Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 25004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
I take a bite and end up choking on the sticky pasta and watery sauce. “What are you making me eat?”
Calvin rolls his eyes. “Don’t be so picky. It’s Italian, and you love that food so much I had to practically kidnap and then pay a ransom’s worth of money to Lucia Mancini.”
“It’s worth it.” I stab my fork into the dish and move some of the noodles around. “Did you really eat this?”
“Yes, and it was good.” Calvin leaves with a huff. I push the dish aside. I’ll eat at Mancini’s tonight. When I come up for air, the lab is empty, and the food is still on the stainless steel table, but it’s congealed into a solid mass. I dump the contents into the trash and wash the plate in the lab sink. It’s dark when I leave. By the time I get to Mancini’s, the moon is high, and the streetlights are bright, but the restaurant is entirely dark.
I knock on the door, peer through the window, and jiggle the handle. No one responds. I check my watch and discover it’s midnight. I guess Mancini’s closes early.
I pull out my phone and realize that I don’t have her number, but Calvin must, so I text him only to get back a message that he has his alerts off. How irritating. I call, but it goes straight to voice mail. To the side of the restaurant entrance is a small foyer. I jog over, and a light turns on, shining down on an intercom pad. I look through the list of names, but not one says Lucia. Maybe she lives nearby. I walk around the neighborhood, checking out each apartment building. After coming up empty-handed, I end up back in front of the restaurant. She’s got to come by at some point. I drop onto the concrete stoop and lean back against the ocean blue door. It’s not very cold out. I’ll wait here. I tip my head back against the door frame and let my eyes drift shut. When Lucia gets here, I’m going to have the meatballs again and then tiramisu for dessert. That one tastes like there’s crack laced through it. I’m going to ask to sit in the kitchen while she cooks. Funnily enough, I’d almost rather watch her work than eat her food. I wonder what that means.
CHAPTER 12
LUCIA
I toss and turn in bed. Why didn’t Jase come in to eat tonight? I suppose he does have a reason. I prepared some meals he could heat up at home. So, the only thing that would make him come to the restaurant tonight would have been if he wanted to see me. But since he didn’t show, I guess he didn’t.
Why am I so stuck on him? I know what I need. My Kindle. A good romance should get my mind off the lack of romance in my own life. It’s hard to date. Especially coming from an Italian family that includes two older brothers who can scare a boy off with one stare. Don’t get me wrong; I love how protective they are over me. I always figured if a man was scared so easily because of my brothers then they: one, didn’t care enough to try harder, or two, they were still a boy.
I flip on my lamp next to my daybed and don’t see my Kindle anywhere. My place isn’t giant, but it’s plenty big for me. I only moved in here a few months ago. It actually came with the restaurant. It’s the first time I’ve had a place of my own. It’s all I really need, plus having a giant kitchen downstairs is a dream come true. It helps with some of my side work.
My family was less than excited about me moving into the place. Well, everyone besides Bianca. She thought it was a good idea for me to move out on my own. I tried to explain to the rest of them that I couldn’t live at home forever. My parents put up as big a fight as my brothers over it, but for once, I stood my ground. How would I ever have a love life if I lived at home? The answer is I wouldn’t.
Although I doubt it’s possible that I’ll ever find what my parents have. They have the kind of marriage everyone longs for. Mom may grumble about never getting grandbabies, but she can blame herself for that one. When you see my parents together, how could you ever settle when you know that kind of love is out in the world to find? They’ve set my expectations so high when it comes to love and marriage that I’m afraid no man will ever be able to meet them.
Not seeing my Kindle anywhere, I unlock my door and head down the stairs into the kitchen. When I hit the bottom step, I remember I left it on the bar. While everyone was closing up, I’d downloaded a few new books that came out.