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“Glad we’re on the same page.” He winked. “Now, I need you to do me a favor and go to work tonight.” My lips barely parted, but before I could ask, he explained, “Vinny and I are going there for a meeting, so I figured you might want to work a final shift before temporarily stepping away.”
“I have so many questions.”
He smiled. “And it’s nothing you need to worry your perfect little brain about.”
Nodding, I agreed.
Lifting my chin, he swiped the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip. “Good girl.” Pivoting around, he picked up the tray of burgers and strode outside.
Good girl? Is he fucking with me? I brought my fingers to my lips where his touch was lingering and stood frozen. I wasn’t sure how long. Finally, I blinked several times while his words replayed in my head. Grabbing the slaw, potato chips, loaded nachos, and dip, I exited the back door, setting it in the middle of one of the tables. While Lucas and his friends played volleyball in the pool, and James and Vincenzo talked quietly by the grill, Elizabeth and I made several trips back and forth, gathering everything for lunch.
She reached over the table, grabbing one of the nachos, but Vincenzo cleared his throat. She lifted her gaze to him.
“You going to waste those too, princess?”
She huffed. “Are you ever going to let that go?”
He shrugged. “Thirty-seven dollars plus a room service fee, Lizzie.”
She rolled her eyes, twisting to my perplexed stare. “Long story. You know,” she whispered, changing the topic, “I wondered how things would be after Vinny and I started dating in the open. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the details a while back, but it all happened so fast and was like kinda forbidden. I didn’t even know what we were until we… were. We had so much to figure out, but gravity couldn’t keep us apart.”
Snickering, I shrugged. “Girl, you know I’m not even mad. We already talked about this anyway and I thought it was cute you were keeping such an obvious secret. I knew you guys were a thing the minute I came out of my interview with Dimitri, and you were storming out of that back room like a jealous girlfriend.”
She giggled. “That’s what I get for not asking him who someone is and getting mad before I knew the whole story.”
I wagged a finger at her. “Communication, young lady.”
She snorted, then took a step closer. “I still forget who he is sometimes. It’s hard to see him as that when I have,” we turned to see him and James laughing loudly at whatever they were discussing, “that version of him. The normal man who is focused on family and friends. But then again, he keeps me away from that life.”
I turned back to her. “Is it weird?”
“Is what weird?”
“Girls.” Before she could answer me, James interjected. We pivoted to him, and he pointed at the mini fridge behind the bar. “What do you want to drink?”
We waltzed over, both propping our elbows on the surface. I felt guilty that I couldn’t take my eyes off James. All I could think about were all the naughty things I wanted to do with him. Not that it was anything new, but lately, some things had definitely changed.
“What do you have?” Elizabeth leaned forward.
“The same stuff I had when you used to sneak alcohol and thought I didn’t know.” He arched a brow at her.
“Dad, really?”
James smiled, tugging the refrigerator door open, glancing down. “Do you want rum and coke?” His gaze darted between us.
“Sounds good.” Elizabeth beamed at me, and I nodded.
He took the rum and soda out, set it on the counter, then grabbed two plastic glasses from underneath the bar and set them down next to it.
Elizabeth elbowed me in the side with a snicker. “Do you remember when we were at that party, and you blamed the rum for—”
I glared at her with wide eyes, clenching my jaw.
“Yeah, anyway, it’s not important.”
James lifted his gaze to me. “What happened?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Rum and Maddie are an interesting pair, that’s all.”
