Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Really?”
“Yep. But whatever you order for me, order a lot of it.”
I laughed and went back to the menu. Sipping the wine, I read through the entrees again. “This is really good,” I said.
Carmine downed half his glass in one long gulp. “They always save a bottle of it for me.”
I drank more, relishing the taste as I looked at the menu. “I can’t decide.”
“That’s a shame, because I’m really hungry.”
“Me too.” There was something about being out on the crowded city streets that had been really invigorating. Or maybe it was just the fact that I was out of the house.
Carmine topped off my wine, and I gave him a quick grin.
His long index finger descended on the menu in front of me, sliding past the pastas. “If you don’t decide soon, the next place I take you to try on wedding dresses will be Big Bertha’s Discount Wedding Wear.”
I giggled. Even if such a place existed, which I doubted, there was no way a Moretti bride would be dressed in less than the best. And even if they allowed it, my father wouldn’t.
Finally, I decided on spareribs with a balsamic glaze and a side of pasta for Carmine. For myself I got grilled fish with artichoke caponata. Mine was probably supposed to be paired with white wine, but I was enjoying the red too much to care.
“Good choices,” Carmine said. “Are you having a good time?”
“Very much so.”
He smiled at my tone. “I figured you didn’t get out much.”
That was for certain. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“You’re welcome.”
As we waited for the food, I studied the nearby tables. About half the other customers were Italian, and Carmine knew some of them. Some of the women were so elegantly dressed. I’d just worn a simple lavender wrap dress today—I’d known we were eating out, I would’ve worn something nicer with higher heels.
Feeling a small wave of dizziness, I switched to sipping my ice water. But the wine was having another effect as well, and I excused myself to find the lady’s room. Carmine knew where it was, so he walked me there. “Don’t take too long, the food will be out soon.” He turned and walked back, winding easily between the close tables. Of course, maybe that was because everyone who saw him coming leaned out of the way.
In the bathroom, I did my business and then frowned at the mirror. My hair was loose, as always, and it looked so plain compared to many of the women I’d seen today. To my eye, I looked like a teenager—and not in a good way. I looked like a naïve schoolgirl, which was exactly how I felt half the time.
Or more than half.
Opening the little clutch purse I carried, I found my lipstick and reapplied it. Other than powder, tissues, and a fifty-dollar bill my dad had tucked in there the night of the engagement party, that was all I carried with me.
All I was allowed to carry with me. I didn’t even have a credit card.
When I exited the restroom, there was a man and woman blocking the hallway. They were arguing in a language I didn’t recognize, so they definitely weren’t Italian.
I said excuse me, but they didn’t pay me any attention. Their raised voices were getting to me, even though it appeared that the woman was holding her own. Her voice was as sharp and pointed as the man’s was.
Edging backward, I went the other way down the hallway to see if it would loop around. I passed by the men’s room and a door to the kitchen. A man carrying a large box strode past me in a hurry, and I flattened myself against the wall.
There was a door ahead, but it looked more like an emergency exit rather than something that led back to the main dining area. I was about to turn around when the same man brushed past me again. He hit the bar of the door with both hands and pushed it open. There was a small sound and we both looked down. An orange and white cat had slipped inside. It paused to meow and look up at the man.
“Out!” he ordered, and to my horror, he aimed a kick at the cat.
“No!” I cried out, but the cat was already out the door. I didn’t think he’d connected with it, but I wasn’t sure. He was already running into what looked to be an alleyway, and the door was swinging slowly shut.
I dashed toward it, catching it before it closed completely. I stepped out into an alley. “Kitty? Are you okay?”
There was a rustle to my left, and I saw movement on top of a dumpster. Was it the cat? I took a step closer and saw a pair of eyes glowing green. Wishing I had the flashlight that Stefano had given me, I squinted at the cat. It looked fine. It stared at me for a moment and then dashed off.