Page 24 of Gone With the Wine

I point down the street. “In the lot that way.”

“Oh, we’re this way. Okay, goodnight, I’ll text you about yoga classes.”

“Okay! Night, everyone.”

I start walking and Jansen joins me. “I’m parked this way, too.”

“Oh. Okay.” After a pause, I say, “Did you enjoy the fair?”

“Actually, I did.”

“You sound surprised.”

“Well, to be honest, I wasn’t sure about coming tonight. I’ve never been to a county fair.”

“Ah. Right. City boy.”

His lips kick up. “Right. Also, I’m pretty busy these days, trying to figure out what’s going on, and do some renos on my house.”

“You do have a lot on your plate. Well, this is my car.” I point at my rental. I meet his eyes even though my belly flutters as I do so. “I’m glad you joined us and had a good time. Good night, Jansen.”

“Goodnight.”

I get into my car, reverse out of the spot, and exit the parking lot. I glance in my rear-view mirror and see a shadowy shape of a man leaving the parking lot and going back the way we came from. That’s Jansen. He said he was parked this way, too. Where is he going? Weird.

Chapter5

Bianca

“We need to have a team meeting,” I announce the next morning in the kitchen.

Rosa gives me a sour look. “What does that mean?”

“You, me, and Allegra. We have to talk.”

“About what?”

“About why a pizza box is square when a pizza is round.” I exhale with exasperation.

“Bee!” She scowls. “Okay, I presume we need to talk about Caparelli.”

“Yes. There are all kinds of rumors going around and honestly, I don’t know if we’ve evaluated all our options.”

“Like what?” Her forehead pleats.

“Let’s talk to Allegra. What is the time difference? And where is she right now anyway?” I pull out my phone. “I’ll message her.”

To my surprise, she responds right away and says she can video chat with us. I call her, and Rosa and I sit at the kitchen table with my phone propped up in front of us.

“What’s happening with you?” I ask Allegra. “Where are you now?”

“Romania!”

“Oh wow. Okay.”

“What’s the hockey player like?” Allegra asks. “Does he have teeth?”

I blink. “Uh. Yes, he has teeth. I think.” I squint. “He doesn’t smile much, so it’s hard to know. But he ate a corn dog the other night with no problems.”

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