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Each taking a deep breath, they lifted their hands at once and shook on it. The crowd around them erupted into cheers.
“This doesn’t mean I like you,” Vinny said.
“Good,” Joe said. “I still can’t stand you either.”
“As long as we have that clear.”
“Crystal.”
A few people managed to take pictures before they dropped hands and started walking back to their side of the boardwalk. “Hey,” Vinny called across the crowd, and Joe turned to look at him. “If you want, you can come to my place for poker night. I’ll lift your ban.”
Joe smiled, and Ella felt like the world just witnessed one of its biggest victories. “Dominick still cheat?”
“You know he does.”
Joe laughed. “I’ll be there. But remember…”
“Yeah, yeah. I hate you, too.”
Chapter 26
The two old men went their separate ways, and Ella stood there, trying to process everything that just happened. A decades’ old feud that she swore she’d never see end was finally over. The two men who hated each other so strongly for too many years to count just made plans to play poker together.
Was the world ending, and she didn’t know it yet?
She looked at Lucas one last time, taking in his dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and gorgeous set of his mouth, then turned away.
He was back, and he didn’t even bother to text her to let her know. If he wanted to talk to her, he would’ve by now, so there was no point for her to stick around. She would grab her bag and head out to the stores, browse the shelves, and try to get ideas for Enzo’s place and forget the gorgeous stranger who managed to infiltrate her heart.
She followed after Vinny toward their side of the boardwalk when a gentle hand landed on her shoulder. A warm chill ran up her spine at the familiar touch.
Lucas urged her to turn back around, and when she did she was staring into those damn blue eyes that made her weak in the knee. She tried to keep her composure, refusing to let him see her break.
“Hey,” he said, and she wanted to cry, and not because she was sad but because despite it all, she was just so damn happy to see him. She held onto her resolve and fought the conflicting emotions that were running rampant in her mind.
“I can’t believe… How did you know?” she asked, looking over her shoulder toward her grandfather as he disappeared into his restaurant. At least this was an easier topic of conversation.
Lucas moved like he wanted to hold her, but then he stopped letting his hands settle back at his side. “Vinny came to me. After he saw the flyers, he knew he had to do something. Said he always felt a little bad for what he did all those years ago, and now it was his chance to make it right.”
“This is unreal.” Ella heard the words, watched the whole thing unfold, yet she couldn’t seem to believe it was finally over. “What else did he say?”
“He said that if I make you cry again, Marco’s fist won’t be the only thing making me black and blue. I’m not sure what else he said after that because he started going off in Italian and speaking too fast.”
Ella laughed. Her seventy-two-year old grandfather was throwing threats at a guy more than half his age. The funny thing was, she knew her grandfather wouldn’t hesitate to defend her honor, no matter how dire the circumstances. He would fight for her until the end, and she was damn lucky to have him on her side.
If Vinny went to Lucas’ with the flyers then Lucas had to know…
“Does that mean you know I didn’t make them?”
“I do, and I’m so sorry that I accused you.” He reached up, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes, absorbing the feel of his fingers against her skin, letting his gentle touch send vibrations through her body. “I messed up. I should have listened to you. Never should have accused you like that. I hope you can forgive me.”
She wanted to forgive him, tell him to forget about that entire day, but a part of her knew it wasn’t that simple, and it never would be. Their problems went further than the feud and the misunderstanding. “It’s not just that. I thought what we had was special.”
“It was!” His hands slid to her arms, and he held her at arm’s length, eyes focused solely on her and filled with so much remorse it made her heart ache.
“How special could it have been if you couldn’t even trust me?” Hurt edged its way into her tone, causing her words to crack.
“I’m an idiot.”
