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“You’re going to have to teach me to make it,” I said. “She doesn’t like anything but noodles and toast, this one.”
“Can’t. It’s a family secret.” He winked at Sofia, making her burst into another round of giggles.
The doorbell rang, and I slid off my stool, too caught up in the mood to worry that he had just hinted at the whole damn secret.
“I’ll be right back,” I said. “Don’t laugh so much you choke, you two.”
I left them while Xavier was listening to Sofia do some impression of her cousins, then mimicking her himself, causing another avalanche of giggles.
I opened the door thinking I’d find Pete asking for some quiet, but instead discovered Derek Kingston, my brother’s investigative partner and a man I’d gone out with for about a month, standing on my porch in his street clothes.
Dressed in a Mets T-shirt and wearing an open smile, Derek looked about the same as any other thirty-something guy in the neighborhood and liked most of the same things too. Baseball games, pizza, cheesecakes, good barbecue. It might have worked out between us if I had shared his interests. Or at least hadn’t dreamed of something, I don’t know, more outside of Brooklyn.
That didn’t mean we couldn’t be friends, though.
“Hey, stranger,” I greeted him with a brief hug. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood. Zola asked me to check in on you guys while he was gone.” Derek had the decency to look a bit sheepish at the request.
“Did he now?” I rolled my eyes. Once a big brother, always a big brother.
“Sorry. Yeah.” Derek glanced around me. “Sof around, or is she in bed? I brought her a black and white from Weiss.”
He held up a paper bag presumably containing one of the classic bakery cookies.
“Ooh, she’ll love that, thank you,” I said. “She’s, ah, a little busy right now, though. Getting ready for bed and all. Can I give it to her tomorrow and let her know you stopped by?”
“Sure, that’s fine. I was just going to—oh, hey, man.”
My stomach dropped. He didn’t. He wouldn’t.
“All right?” Xavier’s deep voice rumbled behind me, but without any of the humor I’d just experienced moments earlier.
I turned just in time to watch the geniality of the evening erased as soon as he set eyes on our visitor.
He glared at me. Then Derek. Then me again. “Who’s this?”
On the porch, Derek straightened. “Ah, Derek Kingston. Frankie, I didn’t know you had company. You, um, could have just said.”
“This is only a friend from school,” I lied a little too quickly. “He stopped by for dinner.”
“I made dinner,” Xavier corrected me through his teeth. His blue gaze darted between me and Derek with the speed of a cheetah. “How do you know Francesca?”
“Francesca?” Derek snorted at the name. “Ah, Frankie and I used to—”
“He’s my brother’s old partner,” I cut in, eager to avoid the conflict I saw coming.
Xavier was quiet for a long minute. “Well, don’t let me stop the reunion,” he said, then stomped back down the hallway without another word.
“Nice guy,” Derek remarked. “Bet he’s a real peach at work, you said?” He couldn’t quite hide his resentment. Or skepticism.
I felt horrible, especially since I had been the one to break things off between us. This wasn’t fair to him, especially considering how it looked.
“It’s not—we’re not—” I sighed. “It’s complicated.” I didn’t know how to explain it without telling him everything.
“Sure. Yeah.” Derek thrust the cookie toward me but didn’t meet my eyes. “I’ll, ah, see you.”
I sighed. “Wait. Derek?”
