Page 163 of Lovely Venom

“Well, you’re never decent,” I tell him. “So there’s that.”

“And I give zero fucks about it.” He smirks. “In fact, Gabi and I were just⁠—”

“Don’t need to hear it.”

“Like I’d tell you anyway.” He chuckles. “What I do to my wife is my business.”

“Is there a reason for this visit?”

“Yeah, your company just arrived. Abella and Angelo are keeping them busy until you’re ready.”

“Alright.” I sigh. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

33

CHANTEL

“Where are we going?” I ask.

Cristian squeezes my hand in his. “We have visitors.”

“Okay,” I draw out the word, a little concerned when I realize we’re heading to the courtyard.

There’s a distinct separation between guests who are greeted in the courtyard versus guests who are welcomed into the Vitale home. That distinction usually boils down to trust.

My mind reels with possibilities, but when we round the corner and I see Kenzie with Andreas beside her, it starts to make sense.

I’m so happy she’s here, I don’t even care that Cristian and Andreas are both casting suspicious glances at each other.

“Oh my god.” Kenzie flings her arms around me. “It feels like forever since I’ve seen you.”

“I know.” I laugh. “This is a nice surprise.”

She pulls back to look at me, some of her excitement dimming. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I assure her. “Despite the circumstances, I’m doing really well.”

“I still can’t believe Elias was the stalker,” she says. “It’s so insane I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it.”

“Me too.”

“Ciao, ciao!” Nonna appears, wheeling a serving cart to the table. “I brought you a little something to eat.”

“Thank you, Nonna,” Cristian answers gruffly. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“Nonsense.” She waves him off. “Mangiate!”

Her “little something” turns out to be cornetti, cake, pizzelles, a fruit platter, three different types of salad, and some random meatballs—just in case anyone’s still hungry.

Kenzie watches with wide eyes as Nonna finishes the spread with a variety of tea, coffee, and juice before she pats Cristian on the chest.

“Business is always better with something sweet.”

He thanks her again, and she wheels the cart off just as quickly as she appeared.

“I love her already.” Kenzie laughs. “Where can I adopt one?”

I want to tell her that she’d be more than welcome here, but it’s a conversation I’ve been too afraid to have with Cristian. Kenzie may not be Greek, but Andreas is, so she’s basically one of them.