Page 27 of Effortless

Camilla wasn’t ready to burn that dream for her mother.

Not yet.

On the island, Camilla’s phone dinged with an incoming text. She discarded her work to wash her hands, and check the message.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Tommaso’s contact rolled across the home screen with an accompanying text. You busy? That was the only thing he asked.

Camilla considered ignoring it, but a part of her didn’t want to. At the moment, yeah. Dinner with my parents.

Later, then? His reply was damn near instant.

She couldn’t help but grin.

A couple of hours and I’ll be free, she messaged back.

I’ll pick you up, came the reply.

Camilla almost asked how he knew where her parents lived, but didn’t bother. He was friends with Cross, so maybe that was how. Plus, she recognized Tommaso’s last name, and knew of the father he had mentioned to her. He was likely connected to the criminal organization in Chicago—the Outfit, people called it.

That was his business, though.

He didn’t share.

She didn’t ask.

See you then, Tom.

“Who was that?” Emma asked when Camilla put the phone back down.

“Don’t worry, Ma. The next time August comes to visit, I am sure she’ll fill you in on all the dirty details. You don’t need me to.”

Emma smirked. “Nope, I sure don’t.”

“You’ve really never been to Luna Park?” Camilla asked.

Tommaso held out a piece of cotton candy for her to take. She bit the sweet candy straight from his fingers, and sucked on the tips to clean them off. Her wink only made him laugh, and grin in a way that had her stomach clenching.

“Never. Been to New York lots of times, but I never came down this way.”

“Coney Island and the amusement park is like … a rite of passage for tourists.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Can’t say I’m really a tourist, though.”

“Might as well be.”

“New York is a lot like Chicago—less windy, maybe.”

“Chicago is not like New York. At all. New York is far better, thanks.”

Tom glanced over at her with a wicked glint in his eye. “Do you really want to get into it with a Chicago native over which city is better?”

“We have proper pizza.”

“Define proper, Cam. You can get a good pizza on every block in Chicago. But we’ve got killer hot dogs that you can’t beat. It’s a damn art form. Try again.”

“Yankees. Mets.”