, not knowing where to look.
Antonio takes my hand. “I know.”
CHAPTER 58 – ANTONIO
Caspian drops me off in front of the trattoria, leaning in to kiss me onemore time before I have to go. I step out of the car and miss him immediately.
I miss his presence, the solid weight, the way he smells.
“Tesoro!” Mom hugs me when I head into the kitchen. “How was your sleepover?”
“It wasn’t a sleepover!”
“Okay,” she says, smiling knowingly. “How was your grown-up night with your amore?”
I scowl.
“Where’s Maria?” I tie my apron, thinking back to our rotation. “Or is Leo in tonight?”
My parents hired Leo two weeks ago. As a person, he’s very grumpy. As a waiter, he’s worse. Mom is convinced his people skills will develop over time with enough nurturing, but I think a career in a windowless room without human contact would suit him the best.
Mom checks the time and frowns. “Your sister should be here already.”
“Leo had the morning shift,” Dad explains. He smiles benignly, glancing at Mom. “Only two customers left in tears.”
“We’re making wonderful progress!” Mom says firmly.
“I’ll text Maria and start setting the tables,” I say, but I don’t even get my phone out before the door swings open and Maria rushes in. Sophia is with her. They’ve both been crying.
“What’s wrong?” Mom asks, worried.
“Penelope Stone just destroyed Sophia’s life,” Maria says, her voice sharp with fury.
“What?”
“We lost a patient,” Sophia says quietly.
My stomach drops. “What happened?”
“It was a high-risk surgery,” she explains. “We all knew the odds, but…” Her voice trails off.
Maria rubs her back as I struggle to process.
“I’m so sorry, Sophia. But I don’t understand. How does this ruin your life?”
