Page 28 of Just for Him
“At least.” He grinned. “Are you bringing her to Sunday dinner?”
“Maybe,” I hedged. I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure if Haven was up to meeting the wholefamigliaat once. They could be overwhelming, and I didn’t want to scare her off.
“I get it,” Nick said, and I knew he did. It had taken him a couple weeks to introduce his girlfriend Kat to everyone. It was something better done in small doses. “This is a good place to start. She’s already gotNonnowrapped around her little finger.”
“The timing couldn’t be better. She lost her jobs this week.”
“Jobs, plural? That’s rough, man. What happened?”
I gave him a brief rundown.
Nick whistled. “Man, she has had it rough. You know, if Ma meets her, it’s a done deal, right?”
Yeah, I knew.Mia madrewas tough, but she also had a big heart. Plus, she would take one look at the two of us andknow.
I was totally okay with that.
Chapter Thirteen: Haven
“So, how’s it going?” Kat O’Shea pushed up her glasses and offered a shy yet friendly smile as she approached the small bar.
I liked Kat. She had come in several times over the course of the past couple weeks. Usually, we would chat for a bit, then she would curl up on one of the comfy chairs with a big book and a cup of coffee while Nick did his thing.
Nick, apparently, was an author. According to Kat, he wrote both military suspense and steamy romance. The military suspense, I understood. But the romance? I never would have guessed just from talking to him. He seemed like a quiet, stoic kind of guy. Kind of like Vinnie.
Did Vinnie harbor a secret side, too, I wondered. I knew the kind of passion he inspired inmewith those kisses he liked to lay on me. And when he pulled me into his lap and I felt those powerful legs beneath mine, when I ran my hands over those muscled, broad shoulders, well, it gave a girl thoughts.
Except, I wasn’t sure Vinnie was having those same kinds of thoughts. Well, no, that wasn’t exactly true. I had felt the hard proof of those similar thoughts on more than one occasion, but Vinnie always stopped things before they went too far, which was starting to make me wonderwhyhe was applying the brakes.
“Haven?”
Hearing my name snapped me out of my Vinnie-centric thoughts. What had Kat asked me? Oh, right. She had asked how things were going.
“It’s going great,” I answered honestly. “I love it here. It’s such a different atmosphere than what I’m used to. Everyone has been so nice.” Readers and book lovers were passionate about their coffees, teas, and cocoas. I had quickly learned the personal preferences of the regulars, which they seemed to appreciate. Kat, for example, liked a mild blend with sweet cream and sugar, while Nick preferred a strong, dark roast with a hint of cinnamon. Mr. C was pure high-octane espresso with a shot of anise, all the way.
I enjoyed the job while I could, forcing myself to remember that it was only a temporary position until Mrs. C’s sister recovered. I tried not to think about that too much. I would miss the place and the people here when I was no longer needed.
