Page 70 of Love at First Sight

‘Okay,’ Dad says. ‘What do I know, anyway? Right?’

‘Wrong,’ I say. ‘You know everything. Which is why I’m hoping you might volunteer with Stray Kids for a while? I’d love to have you on board …’

‘Oh, that’s a given!’ he says. ‘Of course! You tell me what you need, and I’ll get to it.’

‘Thank you, Dad,’ I say. ‘I love you. And I like you.’

‘I love you, and I like you, too.’

26

I decide to take myself out for supper so I don’t have to cook, and so I can people-watch, read my book and catch up on texts. It’s a beautiful evening, and Icouldstay at home trying to organise more things for the second Health and Safety assessment tomorrow, but to be honest everything is done, and I’d simply be repeating myself. I need a big exhale after the past few weeks I’ve had. It’s been a doozy.

I go to the pizza place on the corner, and plan on asking for a table out the back, where they’ve planted this huge jasmine bush that curls and winds up the fence and smells amazing. As I’m approaching, a cheeky-chappy blond further up the pavement walks in my direction, grinning his lopsided cheeky grin, and we hold eye contact like that, smiling, walking towards each other until we meet.

‘Hello, you,’ I say.

‘Hello, trouble,’ replies Leo.

He’s by himself and does that Leo thing where he holds my eye, grinning and refusing to be embarrassed byanythingin a way that suddenly makes me embarrassed by even breathing. I don’t mean to roll my eyes, but I do, and Leo says: ‘An eye-roll? I didn’t even say anything!’

I screw up my nose playfully. ‘You didn’t have to. You never have to.’

‘Obtuse, but okay …’ he retorts. ‘Are you, like, hangry or something? Or should I be taking your slights personally?’

It makes me laugh. ‘I actually am on my way to dinner. So …’

‘So,’ Leo echoes. ‘I get points for my understanding?’ He puts a hand up to his face and rubs his finger over his bottom lip. I look at his mouth for longer than I should, and then catch myself, horrified.

‘All right, all right,’ I laugh. ‘You win.’

‘Didn’t even know I was in the race,’ he says. ‘So this has all turned out great for me.’ I stick my tongue out at him. ‘Where’s dinner, then? Got a hot date, or …?’

‘Careful,’ I joke. ‘I might start thinking you’re jealous.’

It’s a silly joke, but Leo doesn’t rise to it. ‘I would be,’ he says, plainly. ‘I really am running out of ways to tell you so, Jessie Cameron.’

I bite down on my own lip, unsure of how to respond, and Leo notices, pleased with himself.

‘I was going to grab pizza,’ I say. ‘Have you eaten?’

‘Yes,’ he replies. ‘But I’d still like to come.’

‘You’ll make a cheap date then,’ I say.

We walk into the restaurant and the head waiter lights up when he sees us.

‘Leo!Caro! Come va?’

‘Luigi!’ Leo says, going in to kiss the man on his leftcheek, and then his right. ‘Tutto a posto, grazie,’ he says. ‘Come stai?’

‘Bene, grazie,’ says Luigi. Luigi holds out a hand to me and introduces himself. He’s served me before, but apparently knowing Leo takes me up a notch in the world. ‘È questa la tua ragazza?’ he says to Leo, who shoots me a look laced with guilt, almost.

‘What does that mean?’ I say, looking between them.

Leo mutters, ‘Ci sto provando con il mio migliore amico,’ which makes Luigi laugh.

‘Ho capito,’ Luigi says, looking at me. ‘Good luck,’ he adds, in English, and I don’t know if it’s in response to Leo or some sort of warning for me. Before I can delve into it, though, my stomach grumbles so loudly that both men hear it.