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My brothers bumped against the car, and then the front doors opened. “I have to go.”
“Okay. Call me again soon?”
“Couldn’t stop me if you tried.”
Gabriel turned around, watching me hang up and drop my phone on the seat next to me. “Who were you calling? Late-night booty call?”
I gave him the finger, and he chuckled, the sound cutting through the silence of the car, our earlier bout already forgotten.
“Why’s Jude driving?” I asked, not liking our chances of making it home in one piece.
Where Gabriel had a suicidal streak, Jude was always one missed turn away from imitating a stunt double.
Gabriel grinned. Maybe our disagreement wasn’t as forgotten as I’d first thought. “He begged. And I was feeling generous.”
Scoffing, I made sure my seat belt was fastened and settled in for a bumpy ride home. My brothers had made it their mission to get a reaction out of me with their shitty driving. But I was used to their antics, and none of their many close calls could make me lose my cool facade. I had a reputation to uphold, after all.
13
Quinn
“Cara. Cosa è successo?” Amara stood outside the restaurant, cleaning the few bricks that had gotten slightly darker. Apparently, my aunt had decided that we couldn’t leave them like that.
Stepping up next to her, I studied the sparkling wall. Not sure it was the best use of her time to scrub bricks, but there was no way I’d try to stop her.
“Zietta. What are you doing here?”
Kissing her cheek, I put my arm around her shoulder. She was shorter than me, making her the perfect height to lean on.
Amara put down her rag and spray bottle. “I ordered the fridge, oven, and benchtops. They said they can install them in two weeks. That should be plenty of time to get the kitchen ready.”
I cringed at the thought of closing my restaurant for at least four weeks. Once we’d sorted the water damage in the kitchen from putting the fire out, we still had to find a way to get rid of the smoky smell in the dining area.
And all our alcohol was gone, the bottles damaged from the heat. Vlad had already sorted out replacements, but they wouldn’t be delivered until we were ready. He’d also found limoncello, Italian wine, and grappa, all from Italy.
I didn’t know how he’d managed to get his hands on everything so fast. Especially since it looked like every single bottle had an identical replacement.
“It shouldn’t take that much time. One good thing about having a small space is it won’t take too long to clean. We’ll get started first thing Monday.”
Amara dropped her cleaning supplies in a bucket and nodded. “You’re still going to Chicago, aren’t you?”
Neither Amara nor Vlad thought it was a good idea. But for once I ignored their disapproving frowns and did what I wanted. Liam had managed to take up most of my thoughts, and I had no intention of flushing him out any time soon.
I knew we were from different worlds. I knew he was used to women throwing themselves at his feet. He also spent more money in a single day than I would in a lifetime.
But none of it mattered because being with him felt right.
“I’ll only be gone for two nights. And it’s the weekend anyway. This is our chance to take some time off. And then we’ll get stuck into cleaning first thing Monday.”
Time to change the topic or she’ll call my mom.“Want to grab a coffee?”
Stashing the bucket in the doorway, she linked her arm through mine. “You paying?”
“Depends on what you’re ordering.”
Amara liked to order everything in the display case. According to her, sampling each piece would ensure she had exactly what she wanted.
“Just coffee. I’ve already had breakfast.”
