“Well, we’re going to visit a farmers market and a handful of local farms today. I wanted to get a handle on what kind of produce is available so I can plan it.”
“You haven’t talked to your dad yet?”
“Well, the restaurant is always so busy, and—”
Tessa shook her head. “I can’t believe it.”
He rubbed his neck. Was he afraid? “What?”
“You’re chickening out.”
“I’m not chickening out.”
“And this is the guy who plunged into a fake marriage to jumpstart a business.”
“Okay, fine.” He rocked back and forth with his hands in his pockets. “I guess I’m a little…nervous.”
“About your dad?”
“Yeah. If he doesn’t like my ideas… I don’t know. I just don’t have a Plan B.”
That was strange. Because Leo always had a Plan B. “Okay, I’m going to do what you did to me.”
“What was that?”
“Well, you pushed me to act. And I did, Leo—meaning now you have to also. So we can do what we planned and get our real lives back.” Except real, fake…sometimes it felt all jumbled.
“Okay, you’re right. I’ll take care of it.”
She started to walk back but remembered something and turned around, nearly bumping into him. Leo gripped her by the arm to catch his balance. “Oops, sorry,” she said. “I was just going to ask, if you encounter any fresh strawberries in your travels, will you bring me some? It’s for a dessert.”
“Sure, Countess,” he said, searching her eyes in a way that suddenly made her face heat, remembering waking up next to him. And other things she needed to shove out of her brain. “No problem.”
Tessa was relieved to return to the table, where Gia was sitting, scrolling through her phone.
Tessa said, “I think it showed a lot of courage for Aaron to come and talk to you like that.”
Gia giggled. “He thinks you’re my parents.”
Leo chuckled.
“That’s terrible,” Tessa said, also chuckling.
“Even worse,” she said. “He asked me out!” She sounded half-panicked, half-excited.
“Where does he live?” Leo asked, which earned him a firm poke in the elbow. Still, Tessa caught him scanning the outdoor seating for the boy, who fortunately seemed to have left.
“That sounds fun,” Tessa said. “What did you say?”
She shrugged. “I told him I’d text him later.”
“If you decide to go on the date, let me know,” she said. “Vivienne does magic with outfits. She picked this out for me.” She nodded to her cute blue blouse and white jeans. No flour included.
“There’s our Italian stud,” Dee said, reappearing with the bill. “Lucky you, marrying our Tessa.”
“I am lucky,” Leo said. “Hi to you, too, DeeDee.” He snagged the bill from her hand before she could give it to Tessa.
Leo’s gaze swept Tessa quickly up and down, noticing. Maybe his words were lukewarm, but the look he just gave her was scorching.
“You two are gonna make beautiful babies,” Dee said. “Don’t forget to leave me a big tip, okay, sugar?”
Leo laughed and slid some money with the bill under the hot chocolate mug. And, Tessa noted, a generous tip.
“Thanks for breakfast,” Tessa said to Leo as they got up. “You two have fun today.” She gave Gia a big hug. “This was great. We’ll do it again soon, okay?”
“Thanks, Tessa.” Gia smiled at her brother. “Thanks, Leo.”
Impeccable manners. Too obedient, not pushing any limits. With a brother and a father who were perhaps too content with her fake self-assuredness.
Tessa had been like that once, but not anymore. She was in this to achieve their goal, no matter what it took. And that meant staying as far away from Leo as she could.
Chapter Fifteen
Monthly card night was going on as it always had. Except tonight, the guys met at Leo’s, and they were gathered around the little dining table eating, drinking, and hanging out.
“Hey,” Jack called to Noah from his leaned-back position at the table, “while you’re up, bring me another beer, will you?”
“I got you another beer the last time,” Noah said from the kitchen.
“Yeah, well, I brought you more chips last time,” Jack said.
“Really?” Leo interrupted. “It’s Saturday night, and we’re arguing about beer and chips?”
It was ten p.m., and he was experiencing a first. He was actually getting a little tired of his best friends’ antics, which included Noah chugging his beer and burping and Jack putting his dirty boots up on the table. Neither of which was unusual. But this time, Leo was noticing. Not that he didn’t consider his friends his brothers-from-another-mother, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was…different.
Take Noah, for example. He’d just stuffed a large amount of pizza into his mouth as he laid down his cards, and it was annoying.
“For Pete’s sake, dude, use a napkin,” Leo said.
“Oh, sorry.” Noah grabbed for one from the center of the table and swiped at his mouth.
Jack picked up a napkin from the pile and held it up. “These are cloth. With little sunshines sewn all along the bottom.”
Leo shrugged. “Tessa tries to be green.”
“Oh.” Jack seemed to ponder that while he took a stogie from the cigar box, stuck it in his mouth, and tipped back his chair. “Got a match?” he asked.
Leo rummaged through the items in the ceramic bowl Tessa had set in the middle of the table to collect their keys, sunglasses, and the extra garage remote, and he pulled out the box of matches he’d stashed there earlier.
“What’s that?” Noah asked.
Leo looked around. “What’s what?” Noah pointed to the bowl. “Um, a bowl?”
Jack chuckled. “Looks like it’s a handmade ceramic bowl with painted fruit that holds stuff.”
“I’m not really understanding your point,” Leo said to his friends.
“I really like the sunshine napkins,” Noah said. “They’re happy.”
Jack threw one at him.
“Look,” Leo said. “It’s different living with a woman.” And frustrating. Not because of the sunshine napkins, either. Because Leo couldn’t stop thinking about Tessa.