Page 102 of Say It Isn't So

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Mommy’s job isn’t cool.”

Maria got up, placing the wine glass on the coffee table. “All right, shouldn’t you be on your way to a playdate, little miss?” She looked over at Dom and something passed between the two of them. They didn’t need words; it was like they could read each other’s minds.

Dom picked up the backpack and placed his hands on Isabella’s shoulders. “Come on, Peanut, say goodbye to Mommy. She’ll pick you up from school tomorrow.” Then he turned to Maria as Isabella ran to the door. “Don’t worry, I have everything she needs for the night.”

Maria nodded. “I know. I don’t ever worry about her staying at your place, Dom. You should know that by now.”

They didn’t say anything more. Didn’t need to, it seemed.

The duo said goodbye to us and the next thing I knew, we were alone again.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and walked with Maria as she brought the glasses to the sink. “So I’ve been meaning to ask you: what’s with you lately? Not that you’re not always sure of yourself, but now it’s like. . .” I tried to find the right word. “I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s like you’re saucier.” I was thinking about the way she’d told me to go for it with Knox in Milan. But that wasn’t the only time—there had been a few moments lately where she had me doing a double take.

Placing the glasses in the sink, she turned toward me and the corner of her lips curled upward as though she was about to laugh. “Bibi, what are you talking about?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t make it seem like I’m batty. You know that I know what you don’t want me to know.”That was a mouthful.I looked upward for a second, thinking about the sequence of that.Yeah, that’s what I meant.

Maria quirked a brow, clearly wondering the same thing. “Not too sure about the saucy comment, but I met a man.”

I placed a hand on my hip and pursed my lips. “What do you mean you met a man? Like in a casual, friendly way or in a I’m-attracted-to-him-and-want-to-jump-his-bones way?”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” With her back against the counter, she crossed her arms, looking everywhere but at me. Then her eyes finally met mine and she shrugged. “But I don’t hate spending time with him, and I wouldn’t hate it if we started dating.”

I stuck a hand up and shook my head. “I’m sorry, but no. Just no.”

Maria’s eyes widened and she went to speak, but I stopped her.

“That’s not right. What you’re doing isn’t right. What about Dom?”

“What about him?” She ran a hand through her long, dark brown hair that flowed over her shoulders. “Dom Deluca and I are complicated. I don’t know if I have it in me to even go there. I mean, we’re friends, Bibi. Good friends,” she insisted, her eyes practically bugging out of her head as though to sayso stop pushing this.

I gestured with my hands as I spoke. “Fine, I’ll drop it. I have enough going on in my own life as it is.” Before totally letting it go, though, I pointed a finger at her. “But be careful. Dom isn’t going to be single forever. You can’t expect him to wait around. Don’t regret the decision you make, that’s all I’m saying.”

“Noted,” she tried shutting me up. “Like I said, though, Dom and I are good friends, and our situation isn’t black and white. I have Isabella to think of, too.”

I arched a brow. “You know Isabella loves Dom.”

“I know,” she responded softly.

Clearing my throat, I decided to do what she’d suggested and change the subject. “So I heard Allie got a roommate. Some bad timing, huh? If she didn’t have one, I could’ve lived with her. Perla always did have the better room in that apartment.”

Maria chuckled. “Oh, yeah, you don’t even know the half of it.”

“Oooh. I feel gossip coming on. What’s going on?”

She raised her hands up. “This isn’t my story to tell. You should ask her about it. Let’s just say out of all the candidates she had, I find it a little hard to believe this one was her best option.”

My mouth fell open. “Oh, the possibilities! Who is it?”

Maria didn’t answer, only turned around and went back to washing the glasses.

“Nothing? You’re going to leave me hanging?” I walked over to her and stood off to the side. “Come on, is she someone we know? Is she weird? You have to give me something!”

Finally, Maria looked over at me. “He,” she said simply.

“He?” I raised my brows. “What are you talking about?” Then it dawned on me. “Ah! Her roommate isn’t a woman, it’s a man?”

Wait, Allie has a male roommate? What was she thinking? And where the heck have I been? Oh, that’s right, dealing with my own drama.

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