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Jackson extended a hand. “Good to meet you, man. Carly’s told me a lot about you.”
Testosterone prickled through the air as Adrian gave Jackson a once-over before shaking his hand. “Looks like she hasn’t told me enough about you.” Their eyes locked, neither man making a move, but neither one standing down, either.
Carly rolled her eyes and angled her body between them, putting a hand on Adrian’s forearm. “Behave,gnoccone. He’s fine.” She pasted a sweet smile on her face, a clear sign she meant to kill him later, and turned toward Jackson. “Are you hungry? I can make a batch of calamari and we can go over the final plans. I’d love to incorporate the new photos in the presentation.”
Jackson’s eyes flicked a hard glance over Adrian, but he relented with a nod and smile. "Sure. That sounds great. I’ll just go grab my laptop from the truck.”
“I’ll meet you in the dining room.”
“Okay.” Jackson paused, giving Adrian one last look before passing through the swinging doors. Carly ducked down to retrieve some ingredients from the lowboy, but Adrian caught her by the elbow, mid-crouch.
“I’ve got this.” His voice was gruff, but his eyes flashed with sincerity.
She creased her brows. “Are you sure?”
“Are you?” Genuine concern had replaced the hard edge to his words, and it made Carly’s lips twitch into a grin.
“It’s not serious,” she replied. “I’m fine. He’s fine.”
Adrian shook his head, but conceded nonetheless. “If you say so.”
“You’ll be the first to know if it becomes not fine,” Carly promised, putting a container of calamari on the counter. Wiping her hands on her apron, she turned to head into the dining room, but Gavin appeared in her path before she could get to the door. Although he was always serious, something about the troubled look in his eyes stopped Carly dead in her tracks.
“Whoa. You look like you just saw a ghost.”
A muscle in Gavin’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t lower his gaze. “There’s an urgent call for you on the house phone.”
Fear spurted through her brain, freezing her into place. “What? Who is it?”
“It’s your brother.”
21
As soon as Jackson re-crossed the stone-tiled threshold of La Dolce Vita, he knew something wasn’t right. Carly stood at the bar with the phone pressed to her ear, and although her back was to him, her shoulders slumped in a clear sign of nothing good. Her sous chef stood right next to her, eyes full of the kind of wary concern that people only reserved for bad news. Jackson’s stomach knotted, his unease shifting to out and out worry as soon as he heard Carly’s muffled sob.
“Okay, I’m coming. Just…tell her…” She broke off, presumably to take a breath, but her voice still shook as she finished her sentence. “Tell her I’m on my way. I’ll meet you at the hospital. I love you, too, Dom.” She stood for a minute, unmoving, before lowering the phone to the bar in front of her.
“Carly? What’s going on?” For a big guy, her sous chef’s voice had gone awfully quiet. The look on Carly’s face nearly dropped Jackson’s knees out from beneath him, and her words matched her wooden expression.
“Dominic said…” She paused to squeeze her eyes shut before choking out the rest. “I think my mother had a stroke.”
Jackson moved without thinking, stepping in close. “God, Carly. I’m sorry.”
Carly’s eyes found his, flashing with a streak of intense emotion before going blank. “I, um. I have to go to New York. Right now.” Her voice was so shell-shocked, it sounded like an echo.
The thought of her making a long drive all by herself after getting such horrible news put Jackson into high alert. “You shouldn’t go alone.” He dug into his pocket for his keys.
“He’s right.” Adrian agreed gruffly, although he didn’t look happy about it. “I’ll take you.”
Jackson’s instincts growled to life, but the panicked look on Carly’s face stopped the choice obscenities in his head from rolling off his tongue.
“You can’t. I need you here.” Her eyes went wide, imploring, but Adrian didn’t budge.
“Screw here. The restaurant isn’t as important as getting you home.”
A muscle twitched in Jackson’s jaw, but he managed to bite down on his irritation. Picking a fight with this guy wouldn’t help Carly right now.
“Adrian,please. Friday’s our busiest night, plus we’re booked all weekend. I need you in the back of the house, and I can’t leave unless I know everything here is taken care of.” Carly’s ragged plea cut Adrian’s protest to the quick, but he didn’t back down entirely.
