Page 509 of One More Kiss

Avery

I was stillangry as I exited out of the SUV and headed toward the restaurant to meet Lena.

I felt foolish. I’d thought Paolo felt the same pull that I did, but his duty comment made me remember he was only doing his job for my father to get information.

Leon opened the restaurant door and held it for me. “Text me when you’re ready to leave. I’ll be waiting outside.”

I nodded. “Thank you. Are you sure you’re not hungry?”

Whenever I came to the restaurant to meet Lena, I always offered for him to come inside and eat with us. He never accepted.

“In you go, principessa. You two ladies have a wonderful time. Text me when you’re finished.”

My lips twitched, but I didn’t say anything. Instead, I stepped into the restaurant. I felt his gaze on me until the door close behind me. I released a ragged breath. Now, I could be free and not worry about any family drama, or what I should and shouldn’t say.

“Ms. Bilotti, welcome,” Aaron said with a smile. He’d been our server for as long as I could remember.

“Hey Aaron, how are you?” I asked.

“Good, thank you. Ms. Carpone is already here. Are you ready to be seated?”

I handed the lady who hovered next to us my jacket and followed Aaron through the restaurant to the usual table.

“Thank you,” I said as he pulled out my chair. He nodded, giving us both a bright smile, and then headed toward the bar.

Lena rose and tugged me into her embrace. “How are you?”

“Good. You know, same old.”

She laughed as she returned to her chair. “I know.”

She rolled her eyes. Neither of us had chosen this life. In fact, we didn’t want anything to do with it, but we couldn’t do anything about the predicament that we were in. Our fathers would never agree to let us out of our families or obligations.

“Anything exciting happen in the past month?” I asked, as I browsed the menu.

She scoffed. “Please. Avs, honey, when has anything exciting happened? We’re locked away in our gilded cage. Our excitement amounts to going to events where we’re paraded around like a piece of meat in hopes of gaining a husband.”

I gazed at my friend of many years. She had sat beside me in kindergarten and held my hand when I was afraid. Now I saw a woman in her early twenties who struggled with what was asked of us. The lifestyle was eating away at her, and I wasn’t sure what I could do.

I reached for her hand. She jolted, fear filling her eyes. Then, she was back to normal.

Before I could say anything, Aaron arrived to take our orders. Once we relayed what we wanted, he disappeared again.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “Dad’s on the warpath, again.”

Our lives may have looked the same on the outside to everyone else, but the truth of the matter was, my father was caring unlike hers. Lena didn’t feel the love and affection that my father gave me. Frank Carpone was cold and calculating. He didn’t have a warm bone in his body and I doubted that he would even know how to comfort his child should the need arise.

For me, I knew that my life was safe as long as my father was alive. Lena knew that her life would be safer if her father was dead. He had a temper, one that he had no problems unleashing on his daughter if he felt as though she’d wronged him.

Nothing ever warranted that abuse. Not ever.

Our drinks arrived at the table, and Lena downed her white wine in one mouthful.

“Another, please,” she said.

I stared at my friend in shock. She never acted like this before.

“Lena, talk to me.”

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