Serena
The following week was quiet, and I was so unbothered that I got ahead on all my projects.
Other weeks are so busy with paperwork and talking to clients that I can’t get any work done.
I shouldn’t be annoyed that I have business and repeat customers. Still, if they keep showing up with wild demands—like needing a dress for a gala next week and sending clothes for tailoring—I’m going to start falling behind.
All I needed was one day of no interruptions, and I’d be golden.
I loved being with Harper. There was nothing I would change about our time together, whether it was our lazy mornings and walks to school, or cooking dinner and eating it at the park while people-watching.
I treasured every moment because these were times I couldn’t afford to waste, times I knew were important.
Even watching a movie while it rained outside was time we’d look back on and smile.
But all of that meant I had limited, uninterrupted time to work—which was important, because I was a single mom and the sole earner.
Even with Harper at pre-school, my time to work was limited to the hours between when I dropped her off and picked her up. In those hours, I not only worked but also carved out time to work out, the only time I had to do something solely for myself.
Stepping away from the mannequin, I stretched my hands and admired my work. The pale blue Grecian-inspired dress was beautiful, especially with the addition of the slit that went high up the thigh. I couldn’t wait to see it on someone.
One project down, ten more to go.
“I can’t believe him.” My door burst open, revealing an angry sixty-five-year-old Minnie Davenport-Clearwart. She didn’t wait for me to invite her in, not that she required an invitation from me. She walked in like she owned the place, like she did everywhere she went.
Her ice-blonde hair was swept into a perfect chignon, and her light green ensemble of cuffed shorts, silk blouse, and kitten heels looked like it belonged at a breezy family summer home, not the sweltering streets of New York City.
I couldn’t help a small smile. She always looked effortless, and she always commanded a room.
“I told him not to disappoint her. I gave him clear instructions, step by step, and did he do a single thing I asked?” She raised a finger, pinched her lips, and shook her head. “No, because he can’t think beyond that thing between his legs.”
Even in her fury, I felt that familiar warmth: Minnie was fiercely protective, and Harper couldn’t have a better grandma in her corner.
“Even if he didn’t want to care for his daughter, which is a travesty already, I wanted time with my granddaughter.
Everything he promised her, I would have done.
It would have been an honor to take care of Harper.
” She walked down the small walkway to me and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.
“I am so sorry, sweetie. He makes me so mad, I can barely see straight.”
My ex-mother-in-law was one of the best women I’d ever met. Given Charles’s and my dubious start to our relationship, Minnie never blinked an eye. She rolled with the punches and was one of the most supportive people in my life, despite everything that happened between her son and me.
“I don’t know where I went wrong with him,” Minnie said. I gave her the side-eye as I thought about how she indulged Charles’ every whim. If I looked up the word spoiled in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Minnie handing Charles a present.
She caught my side eye, laughed, and swatted my shoulder. “I hope his stupidity didn’t ruin too many of your plans? Like a hot date you had to cancel?”
I started sweeping some of the small clothes that I couldn’t do anything with into a pile.
“Just planned on working, so no plans ruined. There’s been an uptick in clientele needs, and I don’t want to turn anyone away.” I said, grabbing my needles and threads that sat next to the dress I finished earlier.
“I know some great guys,” Minnie started, and I sighed while I started to organize the strong colors.
“Great guys from where? The country club? That all-men’s exclusive club Charles Senior belongs to? Are they looking for someone to get their mothers off their backs?” Minnie meant well, but I’d met most of the men in their circle when I was with Charles.
“Don’t be like that. You are young, single, and having a thriving career you built from the ground up. There are plenty of men who aren’t half as stupid as my son and know what a catch you are. Say the word, and I’ll have them lined up.”
“Am I interrupting?” At the sound of the voice, my stomach flipped.
I slowly turned. Enzo stood in the doorway, expressionless, eyes flicking from me to Minnie and back.
Without a word, he lifted a hand and ran it through the top of his hair, tousling it just enough to let a few strands curl over his forehead.
It wasn’t messy—it was calculated, effortless—and I felt that familiar pull in my chest, that momentary need to reach out and smooth the lock back in place, even though I knew I couldn’t.
I wiped my hands on my pants and headed his way.
He sauntered like he knew he was putting on a show. His aura filled the room, making me want to stand taller and beg him to come closer just to be in his presence a little longer.
His eyes stayed on me as he walked, and I found it impossible to turn away.
He stopped barely a foot away in the small aisle that was made by the two long tables on either side of us, blocking Minnie from view and forcing me to keep my attention on him.
He adjusted his suit, and his earthy scent filled my nose.
I wanted to lean in, erase the space between us, and bask in his presence.
Something I couldn’t do, for so many reasons. Like he was my client and I had no business acting like some schoolgirl.
Especially not in front of Minnie. I didn’t care how many times in the last three years she tried to set me up on a date; I wasn’t prepared to deal with what might happen if she disapproved.
“Was there something wrong with the suits?” I asked when I was closer.
I shoved my hand in my back pocket to hold myself back.
“No,” he said. I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t.
“Oh. Okay. What did you need?” I asked. Why was I breathing like I’d just run a mile?
“I need to put in an order.” Enzo reached his hand out, a small piece of paper between his fingers. I grabbed it, opening it to find it was another order, this time for button-down shirts in only dark colors.
It wasn’t well known that he was in the Cosa Nostra, but Adrienne and her mother, Martina Vinci, had explained what it meant to be a made man.
The one time he came in with a gun still holstered on the back of his pants forced me to sit with the realization that he was more than the COO of Panorama, the persona he presented to most people.
That made my imagination run wild, and I went down a Reddit rabbit hole that I promised myself I wouldn’t do again.
“Just the shirts? Nothing else?” I asked as I wove my way through the tables to my desk.
I spotted Minnie in my periphery. She raised her eyebrows at me, a calculating look on her face.
Oh, no. I’d forgotten she was here the moment I spotted Enzo.
I moved a few papers around, hoping I didn’t blush and give Minnie something to home in on. It was a mess for an onlooker, but I knew where everything was, from invoices to dates. I clipped Enzo’s order to the top.
“Do you have a fabric you’d prefer? I can head to Bloomingdale's today,” I said as I thought through the rest of my day.
“Whatever you think is best, but it’s not a rush.”
I nodded, feeling as if my tongue was stuck in my mouth.
“Who might you be?” Minnie asked as she walked up to the two of us.
Minnie cast a look my way, raising an eyebrow in a look I took to mean ‘we’ll talk about this later’.
“Hi, I’m Minnie Davenport-Clearwart.” She held her hand out to Enzo.
He took it and gently shook it. “Lorenzo Lombardi.”
Lorenzo? I only ever knew him as Enzo, but that made sense. Enzo was a nickname. There was so much I didn’t know but wanted to ask.
I punched down the desire to learn more about him, which would either ruin the fantasy I'd built of him in my head or confirm it—and in that case, being around him would become infinitely worse.
“Do you work with Serena often? Or is this new?” she paused, slicing her eyes to me before going back to Enzo. A slow, mischievous smile formed on her lips. “Partnership?”
I needed to end whatever this was and stop whatever game Minnie was thinking up. Last time I saw that smile, she sat me down and told me she was going to pay my divorce lawyer and stick it to her son.
“Minnie, did you need something? Or did you just come to visit?” I asked, trying to distract her.
“Oh, I just wanted to visit my favorite ex-daughter-in-law. You know how I worry about you, especially when my son pulls his typical bullshit.” She leaned toward Enzo conspiratorially.
“My son, Charles, is a fool. Ruined the two best things he had in his life. So, tell me, Lorenzo, what do you do for work, and are you single?”
I nearly choked on my own spit. I had to shut this down. Minnie was wonderful, but I doubted she would be excited to learn what Enzo did for a living.
I glanced at Enzo, trying to gauge his reaction. He turned his head to me, a glint of amusement in his eyes. His tongue poked into the inside of his cheek, like Harper did when she tried to keep from smiling.
“Minnie,” I sputtered. She turned, barely an inch, but I knew she was trying to block me out of the conversation and pretend she didn’t hear me.
“Minnie,” I said again, my tone harsh.
Her shoulders dropped, and I stepped between them.
“He’s a client,” I whispered.
Minnie rolled her eyes, but she knew how important it was for me to have this boundary. If there was one rule I stuck to, it was never crossing that client-service provider line.
She looked over my shoulder, to the hulking man behind me, and let out a resigned sigh.