Page 40 of Bella Rosa
25
A Thousand Miles
Matteo
Iwoketothesmell of her on my sheets. I dreamt of her, of her soft hair draped over my pillow, and of her sweet taste.
I step out of the shower and wrap a towel around my waist. It's almost 10:30. I run my fingers through my wet hair as I walk into my walk-in closet. I've got to hurry if I'm going to stop by the restaurant before I pick her up. I slip a white shirt over my head and pull on my khakis, and grab a pair of swimming trunks, my sunglasses, and a blanket.
I race down the stairs and throw the blanket and my trunks in the back of the car and make my way to Moretti's as quick as I can. I pull into my private parking spot and throw the car in park. I race inside, and my sous chef meets me at the door to hand me what I came here for.
"Cutting it a little close, boss."
I take it from him and look in the basket to make sure everything is in order. I don't want any surprises today. Everything seems to be in order, so I thank him and head back to my car and place the pickup order with what I already packed. Now it's time to go see my girl.
I pull up at Alda's and jump out of the car. I turn just in time to see Rosa open the door and walk down the steps. I stop and watch her with a smile on my face. She's wearing a white skirt and a tan flowy top today. Her hair is pulled back in a bun with a few pieces around her face. She has a tote bag slung over her shoulder. She's stunning.
She pauses and looks up at me. I swear my heart stops beating when we make eye contact. I take a slow step toward her. I'm sure I have the goofiest smile on my face and I don't give a damn. "Good morning, Rosa."
She smiles right back and starts running toward me. I open my arms and catch her so I can spin her around and kiss her like I've been dreaming about doing since I woke up this morning. I set her back down and she beams up at me. "Good morning, handsome."
"Handsome? I like the sound of that." I kiss her on her nose and take her bag off her shoulder so I can put it in the back of the car. "Ready to go?"
She takes a deep breath and nods her head. "I'm ready."
I open her door for her and she slides in. I jump in the car as well and we get going. "So your blog post went viral?"
She grins over at me. "Yes! I really couldn't believe it when I saw it. My boss did email me last night though. She wants me to include her friend's restaurant in the article. I looked it up and it looks like a tourist trap."
"What’s the name of it?"
She scrolls through her phone for a moment. "Here it is. It's called Expedition Italy."
I scrunch up my face. "I know that place. I think the owner's name is Doug or something like that. Their spaghetti sauce comes out of a can. I can't tell you the amount of people who have said they got food poisoning there."
She mimics my facial expression. "Eww."
I nod my head. "Yeah. So what are you going to do about it?"
She sighs and leans her head back against the headrest. "There's nothing I can do. I don't have a choice. I have to include him in the article. If I don't, I'm basically kissing this opportunity goodbye."
"That's shitty."
She thumbs the edge of her skirt. "Yeah. Real shitty. I'll just have to make the best out of it. Maybe he has good desserts or something. Then I could include that and not feel like I'm lying at least."
"That's a shame. I know for a fact he buys his desserts from the frozen section at the supermarket and he barely pays his staff anything."
She throws her hands in the air in defeat. "I guess I'm screwed then."
I rub the stubble on my jaw as I think. I snap my fingers. "I've got it! What if we get Juli to make some dessert pastries and take them over to his restaurant. A lot of local restaurants partner up with bakeries like that. Then you can write about her desserts that are featured there. It'll help her out and get you out of this mess."
She straightens up and turns to face me with a smile on her face. "That's a great idea! I'll call her when we get back later. I know she'd be happy to help. Especially since I'll make sure the name of her cafe is in the article. Susan said I can only write about restaurants and not bakeries or cafes. I've been wondering how to get around that. This is perfect!"
She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. I'm sure I look like a lunatic with how big my smile is. She leans forward and turns the radio volume up. "Oh, I love this song!"
She starts moving her head to the beat, and swinging her arms back and forth. Somehow she has managed to move her head to the beat but not her arms. How does that make any sense? She catches me laughing and she puts her hands up in surrender. "I know. I know. I'm a horrible dancer." She motions toward the lower half of her body. "Even in the car when half my body isn't even involved."
"Don't stop on my account. I am thoroughly enjoying myself."
