She shifted in her seat. “Okay, well, Piper was going out with this guy. They’d been seeing each other for a few months. She was crazy about him, but we all secretly thought he was a bit of a douche. Anyway, long story short, he came on to me, and Piper heard the whole thing. We were in the garage, and she threw a wrench at him. Unfortunately, Piper can’t throw for shit, and she missed. But Alex was with her and went ape-shit, tackling him to the ground. Deke jumped in and pulled her off. And Piper’s boyfriend, seeing his chance, jumped up and made a break for his car. But in his hurry to get the hell away, he flooded the engine and the car stalled, and I…”
Reid was struggling to hold it together, but with how miserable Rusty sounded reciting her tale, he didn’t dare laugh. “And you what?”
She groaned. “I went after him, climbed in my dad’s tow truck, and rammed the asshole’s fender. I’d pushed him halfway across the parking lot before my dad came out and stopped me.”
“Shit,” he choked out.
She snorted. “You can say that again. The guy actually did crap himself.”
He laughed, unable to hold it in. “Poor bastard.”
“He totally deserved it.”
“Yeah, I guess he did. I bet you have a few more stories like that?”
The smile slipped, and she looked away. “Yeah, a few.”
He didn’t know what just happened, what caused that killer smile to drop, but he got the feeling if he pushed, she’d push right back, and he didn’t want to ruin what had started off to be a really good night. So for the rest of the drive he kept things light, worked at bringing that smile back.
They arrived at the restaurant a short time later. Costa’s belonged to Law’s aunt, and he came here often. The atmosphere was cozy; he guessed some would say romantic. It was also welcoming and had the best pizza in Miami.
When they walked in, Law’s aunt Connie bustled over, making a fuss over him, kissing both his cheeks, then scolding him for not coming sooner. He’d known the family since he met Law in high school. He didn’t know what either of them would’ve done without Connie and her family over the years. They’d been there for Reid when he’d had no one but his mother, and she’d barely been able to take care of herself most of the time.
These people were family to him. He’d never brought a woman here before and decided not to think about his reasons for bringing Rusty tonight, what it might mean.
“And who is your lovely date?” Connie asked, a smile on her soft, round face.
“This is Rusty. I thought she should try some of your world-famous pizza.”
Connie beamed. “Always the charmer.” She turned to Rusty, who was still clutching his hand. “Rusty? This is a nickname, yes?”
“Ah, yes.”
“What is your given name?”
He felt Rusty stiffen slightly at his side, then she mumbled, “Jane.”
Jesus. The name couldn’t be more wrong for her. The woman was no plain Jane, not at all.
Connie screwed up her face. “Okay, I’ll call you Rusty.”
Rusty made a little snorting sound and squeezed his hand. He could feel her body shaking against his. “I’d like that,” she said, laughter in her voice.
Connie headed across the restaurant, showing them to their table in the back. She took their order, brought them wine, and bustled to the kitchen.
He took a sip of the tart liquid, smooth on his tongue. He rarely drank, his introduction to alcohol, and more importantly what happened to some people when they drank it, had put him off the stuff for life. He only made an exception when there was a special occasion.
He looked across the table. Like tonight.
Rusty was playing with her napkin, smiling over at him. “This place is great.”
“I spent a lot of time here as a kid. The place is owned by Law’s family.”
“You’ve known him a long time?”
“Yeah. I guess you could say they’re like my family as well.”
She fidgeted with the napkin some more. “And your family. Where are they?”
