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“Nope.”
Before he could ask another question, she walked up to the coat check.
“Here, let me help you with that.” Kayne took her fur coat that the volunteer held out. He helped put it on her like he had when he had helped take it off.
Spinning to give him her back, she let him slide it up her arms and over her shoulders. “Thank you.”
Oh shit. Stupidly, she remembered she had left her phone in her fur coat, not taking it with her. Praying to God that she hadn’t missed a call, she reached into the pocket she left it in. “What the …?”
“What is it?” he asked.
Reaching into her other pocket, she felt the cold glass before pulling it out. “N-Nothing.”
Concerned, he took a step closer to her. “You sure?”
“Yes,” she assured him, putting her phone back after seeing she had no missed notifications.
“Good.” Kayne looked back toward the front door. “Your cousin doesn’t look very happy, so I better let you go.”
Without even turning, she could feel the hole he was fucking burning into the back of her head. “You’re probably right.”
“Thank you for your help, Maria. I appreciate you making this night bearable for me.”
With a slow tilt of her lips, she just couldn’t resist. “I sure hope I made it more than bearable for you, Mr. Evans.”
“You did.” That molten gold in his eyes glowed. “Have a good night and stay safe, Ms. Caruso.”
Giving him a wink from over her shoulder, she regretfully started to walk slowly away. “Sweet dreams.”
Kayne might have smiled as she walked away, but the slight flex in his jaw revealed the man she had once thought had to be a saint … wasn’t.
Shaking his head when she reached them, Jerry held open the door for them to finally leave. “Four years later, and you’re still nothing but trouble, I see, Maria.”
“Whatever do you mean?” She played dumb to match the color of her hair like the world expected of her.
“Save it for the next schmuck. I’m only watching your ass for the next week ’cause there was no one else stupid enough to say yes.”
“Aw, thanks, Jerry.”
“Yeah, thanks, Jerry,” Leo agreed with a chuckle before whispering over to Maria, “Well …?”
“Well, what?” She pretended not to know what he was talking about.
“Did you give him your number or not?”
“Fuck.” No longer pretending, she could kick herself right now. “That’s what you’re supposed to do, isn’t it?”
“Christ, Maria!” Frustrated, Leo flipped his dirty blond hair to the other side, using his hand. “You didn’t give him your number? That was literally all you had to do.”
She knew her brother was right understanding now, because a teacher wasn’t going to take the risk to give out his. She needed to be the one to do so, but her lack of experience made her … .“I suck at this.”
“Pretty much.” Leo didn’t sugarcoat his sister’s complete and utter failure. “You’ve relied on your looks, and now that you actually like someone, you’ve found out this is how it feels to actually have to try.”
Maria scoffed so hard that she almost tripped on her jaw that dropped to the ugly red carpet beneath their feet. “I can’t believe you just called me out like that.”
When he threw his arm around her shoulders, she noted he was getting closer to her height every day.
“Sorry, sis. Someone has to welcome you to the real world.”
“Who even are you?” She could practically cry. Reaching a hand over to his face, she squeezed it, but his cute cheeks didn’t squeeze the same since they lost their baby fat over last summer. “Where is my cute, little baby brother and what have you done with him?”
“Well, this brother got that kid with the camera to take a picture of you and Kayne.”
Oh.
My.
God.
I should have known.
“You clever little shit.” She beamed proudly, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I guess you are a Caruso after all.”
“Yeah, and now it’s you who has tainted the name. Can’t even get a dude’s numb—”
Shoving her little brother hard, she sent him flying into the velvet ropes, knocking them all down, one by one, like a row of dominoes.
“Maria! What the fuck?” Leo roared while also trying not to piss himself in laughter trying to get up.
Adjusting her fur coat, she continued strutting down the red carpet. Welp, that was enough affection for the day.
Thirteen
The Sound of the Cigarette Paper Burning
Getting back to the house, it was as if all her problems washed over her at once. Her mind immediately went to one person, and one person only.
Lucca.
It was the not knowing that was eating her alive, of why he had acted that way when she left. If Maria was going to get any sleep tonight, she had to speak with him.
Knocking on his office door, she then heard the words, “Come in,” before she slowly opened it, seeing that Lucca wasn’t the only one in there. Chloe was actually sitting lovingly on his lap.
