12. Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Patrick
I couldn’t stop thinking how Marcy lit up when she saw that potential bakery space. Exactly what I’d hoped would happen. I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed the place before. It was just a darkened storefront until Marcy set her eyes on it and the whole place ignited with possibility.
Not gonna lie, dinner at the pub with Marcy after looking at the storefront had gotten a little awkward. Marcy kept apologizing for any weird vibes. Likely, she felt overwhelmed with ideas about the business. Hopefully, that was all. We were in uncharted territory here.
As the campaign got going, the reality of my day job hit hard. I had to set aside campaign work and any further investigation into the vacant property I’d shown Marcy. I needed to serve the people the legal system frequently left behind. A job I was passionate about for sure, but now required more juggling than ever.
I glanced at the desk pad calendar in front of me and the scribbled M-lunch for today. Shoot. I was supposed to text Matteo to grab lunch. We met up during the day a couple times a month, often at an all-you-can eat buffet the other Russos and our friends made fun of us for liking, with great mac and cheese and free soft serve ice cream. I’d never been allowed to go there as a kid (parents = restaurant snobs) and Matteo ate like a horse, so it worked out.
I’d meant to talk to Matteo about the engagement, but things had been so hectic. Bea Clark and my mom filling every free moment with plans, plus the fundraiser event and ring shopping…
Yeah, I’d been ignoring my best friend. Busy or not, that was on me. We usually texted every few days. Even a simple link to a meme or a video. I hadn’t heard from Matteo in too long. I grabbed my phone.
Me: Hey, are we still on for lunch?
Then I can delicately discuss how I’ve been secretly dating your sister. No, I couldn’t say that. More like, I’ve been in love with her for years.
Nope. Definitely not that. But definitely something more than the paltry bones I’d thrown him so far.
Matteo: Sure
Sure could be anything. Dangit, I didn’t have the bandwidth to translate subtext in a text. Marcy probably had a word for that. I didn’t.
Me: How about 11:30. Is that too early? I’ve got court at 1
Matteo: ??
My day went from busy to nuclear pretty quick. By the time Matteo showed up at the office, I found myself stuck on a call with an upset client the world didn’t seem to care about.
Matteo nodded to me from the doorway. I sent him a helpless look, my desk phone—an actual landline—glued to my hand with the cord stretched as far as it allowed to pace the room.
A blank expression crossed his face. Matteo was an easy guy to read. Not a lot of nuance, which I liked. Right now, I didn’t know what he was thinking .
“Mr. Strauss?” Carmen, the legal secretary whose services I shared with two other attorneys, popped up beside Matteo in the doorway. “Can I help with anything?”
We weren’t the kind of office where support staff catered to the attorneys’ every need. They were too busy for handholding.
Suddenly, Matteo became all smiles. “Carmen. How are you?”
To say Carmen was affected by the presence that was Matteo was an understatement. She physically transformed from the stoic, no-nonsense professional I saw every day to shy adoration. She actually curled a piece of her dark hair around a manicured finger. “I’m okay.” Her eyes didn’t leave Matteo’s.
“Are you even listening?” the man on the phone chirped in my ear.
I was a terrible person. “Yes—yes. Your feelings are absolutely valid and we will talk through this.”
“You free for lunch?” Matteo was asking Carmen.
I couldn’t believe this. I was stuck on a call and Matteo had the nerve to ask out my admin staff?
Then again, not a shock. Women were always into Matteo. Once at a bar, I’d had a phone number passed to me on a napkin, and the gorgeous brunette who’d put it in front of me whispered, “Pass that to your friend.”
Carmen shot a look at me. I held up a finger. “Sir,” I spoke into the phone, but the client kept talking. I couldn’t cut this guy off. I waved a hand for Carmen and Matteo to go ahead without me.
She bit her lip through a smile. I’d never seen her smile like that.
Matteo gave me an exit head nod with an added nod that I translated as, “We’ll talk later.”
So much for setting things straight.
After returning from my afternoon at court, I caught up with Carmen as she gathered her purse and a jacket to leave for the day. “I wanted to say thank you for agreeing to lunch with my friend while I was stuck on that call. I owe you one.”
She beamed a wide smile at me. “Matteo promised me you’d be fine with us going since you were tied up. I’m glad I didn’t cross a boundary. Honestly, I was worried about it all afternoon.” She folded her coat over her arm. “We had a nice time.” She blushed. “If there’s anything I can do for you, let me know.”
She looked so happy, maybe she really believed she owed me. “Hey,” I said, before I lost my nerve. “Can I put you on something outside of the usual? It’s about an empty storefront. I’m looking for the owner for…a friend. I don’t really have the time to devote to it.”
By this point, everyone in the office knew about my engagement (the staff even signed a card for me and brought in donuts to celebrate). I couldn’t make myself tell Carmen the property investigation was for my fiancée. That sounded like something a stereotypical lawyer would pawn off on his assistant. I never wanted to be like that.
Except, you know, I was doing exactly that.
Carmen nodded with a faraway look in her eyes. Probably still thinking about her hot Italian-American lunch date. “Yeah, absolutely.”
I pushed guilt aside and convinced myself I deserved credit for delegating a task. After all, the task was for Marcy, who I’d promised to get into that retail space.
I shut everything down in my office and closed the door. A new text flashed on my screen. Just a number, so it wasn’t from a saved contact.
Please attend dinner at the house Saturday. Appetizers at five. Dinner at six .
Who…
Another text appeared.
This is Nonna Russo.
I’d been summoned. Dinner with the Russos post-engagement announcement. The real test.