Page 27 of Deadline for Love

Nia placed the phone on her lap and whispered, “Is it even safe here anymore?”

My stomach was churning—too many events had happened within a few days that didn’t positively affect the population.

Nia lowered her head and sighed, “Hopefully, we can find some good news.”

As soon as we arrived at the restaurant, Enzo cheerfully greeted me. With a hug, he led me to an empty table next to the bar.

Nia sat with a smile, knowing we were about to get a delicious pizza. As soon as it was about food, she grinned again, as if everything had been forgotten.

My mood was also lifted, as I felt at ease in Enzo’s company.

Fernando joined us right after he saw me. We greeted each other with a hug, and then, he held my hand. “It’s lovely to see you again. We won’t have much going on yet, which means we can chat.’’

Enzo gave us a wide grin and walked away.

Fernando started sharing his experiences in Riverdale, including why he had returned. His green eyes gleamed cheerfully, and he seemed proud of his decision. “I feel most at home with my grandparents and this town. This is where my childhood and my family grew up.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “All my friends are here too. Besides, the people here are much nicer and more sociable, even though almost everyone here is busy.” He smirked and patted my shoulders. “I missed you dearly too.”

His grin was infectious and I chuckled and pulled him into another hug. “I’ve missed you too. I’m so glad you’re back.” He tightened his grip on me but instantly loosened his arms once we heard a deep voice.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.”

We turned around and saw Nathan wearing blue jeans and a black hoodie, making him look much younger than his usual attire.

His gaze lingered on Fernando’s arms, wrapped around my hips, and I thought to myself that I might be imagining it, but hiseyes darkened. Then his gaze traveled up to mine, and he raised his brows.

Fernando released me, and I let my hands slide down to my side, too.

“You’re not late. The food’s not even here yet,” Nia said, pulling Nathan down beside her with one hand so he had to sit next to her.

“I’ll get you something to drink.” Fernando was about to leave, but I stopped him briefly. “If you’re free tomorrow? I’d like to interview you.”

“An interview?” He scratched his neck uncomfortably. “I’m not anything special.”

I shook my head. “I think an article about you will be a breath of fresh air, a cute headline about your decision to continue running the family business.” Then I clapped my hands excitedly as I already knew how to draft the article.

“If you say so...”

“Great! I’ll come round tomorrow afternoon, and Amara will take the pictures!”

He grinned again and took my hand, kissing the back. “You know I can’t refuse you anything, ma Bella!”

I chuckled, shaking my head, and moved to sit before Nia and Nathan, who were both staring at me. Nia looked at me with narrowed eyes while I couldn’t really interpret Nathan’s. But it was definitely not a good stare.

“Why don’t you want me to take the pictures?” Nia asked as if offended that I had mentioned Amara.

“I didn’t think you’d be willing to be there tomorrow,” I honestly said.

“We are a team, we’ve been assigned together for over half a year, and Amara is now assigned to Aicha. So, if you need pictures, I’m your person.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and I lifted my hands innocently in the air.

“Amara doesn’t know anything yet, so if you want to come along tomorrow, that’s fine.”

“Fine, I’ll be there.”

I lowered my hands again and then nodded.

“And do we know where we’re going yet?” Nathan asked, running his fingers through his hair briefly as he stared at me.

“We should stop by the fire department,” I suggested.

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