Page 108 of Tailored for You

“Then what’s with the fanfare. These two,” I pointed to Donovan and Angelo, “look like they’re about to jump out of their skin.”

Donovan and Angelo stopped fidgeting immediately.

Enzo looked at them and raised his eyebrows.

Angelo cleared his throat and took a step forward. He was always the quieter of the pair.

“There is a five-and-under soccer league,” he said and handed me a brochure. “We, with your permission, of course, would like to sign Harper up and be the coaches.”

Both men stared at me with a desperate hope.

“Harper did seem to enjoy the soccer game,” I said. I wasn’t a sports person, but that didn’t mean Harper wouldn’t find joy in them.

“She did. We’ve been kicking the ball around before dinner. She has great hand-eye coordination,” Angelo said.

“What’s the schedule like?” I asked.

I was going to let Harper join, but I liked how eager and hopeful they were. It was adorable. They took part in shootouts and whatever other things Enzo had them do. It was easy to forget that they were still very young.

I wasn’t even sure they were of drinking age. An uncomfortable feeling ran through me. I should know that, especially because of how much they’d been there for Harper and me.

“Practice is Tuesdays and Thursdays at five fifteen. It will last for one hour, typically,” Angelo said. “We played soccer our entire lives. We’ve taken some coaching courses during high school.”

“Okay.” I shrugged. “Sounds like fun. When do we need to get the equipment by?”

Enzo laughed. “I will get Harper everything she needs. Don’t worry about it.” He nodded at the men. They turned and left, high-fiving each other as they entered the house.

“Thank you for saying yes,” Enzo said, sliding my plate back to me. “They’ve been very stressed about asking.”

I laughed. I took a few bites before I asked, “Why? It’s a great idea. Harper is an active little girl. She can be shy in new situations, but since she’ll know the coaches, she’ll feel more comfortable.”

“You know Donovan and Angelo were scouted, offered some scholarships, and all that in high school.”

“Really? Then why,” I stopped, unsure of how to ask my question.

“Why are they here, working for me when they should be in college, enjoying a carefree life?” Enzo supplied. I nodded. “Some things happened, family issues, but that’s for them to tell you if they want to.”

“Okay.” I trusted them. With how nervous they were, I knew they cared about doing a good job. “What about the team? How are they going to recruit them?”

Enzo smiled and threw an olive in his mouth. “Let’s say they’ve been talking to some teachers and nannies at Harper’s school.”

“Got it.” I sipped some wine and adjusted my position to face Enzo fully. He licked his bottom lip, pushed his chair back, picked me up from mine, and sat back down with me in his lap.

“This is better.” A finger twirled my hair. I rolled my eyes, pulled my plate over, and ate while Enzo answered emails from his phone.

The summer sun warmed our skin, and my previous exhaustion washed away.

Never would I have thought life could be so good to me.

CHAPTER 33

Serena

“Are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?" I asked. We were driving in the car, but Enzo wouldn’t tell me where we were going.

Apple and Charles disappeared three weeks ago. Besides helping Minnie mourn for her son, it was as if he had never existed. Charles had already been a ghost in Harper’s life, and now it was true.

Apple was a different story. Days after she disappeared, her firm made the news—she was the ringleader of a Ponzi scheme, stealing millions from investors.