I look at the way he’s gripping the ice cream pint—the paper nearly buckling under the force of his fingers—and I don’t need to be a clairvoyant to know he’d rather be doing the same to my neck.
“Alicia!” Cecilia says when she spots her daughter, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “How was dinner?”
The girl beams. “You look so pretty in that dress, Mom.”
“Thank you, honey.”
Feeling his eyes on me, I glance back at the stronzo. His jaw is clenched so tightly it looks ready to crack. Shoulders rigid. Breathing clipped. And his eyes... those are the real spectacle. He tries to keep his attention on Cecilia and Alicia. But it never lasts. Every few seconds, inevitably, his gaze slips. And it always, always lands on me.
I don’t speak or move. I don’t even bother to look threatening. I’m simply standing here and the man looks one heartbeat away from exploding.
“Dinner was good. Sophia couldn’t make it, so it ended up being just me and da— just the two of us. We went to that burger place Ethan loves. The one nearby.”
Cecilia nods, smiling gently.
Her daughter’s attention moves to me, as if she’s only now realizing I’m standing here.
“Do I know you?” she asks, brow furrowed.
Cecilia smiles as she says, “This is Alexander. We met him last year in the Hamptons, remember?”
The girl’s gray eyes widen in recognition. She nods. “Oh! You brought that delicious fish Mom cooked for us—and you had that really cute dog, too. What was his name again?”
I let a small smile lift at the corner of my mouth. “Sam. I remember he liked you a lot.”
She smiles at that. And for a moment, the tension eases.
Despite looking so much like her father, save for the color of her hair, there’s something in her that is undeniably her mother.
Cecilia gestures toward the stronzo. “Colin, I’m not sure if you remember Alexander. Alexander, this is Colin, Alicia and Ethan’s father.”
He tightens his grip on the cup so violently the ice cream spills over his hand and onto the sidewalk. He curses under his breath.
“Excuse me,” he mutters through clenched teeth before turning his back on us and heading toward the ice cream shop two doors down, barely holding himself together.
Cecilia gives me an apologetic smile. I return one of my own. Letting her know I’m not the least bit rattled by his theatrics.
“What are you doing here, Mom?” Alicia asks.
“Uh... a studio nearby. We were taking a dance class.”
“Really? Didyoudance?” Her tone is skeptical.
Cecilia laughs, shaking her head. “See? Even she knows dancing isn’t my thing.”
I let out an amused breath, something between a laugh and a sigh.
“She’s being modest. Your mother was incredible.”
Alicia’s attention snaps back to me. “You were there too?”
“Yes,” I reply.
And Cecilia adds, “Alexander knew that it was something I wanted to try and was kind enough to invite me today.”
“Oh...” Alicia says, looking from her mother to me.
I notice the stronzo returning, and the moment our eyes meet, he’s glaring at me like he wants to set me on fire with his stare alone. It’s all right there on his face, the hatred for me, yes, but also the hatred for himself.
