Page 25 of Marcus

Ah, there was his add-on to this nonsense.

“How he is or looks, for that matter, has nothing to do with the fact he invited me to accompany him to a dinner party his mother is throwing so that I can get to know her a little bit before I move ahead with some plans for the penthouse. Quite an evening, I guess, I even needed a new dress.”

Silence saturated the kitchen.

Cella didn’t miss it. “What?”

“Like a date?” her mother asked.

Great.

There was that word again.

Wasn’t it bad enough that she kept thinking of it that way even if it was more for work than pleasure? She certainly didn’t need other people thinking of it the same way.

“It’s not a date, Ma.”

“Are you sure?”

Cella sighed. “Pretty sure, yeah.”

Light laughter filled the room.

Her ma was still looking at her, though. In that way. A way only mothers could. One that said Jordyn could read her daughter’s mind and didn’t believe a single thing she was saying.

Shit.

Cella didn’t even believe herself.

So what if it wasn’t a real date?

Part of her might like to think it was.

Her parents shared a look, but before anyone could say anything more about it, Cella decided to close the conversation. “I really have to get going and get on the road.”

“Right, right,” her ma said, “well have fun.”

“And be safe,” Renzo added.

She shot the man her middle finger down at her side where her daughter couldn’t see it. God knew Tiffany did not need to be learning that gesture from her mother. Crossing the kitchen, she cupped her daughter’s head full of golden curls before dropping a kiss to her crumb-scattered, smiling lips.

“Love you—be good for Auntie, okay?”

Tiffany smiled brilliantly. “I will, Ma. Say hi to Marcus, okay?”

Soft chuckles echoed around the kitchen.

Cella ignored them.

“I will, baby.”

She thought no one had followed her out of the house, but Lucia quickly opened the door right after she closed it.

“What?” Cella asked, hovering by the stairs on the porch.

“Just … I know you said this weekend isn’t a date, right?”

“It’s really for work, yeah, but … maybe it’s a little bit of both.”