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She scoffs. “If you get sick, I won’t be anywhere near you.”
“Liar,” I say warmly.
“Whatever. Just tell me you at least had dinner.”
This is nice. Having someone to worry about me aside from my family. And I barely ever let my family worry about me, either. But Isabella’s a natural worrier. Especially when it comes to people she cares about.
She keeps insisting I’m not one of those people, but one of these days I’ll penetrate that ice-queen façade she likes to put on and she won’t be able to put it back up again.
“Yes, I had dinner. Finished two servings of curry rice and chicken,” I assure her.
“Good. I know you get tunnel vision when you’re busy, but just remember to rest, alright?”
“Yes, ma’am. Speaking of rest, do you want to do something this weekend?”
“Something like what?” she asks.
“I haven’t seen you in two weeks. We should go out, have some fun.”
“That depends on your idea of fun.”
“I wasn’t aware there were different facets to fun,” I state.
“Sure there are. If it involves loud noises, drinking, partying, then I respectfully decline.”
I grin. “Don’t worry, Sunshine. I’ve put that life behind me. I was thinking we’d engage in a more fast-paced type of fun. It’s time you got introduced to one of my hobbies.”
“Which is?”
“I’m not telling you. It’s a surprise,” I reply.
She sighs. “Why do I have a feeling I’m going to regret agreeing to this?”
I chuckle lightly. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”
My fingers drum against the steering wheel as I wait for Isabella to show up. I’m currently parked at the side of the street on Riverside Drive. It’s 12:45 p.m. and we have an agreement to meet by one. Which means I’ve got about fifteen minutes until she shows up. I’m wondering what to do to pass the time when my phone rings. It’s a work call from an important client, and I swear softly under my breath as I answer.
Today was supposed to be my day off. I’ve been working nonstop the past three weeks and I deserve this, so I promised myself no work. But I can’t exactly ignore this call, so with a sigh, I place the phone against my ear.
“Mr. Klein,” I greet the German businessman. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”
He starts speaking to me about a deal he’d like to bring our company into. The conversation has been going on for about ten minutes when there’s a sudden knock on my window. I look up and see Isabella’s face. Something immediately slides through my chest at the sight of her.
She knocks on the window again, insistently, and I snap out of it, unlocking the door to let her in.
“Mr. Klein, I’m sorry but I’m going to have to call you back. We’ll discuss further then,” I state before ending the call.
Isabella enters the car and her scent wafts over me. Heat crawls through my skin as I take in her outfit. It’s pretty understated—sneakers and a short white dress. But on Isabella, even the most simple things make her look devastating. It would be nice if she smiled at me, though, but there’s a distinct frown on her face that has me arching an eyebrow.
“What crawled up your ass, grumpy?” I question, starting the car and driving away.
“Nothing. Just my cousin being annoying,” she grumbles. “How are you?”
I would ask what her cousin did, but from what I’ve been able to glean, the two of them are always at odds. Still, I can tell she cares about him. I might not know much about the Don of the Russos but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t mean her any harm. I’m sure whatever their dispute is wasn’t malicious.
I smile. “I’m great, thanks for asking. I’d be better if you smiled a little.”
Instead of shooting me one of those dazzling smiles I know she’s capable of her, her frown deepens and she rolls her eyes.
