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“Thanks.” She smiles. “You, too. How’s it going with Mr. Italy?”
“Good. Great, actually.” I smile back at her. “He’s so fucking beautiful, Nat.”
“Liv, just be careful. This guy broke you twice already.”
“I know, but it’s different now.”
Her eyes hold mine. “Have you met his family?”
“No.”
She rolls her lips, unimpressed.
“Only because it’s been hectic. He’s had so much on, and there are people in the fucking house all the time.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s security, drivers, cooks, and house maintenance. I’m lucky to get him alone for two minutes. If we do, we go to bed and end up fucking all night and I forget everything I wanted to talk about.”
She gives an overexaggerated eye roll. “Oh, poor you, cooks and cleaners and a sex god. Sounds woeful,” she mutters dryly. “How do you cope?”
I smirk. “When you put it like that.”
She raises her glass and we clink them. “To Italians.” She smirks.
“To Italians,” I repeat with a giggle. My phone vibrates on the table, and the name Rici lights up the screen. “Hello,” I answer.
“Hello, my bella,” his deep voice purrs down the phone.
A goofy grin erupts at the sound of his voice. “Hi,” I breathe. Natalie rolls her eyes at me.
“We are just coming out of the offices now. I’ll be there in five minutes,” he says.
“Okay, see you soon.”
He hangs up.
“Look at you,” Natalie sighs. “You’re like all starry-eyed when you speak to him.”
I smile as I drain my glass. “He’s the one, Nat. I’ll bet my life on it. I’m marrying him.”
“Oh, Jesus. Just calm down for two minutes. It’s, like, week six.”
“I know, but sometimes you just know these things. I have to go. Are you coming to the gym with me in the morning?”
“What time you going?”
“Seven—seven thirtyish.”
“I can’t, I’m starting at eight.”
“I’m so excited you got the job.”
Her eyes widen. “Can you believe it? Me! A personal assistant to a judge.”
“So, you’re going to wear what we talked about? The black suit.”
“Yes.” She scrambles around under the table and finds the plastic bag. “Thanks for the shoes. I’ll give them back as soon as I have time to buy some new ones.”
