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At the time, I wasn’t sure what she was complaining about, but now I understood. Dating someone who owned and ran a business meant long hours and time away from each other. As sweet as it was today to make a pizza in the kitchen, would the novelty wear off eventually?
I went inside and shut the door. Evie was sitting on the floor, playing with her dolls, and I took a few minutes to gather myself. To remind myself not to fall too hard for Leo, but I was afraid I already had.
A man showing up early on Sunday morning to make me and my daughter pancakes was the most romantic thing I’d ever experienced. Other things just didn’t compare.
Twelve
LEO
Ihated leaving Evie and Harper. I wanted to spend my day helping them do laundry and lazing around their apartment. Maybe even take them to my house to play and work in the yard. But the reality was, I had to work.
We could hire managers, but we preferred to keep it in the family, especially since I had brothers who could help.
Maybe it was time to insist they take on more responsibility in the dining room, especially if I wanted to open another location.
Around lunchtime, I was surprised to see Manny at the hostess stand. Anger flared, and I was moving toward him without thinking about what I was doing.
I stood between him and Lindey at the hostess stand. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for Harper,” Manny said easily, as if he had a right to inquire about her.
“Are you supposed to meet her here?” I would have thought she would have told me if that were the case.
Manny’s eyes darted around the restaurant as he shifted on his feet. “I thought I’d find her here.”
“We need to talk. Not here. My office,” I said, my words clipped.
“I don’t know what we have to talk about.”
“Trust me. We do.” I turned and headed toward my office, hoping he’d be curious enough to follow me.
I shut my office door behind him, moving behind my desk but remained standing, even though he’d taken a seat. I wanted Manny to feel uncomfortable.
In the past, Harper wanted my family to stay out of the situation with Manny. But things changed when he showed up at my restaurant looking for her. I felt this protectiveness take over, and I couldn’t rein it in. “I don’t appreciate you coming into my restaurant and hassling Harper.”
Manny leaned back in the chair as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “This is between me and Harper. Evie’s mine.”
My stomach dipped at his possessive tone regarding Evie. She was his in biology only. “I’m involved with Harper and Evie, and I won’t let anyone hurt them.”
Irritation flashed in Manny’s eyes. “She wouldn’t get involved with you. Not when she always says the Giovannis are her family.”
“All you need to know is that I’m in their lives. They mean something to me, and I won’t let you hassle them.” I wasn’t sure I could stay neutral in this situation, even if Harper explicitly asked me to.
Manny’s lips twisted. “I’m Evie’s father.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “You don’t act like it. If you wanted to be her father, you’d support them financially and otherwise.”
He opened his mouth to protest, and I leaned in, bracing my hands on the desk. “We both know you don’t pay child support like you’re supposed to, and you don’t visit with Evie. You’re not capable of being the father Evie needs.“
Manny’s gaze darted away as he shifted in his chair.
“Leave Harper alone. Let her be happy.” That was the crux of the issue. He came around when he sensed Harper was moving on with her life. And she didn’t deserve that.
I straightened and moved toward the door. “If you don’t, you’ll have me and my brothers to deal with. We’ve stayed out of the situation because that’s what Harper wanted. But I won’t allow this to continue anymore. You don’t get to show up at a restaurant where she’s eating and pull her away from the table. You don’t show up where she is period. You need something, you call her attorney. We’re done here.”
I stood and opened the door, my jaw clenching.
He stood, and I almost wanted him to say something so I could fight with him some more, but instead, he pushed past me and down the hallway.
