Chapter 12
. . .
Vesper
Ican’t be sure if I’m walking into my late grandma’s living room or an Italian restaurant. Either way, this place is a whole lot different from the Italian restaurant Drew and I went to last year, just after I moved out of the apartment I shared with Kane.
“Hey, how can I help you?” a blonde-haired server greets me with a smile.
“She’s with us!”
Before I can explain that I’m here to meet some friends, June’s voice echoes from the back of the restaurant, and I point in that general direction.
“I’m here with Loudmouth.”
The server just snorts a laugh and grabs me a menu, leading me deeper into a sea of tables decorated with red plaid tablecloths and those cute little table lamps I’ve always thought were super cozy.
“You found the place okay then?” Drew greets me with a hug before she retakes her seat, and June stands, setting a kiss against my cheek.
“I feel like I’ve stepped back in time and my grandparents have invited me for dinner,” I say, casting my eyes around the place.
June takes a seat opposite me and waves her hand. “When Luigi died, Dad and his friends wanted to keep the decor the same. They just refreshed some of the soft furnishings.”
I look between Drew and June. “Who’s Luigi?”
“The previous owner,” Drew clarifies. “June’s dad, Jensen, and a few of his former teammates own a chain of Italian restaurants across the country, but this one, right here, is the original.”
“And the food is unmatched.” A guy, who I’d pin as in his early sixties, with salt-and-pepper hair and a bright smile approaches our table, wearing a white dress shirt and black pants.
His confident walk screams that he’s the owner.
His face also looks familiar, although I can’t quite narrow down where I recognize him from.
“Jon, don’t get ahead of yourself. The lasagna is delicious, but the gnocchi needs more work.”
The guy glares at June in a playful way, and now I’m certain that he’s a former hockey player and one of Jensen’s teammates.
He turns his attention on me, holding out his hand, which I shake. To be honest, guys much older have never done it for me, but I can definitely imagine that he was a heartbreaker when he was younger.
He’s got piercing gray eyes that make women weak in the knees.
“In case you haven’t already worked it out, my name’s Jon Morgan, and I’m one of the owners here.
” He points to Drew and June. “These two are basically my nieces and like to stop by the restaurant once in a while to eat free food and then complain that it’s not as good as other Italian places in town. ”
Drew chuckles from beside me. “And in case you haven’t already figured this out, Jon likes to be dramatic. We do, in fact, like the food here, and I have, in fact, paid multiple bills.”
“I’m Vesper,” I say, getting the conversation back on track. “And I’m an Italian food addict who will gladly hoover anything you put in front of me.”
His top lip quirks. “I like you already, Vesper. How about the seafood ravioli? I have it on special tonight.”
My stomach growls. “One of my favorites.”
Dipping a hand into his pocket, Jon pulls out a pad and pen and begins scribbling down my order.
While Drew and June select their food, I zone out for a second, eyes tracking to the family portraits lined along the walls.
There are a couple with Jon in them and then another with June and her family, including Will.
A tinge of sadness settles in my gut—a wish that things with my family had worked out differently.
I haven’t spoken to Naomi in weeks and haven’t seen her in nearly six months.
I know she’s probably preoccupied with her new boyfriend, but it would be nice to see her more than I do.
It’s also been over a week since I last saw Silas. Aside from a few texts from him, asking me how I am, I’m trying not to spiral over that night. Maybe me asking him to stay in my bed was too much, but he did it anyway, just so I wouldn’t feel rejected.
Either way, he did me a solid with my boss. The guy has been nothing but kind and understanding each time I’ve seen him.
June’s hand in front of my face snaps me back into the room, and I blink a couple of times.
“What are you wearing to the game tomorrow night, Ves?”
I release a low groan. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can make it. I missed a shift the other week, and I was planning on making up the time.”
Drew raises a brow. “Were you sick?”
“Yeah,” I lie, feeling my cheeks flush a little.
When I turn to June, she’s giving me the same doubtful look as Drew.
“Girl, please never play poker,” June drawls.
“And while I’m not going to force you to tell us why you didn’t show up for work, I am going to insist that you come to the game tomorrow night.
The Rogues against the Blades is always a season highlight, and I have my first-ever interview going live on the jumbotron at the end of the second period. ”
I gasp on her behalf. “Who?”
June flicks her dark hair back, pride swamping her face. “Tommy Williams. Former Blades defenseman and a Hall of Famer. He’s in town to watch the game.”
I’m no expert on hockey, but I don’t need to be to know that name. Tommy Williams, previously Tommy Schneider, was my crush when I was a teenager.
I blush, trying to hide the reaction by dropping my head down but I fail miserably when my friend gasps.
“Wait a freaking minute.” Drew holds up a hand as three glasses of ice water are set down on the table by a female server. Drew takes a big sip and pins her attention back on me. “Are you hot for a forty-something guy?”
I drop my head between my shoulders, and they both laugh.
“Not now. But I was when I was, like, thirteen.”
June leans forward on her elbows, and I lift my eyes to her briefly.
“You have a thing for the bad boys. Don’t you, Vesper?”
My cheeks flame. I know June is referring to Silas because I can’t go a half hour in my friends’ company without either of them bringing him up.
“Silas stayed over at my place the other week.”
Drew almost drops her water glass.
“Say again?” June cups her ear with one hand.
“Did you sleep together?” Drew whispers.
For a twenty-four-year-old woman, I definitely blush a lot.
“That all depends on your definition of sleeping together. Did we share a bed? Yes. Did we actually do the deed? No.”
June sits back in her chair, analyzing the evidence before her. She looks like her mom when she goes into full-blown lawyer mode. “That’s why you didn’t show up for work that night.”
“Bingo,” I reply, plucking a breadstick from the plate set down in the center of the table. “But like I said, nothing happened beyond him staying over and us talking.”
The words fall easily from my mouth since they’re the truth, but beneath the table, my thighs squeeze together at memories of the way Silas looked at me, the strong palm he wrapped around my hip as he pulled my body into his.
I’ve never felt like that when I was with a guy, even when we went the whole way and had sex.
Thoughts of how good it would be to have sex with Silas overtake my brain until I’m certain Drew and June can read me like a book.
“Silas stayed over because Kane had shown up at my apartment building, drunk. He was demanding access to the floor and wanted to speak to me.” A cold sensation washes away the warmth that was filling my insides a moment before.
“I panicked and messaged Silas, and he came straight over. By the time he got to my place, Kane had been escorted off the premises, but I was …” I take a deep breath to steady myself.
“I was upset and scared and missed my shift at work. Silas didn’t want to leave me, and I …
” I look between them both. “I asked him to stay in my bed because I feel safe whenever he’s around. ”
“How many years do you think I’d get for murder, given my mom knows a host of defense attorneys?”
I’d laugh if I thought that June was joking. I think she would throttle Kane the second she set eyes on him.
“Have you heard from him since?” Drew questions.
“Silas or Kane?”
“Both,” they reply in unison.
“Kane, no. Although I still have his number blocked so I can’t be sure.”
“Good girl,” June praises, taking my hand in hers. “I’m so fucking proud of you for standing strong.”
I offer her a small smile, proud of myself, too, for not letting Kane back into my life.
“Silas, here and there. I’m actually freaking out that I scared him away. How many girls ask their ex-boyfriend’s brother to climb into bed with them?”
Drew tips her head to one side, wearing another doubtful expression. “I don’t think you need to worry about scaring Silas away. In fact, I think that’s the least of your concerns.”
June nods her agreement, biting down on a breadstick.
“I think your main issue now is, how are you going to get out of your shift tomorrow night so you can witness June’s epic jumbotron interview and then head home with the Rogues captain for another night of bed sharing?” Drew remarks.
I roll my eyes at them both. “The pair of you are incorrigible—you know that?”
They don’t reply, waiting on me to say yes to tomorrow night.
I suppose I could call in sick and get away with it, I’m on the owner’s good side right now.
After a beat, I nod my acceptance and then hold up a finger before either of them can start getting carried away again. “I’m going on the proviso that you don’t mention Silas or even hint at us going home together. He’s my evil ex’s brother, and that’s a complication we both could do without.”
Again, no response from either of them.
I smile, satisfied that they got the message, loud and clear.
“And for the record,” I add for good measure and so there can be no confusion about my relationship status with the Rogues captain. “Nothing is going on between us.”