Page 168 of The First Taste
“How did you know to find me here?” I ask, glancing out the door. “And why didn’t you call?”
My father’s smile broadens. “Can’t you just be happy to see your family, Kaia?”
I flick my gaze to Hazel, who is smiling smugly. “Of course. I mean… do you guys want to come in?”
My heart starts racing. I definitely don’t want either of them in my private space, my innermost sanctum. For a second, my breath hitches as my father looks past me, considering.
When he shakes his head, I’m beyond relieved.
“I thought we would all get some lunch. Somewhere…” He glances around him, his lips twitching. He obviously doesn’t like my neighborhood very much. “Nice.”
I suck in a deep breath. “Yeah, sure. Let me just grab my shoes and my purse.”
I turn around and clatter up the stairs, quickly finding them. My dad and my sister have a cab waiting when I come back down; only fifteen minutes later, we are back in Manhattan proper.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
My dad glances back at me from the passenger seat. “We’re almost there.”
I glance at Hazel, who is playing on her phone. “How is school?”
She rolls her eyes over to me. “You don’t need to act interested in my life, Kaia. I have plenty of my own friends and interests.”
My eyebrows rise. “Okay… I was just checking in.”
The car stops before she has time to retort. My father jumps out, opening the door for Hazel. He offers her his arm as I climb out of the other side, looking at the restaurant we are going into.
“Adolpho’s,” I read out loud. It looks fancy, with gold-plated doors and a Sicilian flag displayed out front.
“Hurry up, Kaia,” Dad says. “We don’t want to be late.”
I scrunch up my face as I scurry after them. My father pushes through the gold-plated door. As I follow him into the lush, dim interior, I’m greeted with the rather heavenly smells of pasta and red sauce.
My stomach audibly rumbles.
My father and Hazel walk right by the host, so I just follow them into the swanky dining room. There are a few tables of people sitting at black leather booths. My dad makes a beeline for what is obviously the nicest seat in the place, a big corner booth with someone already sitting in it.
I scrutinize the older man who is sitting there. Salt and pepper hair, on the short side, thin as a rail.
He looks up as my father slides into the booth across from him, his lips twisting. “Don, I thought you were going to be a no-show.”
My father smiles broadly, scooting over to make room for Hazel and me. “Sorry about that. Traffic here in the city is just the pits.”
My brows rise. It might be the first time I’ve ever heard my dad apologize; whoever this guy is, he definitely has more money or power than my dad does.
My dad waves at my sister and me as we sit down. “These are my daughters, Hazel and Kaia. Kaia is the one I was telling you about, Tony. The little ballerina.”
Tony’s shrewd gaze falls on me. He tilts his head, his gaze calculating.
“Nice to meet you. Tony Cardezzio. I’m a business associate of your father’s.”
He doesn’t move to offer his hand, so I just bob my head. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
Hazel just smirks quietly, saying nothing. Tony clears his throat, looking at my father. I start getting a weird vibe; everybody at this table is acting really strangely.
I frown at the rest of the table but I don’t say anything. A waiter rushes up, his notepad at the ready.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” he asks.
