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Enzo shook his head. “Just Enzo. Please.” Mr. Moretti made him feel much older than he actually was. “You seem to have a real knack for this.”
“I tend to work better under pressure.” He shrugged. “I turn it into a challenge, and I don’t like to lose.”
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“I’m working here, starting at eight.”
“How about you come in earlier and open the store?” Enzo asked.
Paulie’s green eyes widened. “Does that mean I’ll get a key?”
Enzo stifled a laugh. The kid was eager to be given responsibility, and from what Enzo could tell, he was more than capable of handling it. “Temporarily. It’s Cami’s key, so she’ll need it back, but we’ll get one made for you.”
Enzo had snatched the shop key off of Cami’s keychain without her noticing. He already expected her to fight him about going in tomorrow, but if he could get everything set up, she wouldn’t have to worry, and she could give her ankle another day to heal. Besides, she shouldn’t be the only person with a key to her place. What if there was an emergency? While Cami felt she could take on the world, shit happened, and she needed to be more prepared than she was. Giving Paulie the responsibility to open tomorrow was a step in the right direction.
Enzo held the key up to Paulie. “With this key comes great responsibility.”
“Did you just quote Spider-man to me?” Paulie asked.
“Technically Voltaire was first to use that, though many contribute it to Winston Churchill or Franklin D. Roosevelt, or in other cases”—he pointed to Paulie—“Spider-man. It doesn’t matter who said it; the point is that I trust you not to lose this key and to use it to open this place tomorrow morning.”
“I will guard it with my life,” Paulie said, and Enzo placed the key in his palm. Paulie’s fingers curled around it like Enzo just gave him the key of life.
“You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who’s looking for a job and knows how to work a cash register, do you?”
“No, but I can ask around.”
Enzo patted his back. “Do that and let me know.”
“You got it boss,” Paulie said, and Enzo’s first thought was if Cami was here, she would blow a gasket, but she wasn’t, so he didn’t bother correcting Paulie.
Enzo spun to head to the door, and Ella blocked his path. “Haven’t I lost enough people in my life?” she asked, hands planted firmly on her hips.
“What are you talking about?”
“Giving Paulie a key? Did Cami okay that?”
“No, but that’s because she’s stubborn and needs someone to take control away from her.”
“She’s going to murder you and toss you to the birds.”
“She’ll get over it.”
“Yeah, while she’s chopping you up into tiny pieces. Did you know she called right before you got here?”
“No, but I wouldn’t expect any less from her.”
“If you think you can keep her away for more than a day, you’re out of your mind.”
“I might very well be, but I’m the reason she hurt her ankle in the first place, and I’ll do what I need to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself again.”
“Speaking of hurting her…” Ella said. “She comes across as strong and having it all together, but I think the reason she has never been in a serious relationship is because she’s scared of getting hurt.”
“Wait, why are you telling me this?” As far as Enzo knew, he never had a conversation with Ella about Cami. Had Cami talked to Ella about him?
“She likes you Enz, and I probably shouldn’t get myself involved, but I really like the idea of the two of you. At least if you get together, I’ll know you’ll have each other’s backs while I’m in California.”
Ella and her too big heart. He seriously didn’t know how it fit in her chest. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
