Page 47 of Good as Gold
“Or desperate,” I say, trying for a joke. “Sometimes that’s the same thing.”
But he doesn’t smile. “Do you have any other friends earmarked for this honor?”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “I don’t know anyone else well enough to ask this huge favor. And it took me a lot of alcohol to ask you.” I shrug. “And look how that turned out. I’m really sorry. Especially for making it weird by bringing up sex. I know you’ve never thought of me that way.”
He laughs again. “It’s cute that you think that.”
I’m just processing that statement when he stands up suddenly. Nicole is running towards us. “Isn’t it lunchtime yet?”
“Yeah, baby. I brought your car seat. You know how the seatbelt works?”
“A’course,” she says, wrinkling her nose like that’s a stupid question. “Let’s go.”
Matteo gives me an apologetic smile. “Do you have to teach an afternoon session, too?”
“Absolutely. But there’s Advil for that.”
He leans down, and gives me a kiss on the cheek. And I get goosebumps, just from that innocent touch. “Hang in there, Leila. Talk soon?”
I nod, speechless.
He goes, and not only am I treated to another view of his backside in a pair of faded jeans, but also of Nicole fitting her small hand into his.
My ovaries dance the mambo.
And then my head throbs.
It’s just that kind of day.
CHAPTER17
MATTEO
At the end of my unsettling week, I’m looking forward to Sunday dinner with my family. Luckily, the commute is a three-minute walk across my uncle’s property.
I haven’t attended one of these dinners since I was legal to drink. Aside from the bottle of wine I’ve brought, the traditions haven’t changed. My mother has cooked herself into a frenzy in my uncle’s kitchen. We try to help her prepare, but since she’s fussy about her methods, she ends up shooing us away.
The guest list has slightly expanded to include my siblings’ spouses. There’s Skye, of course, and also Dave—Zara’s husband—and their two children.
Alec and May aren’t back from their honeymoon yet, so they’re missing out on the pork roast, the eggplant lasagna, three different salads, and a giant homemade cheesecake.
Afterward, I’m feeling pretty fat and happy as we wash our way through a mountain of dishes.
“Want a beer?” Benito asks me when we’re done.
“No thanks.” My short-term job involves a lot of access to beer, and my liver could use a day off. “Let’s go outside instead. You guys still throw around the football?”
Benito grins. “We usually just walk instead. Don’t you remember how many times we ended up at urgent care after playing touch football?”
The man has a point. “Fine. Let’s walk.”
“Can we feed the chickens?” my niece pipes up.
“Sure, kid. Put on your shoes,” I tell her.
We head outdoors, and it’s just me, Benito, and Zara and the kids.
“Hold still,” Zara says. Then she puts some kind of contraption over my head.
