Page 44 of Bad Medicine
Standing, I scanned the table for any other delicious items I could snag before I headed over to the kitchen to see if I could beg for scraps from Francesca before it was time for dinner.
“Any other fabulous revelations you care to share with me, or can I enjoy the rest of my Thanksgiving in peace?”
“Peace? Doubtful,” Enzo said, his gaze darting over my shoulder as he smirked at me. “Considering who just walked in the door.”
Turning, my gaze caught on Mia, standing in the foyer, her eyes wide and nervous but looking like a goddamn smoke show all the same in a little black dress that looked like it came straight out of a pin-up magazine, and my dick immediately stood up and paid attention.
Fuck me sideways, Enzo was right.
There’d be no peace for me tonight.
Chapter nineteen
Mia
Inevershouldhavelistened to Linny.
Standing there, tugging the neck of my dress up again, I realized this just might have been the worst mistake I had made in a long time. Everyone was staring, heads turning to see who the interloper was that had invaded their quality time, likely assessing my threat level or something.
To be honest, I was doing the same thing.
I knew Francesca was happy I had shown up, so therefore, by extension, Enzo would at least not physically remove me from the premises.
Lexi and I hadn’t interacted much since that first night, but at least she wasn’t glaring at me from across the room like her beautiful—yet angry—table mate.
I could only guess that the woman next to Lexi was Lucky, her dark eyes narrowed, not just at me, but everyone in the room, so I tried not to feel too terrible about it. The guys, however, all simply turned their heads and, seeing Francesca’s enthusiastic greeting, went back to the football game on TV.
All except one, but I was pretending he didn’t exist, with very little success.
He, on the other hand, appeared to be staring at me, his blue eyes looking dark and stormy from across the room. When I finally made eye contact, Rocco pressed his lips into a firm line, then turned away, joining the guys in staring at the screen.
That was fine by me. The less we interacted, the better, as far as I was concerned.
Still, even being mostly ignored, I felt like I should have just spent my Thanksgiving at Linny’s, eating a reheated Stouffer’s Turkey Pot Pie and watching a rebroadcast of the parade on her couch with Jasper like we did every year. Instead, I had stupidly let it slip that Francesca had extended an invitation to her house for the “Family Meal” she had planned, and Linny insisted that I go.
Repeatedly. No matter how much I protested.
I hadn’t filled Linny in on everything about Frankie and Enzo, just that we were associates, but that was more than enough for Linny to declare her eternal thanks to the heavens above that I had, as she put it,finally gotten my head out of my ass and developed a social life.
Still, I’d tried awfully hard to get out of it, but Linny had seen right through my pathetic attempt to hide and instead shooed me out the door, but not before hauling me over to her place and stuffing me into a dress she’d probably had since the 60s. After some time with her curling iron and more makeup than I’d worn in the last year combined, Linny had called me a cab and told me not to come home until I’d gotten good and drunk.
Standing here now, feeling like a complete fool, that last part seemed like my best option.
“I’m so glad you came,” Frankie gushed, grabbing me by the hand and towing me behind her into the kitchen. “We have some time before the turkey is ready, so help yourself to the snacks.” She gestured broadly to the room at large, and that was when I noticed that nearly every available surface had some kind of appetizer on it, the plates and bowls heaping with delicious looking items that I knew I couldn’t name.
“The girls are on the patio,” Frankie continued, flitting around her kitchen like a hummingbird, never staying still for long. “The guys, of course, have been sequestered in front of the TV for hours.” Shaking her head, she laughed. “Nothing quite like football to really make it feel like a holiday.”
“Yeah,” I said lamely, nodding my thanks when she handed me a glass of chilled white wine. Bringing the glass to my lips, I gulped down half in just a few mouthfuls, feeling completely unbalanced. “I’m good here, if that’s alright.” Setting the glass down before I embarrassed myself even more, I pulled out one of the stools lining the kitchen island, settling my butt down and taking a few breaths.
I could do this. It was just a couple of hours. I’d make nice, smile and eat, and then I would be home before Jasper and Linny finished their pumpkin pie and ice cream.
Perfect. It would all work out just fine. All I had to do was avoid—
“Lookin’ good, Doc.”
Somehow, he’d snuck up behind me, his low words right at my ear. I jumped, letting out a small sound I’d have rather not made, spinning on my stool to glare at him.
“Thanks,” I said tartly.
