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The urge to take a step back is strong, but I stay in place.
He’s the one who moves, but not before his hand brushes my forearm. “I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon if I don’t see you before then.”
Chapter 17
Rocco
“It’s a strange coincidence, isn’t it?” Gina looks over to where Marti is standing near the entrance to the restaurant.
“What’s a coincidence?”
I haven’t been following the conversation since we arrived at Calvetti’s. Gina took a call from a friend on our way here, so I was afforded a few minutes of travel time to decompress.
The urge to ask the Uber driver to turn his car around so I could go back to my apartment and sit in the darkness was strong, but I could tell that Gina needed the company.
“You live in the building next to that gorgeous doll, Dexie.”
I smile at her description of the captivating woman I can’t stop thinking about. “It is a coincidence.”
“When we were here last week, you thought you saw her, didn’t you?”
I expected the question. I could see the wheels churning in Gina’s head as she put the dots together after meeting Dexie earlier.
“Yes,” I answer evenly. “We hadn’t met at that point.”
“But you had noticed her at that point?” The corner of her mouth lifts into a half-smile.
“I thought you wanted to have dinner with me to complain about a guy.” I wave to Marti when she glances in our direction. “What’s his name and do I need to track him down?”
“You sound just like Nash,” she scoffs.
I smile. “You and Nash are on speaking terms again?”
Gina’s relationship with both of my younger brothers mirrors the one she has with me. She looks to Nash and Luke for friendship and support, since her only brother is overseas.
“I forgave him for getting involved with my best friend.”
The complicated family dynamic that was born from my brother hopping into bed with Gina’s roommate impacted everyone.
It might have turned out great if Nash hadn’t made promises that he couldn’t keep.
He’s two years younger than me, but his maturity level is hovering somewhere on par with that of a high school freshman.
“Forget Nash.” Gina slices her hand in the air. “Let’s talk about Dexie and what’s going on between you two.”
“Let’s not.” I lean forward in my chair. “She pitched her business idea. I see potential in it, so I’m going to partner with her.”
“It’s strictly business?” Skepticism edges her tone. “Or is there some pleasure too?”
Defining what’s been going on between Dexie and I would be near impossible, so I don’t put in the effort to do so. “It’s business.”
“There’s more to life than business,” Marti says as she approaches our table. “If your grandfather were alive he’d tell you to work just enough to have time left for fun.”
Gina playfully rolls her eyes. “My work is fun.”
Marti shrugs. “I’ll never understand how you survive by taking pictures with your phone, Gina.”
It’s the simplest terms, but it essentially defines my cousin’s livelihood.
