AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He leaves the cart, striding toward the door in that strong, animal way of his. I love this body language. He seems so centered and confident.
“Why don’t you let me carry you inside?” Giorgio insists to Tabby.
She giggles and cringes, but can’t tear her eyes away from him.
“Oh, you really don’t have to,” she objects, then stops herself. “You know what? Sure. That would be nice. Why not?”
Tabby shoots me a look that is practically a nonverbal high-five as Giorgio walks around the back of the cart to her side. I feel myself staring again so I just blow her a quick kiss for good luck and follow Irving into the dark doorway.
As soon as I enter, I feel the temperature take a dive. When I stand next to him, Veronica visually measures the distance between Irving and me. She knows. Even if she doesn’t know it consciously, she knows. Giorgio was right: she can see it, and always has.
She flexes her hands, rolling her shoulders back. “Can we continue then?” she growls.
“Actually, I think we’re done here,” Irving announces. “Let’s wrap this up.”
“I still have a lot of ground to cover,” Veronica scoffs. “If Opal isn’t going to take notes down, then…”
Irving pivots toward me, a knowing smile on his face. I sense he wants me to stand beside him, and so I do. His arm brushes against mine, and Veronica narrows her eyes to take certain note of that.
“Cal, I think you have something really special here,” Irving begins. “I think we should consider consolidation, or at least I would like to invest.”
“No need, I’ve got him covered,” Rocco chortles.
Cal sits forward in his chair, steepling his fingers and smiling at his brother. “You’re sure? You’re ready?”
“You said you were not to put any family money into this!” Veronica objects shrilly. “Don’t you understand? I found a deal! I got the investor.”
“Yes, thank you for that,” Irving smiles, as polite as a game show host. “I’m sure you two will have many years of exciting deals. I can’t wait to find out about them. Unfortunately, this isn’t going to be one of those.”
“Irving, think about it!” Veronica warns him venomously.
Rocco slaps his palms on the arms of his chair and heaves himself to standing. “Well, I look forward to next time,” he announces. “Cal, keep us in mind. And can I, uh, get a ride out?”
Cal glances at Giorgio, who is leaning into Tabby’s personal space. They both smile as they murmur to each other out of earshot. Their body language is unmistakable. They are falling for each other in real time.
“I think Anton is available, actually. I’ll text him for you.”
Rocco claps his hands together. “Perfect! Veronica, we have to be going.”
Veronica looks mortified. Her face blanches white, and her hair practically faints itself straight. Quickly assessing her options, though, she realizes she doesn’t have a lot of choices but to follow Rocco at least for the time being.
Tabby bursts out laughing, and all eyes are on her as she tips her head back, laughing until her chest jiggles seismically. Giorgio smiles with all his teeth, completely enchanted.
“Something funny?” Veronica asks her icily.
Tabby chokes off in the middle of her laugh, covering her mouth modestly with her fingertips. “Oh, I wasn’t listening to you. Did you say something?”
“Unbelievable!” Veronica snarls as she flounces from the room.
With Rocco and Veronica finally gone, everyone can relax a little bit.
“What did I say? Did I miss something?” Tabby titters.
“Your timing is exceptional,” Irving smiles.
“I wasn’t talking about her,” Tabby protests. “Should I let her know? Should I go after her?”
“Oh, please don’t go after her!” Cal chuckles. “If you did anything to accelerate her departure, thank you. Seriously, thank you.”
