Page 49 of Tailored for You

She walked over. The moment she spotted Enzo, her smile grew.

“Hello, my dear.” She bent down, touching her cheek to mine. “Have you eaten yet? I’ve been trying to make a reservation here for ages, but it never worked out.”

“Well, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Charles said behind his mother. I wanted to throw up. It was one thing to see Minnie while I was having lunch with Enzo.

It was an entirely different situation to be faced with Charles. I straightened, knowing this was a prime moment for Charles to create drama.

“Martina is a friend,” I said, gritting my teeth.

“Of course she is.” Her eyes went wide when she looked over at Enzo. “Well, it’s a pleasure to see you again, Enzo.”

Oh no. The minute we left, Minnie was going to hit me with a thousand questions I wasn’t sure I could answer. Ones like I thought you didn’t want to date, or please tell me he’s good in bed, or, even worse, when’s the wedding? Each one would be filled with excitement that her son hadn’t ruined me for all men, but would become increasingly more invasive.

I hadn’t even told her about the break-in yet.

Charles’ gaze went from me to over my shoulder. His face darkened. I prepared myself for what he was about to say because it was going to get ugly.

“Oh, are you on a date?” he sneered. “You never were one to dress up. Can tailor, can’t dress.”

“It’s clear this was a surprise. Who doesn’t love surprises? Especially when it involves handsome men and beautiful restaurants?” She winked at me. “Senior is calling for me, but it’s wonderful to see you out like this, sweetheart. I can’t wait to chat later.”

Minnie swan dived away, over to Charles Senior, who was chatting with an older couple.

“Oh, I concur with Charles.” Apple came up behind him, sliding an arm between his. “You were always good at serving. Maybe they should get you an apron.” She smiled and tilted her head. “I’m sure you’d fit right in.”

A body brushed against my back. Without turning, I knew it was Enzo. He’d always been calm, but Apple had the unique ability to send anyone into a rage.

If there were two things she was good at, it would be spending someone else’s money on herself and rage baiting.

“Oh, is this a work meeting?” Her insinuation was clear and loud enough for nearby tables to hear. I recognized some of them as former clients and wanted to disappear into the background, but I couldn’t.

“It’s lunch, and you were interrupting,” Enzo said, staring at her, bored. “You were lucky Martina let you in, but that can easily be fixed if you don’t sit.”

“Yes. It’s very easy for me to tell you to get out and blacklist you,” Martina said. I heard her but couldn’t see her until Charles turned.

Martina was in her chef’s jacket. It was clean, which meant she hadn’t been cooking, more likely ordering around her lunch staff while she stood off to the side.

“I have thousands of followers. One post about how poor your service is and—” Apple made an explosion sound with the hand gesture to match.

I couldn’t help it. I snorted. Once I started, I couldn’t stop laughing.

Was Apple that stupid, or did she think she had so much influence over other people? She had such an inflated ego, and I couldn’t wait for Martina to pop it like a balloon.

“You could try.” Martina shrugged, throwing a small hand towel over her shoulder. “I’m not the one to mess with, though. And once I make you look like the fool you are, the only place you’ll be able to eat is the Bodega down the street, and even they’ll laugh at you when they see you.”

“Apple, cease speaking and sit down for all our sakes. You’ve already ruined my morning. I won’t be banned from my favorite restaurant because you have no idea how to act when you see Serena. Sit down and stop talking,” Minnie ordered.

“I think that’s a wise decision,” Enzo added. I glanced over my shoulder. Enzo was glaring at Charles.

Charles’ face grew pale as he noticed Enzo’s glare and the menacing vibe that screamed: “Try me.”

Charles, who had stood behind Apple, happy as always to have her do the dirty work, tugged on Apple’s elbow.

“What?” she said as she whipped around. He bent and whispered in her ear. She stomped her foot like a child, brushing past him and stalking to their table. It was then that I saw Charles Senior, sitting at the table, reading the menu, like his son, and whatever Apple was to their family wasn’t causing a commotion.

But then, Charles Senior wasn’t involved in any kind of altercation unless Minnie forced him to be. He cared about making Minnie happy and making money. He’d given up on trying to parent Charles into a better person a long time ago.

Minnie hugged me, squeezing tight. Pulling back, she gave me a peck on the cheek, pointed between Enzo and me, mouthed love it, smiled before walking away.