Page 71 of A Win-Win Situation
TWENTY-FIVE
LUCAS
Itake her to my favorite pizza place in Nice,Les Amoureux. I’m painfully aware that the restaurant name translates to'lovers', but their pizza is the best Nice has to offer. In my opinion, anyway. What I had forgotten, however, is that some pizzas come in different shapes than the usual circle.
"It's a heart," Leora exclaims as she looks up at the young waiter with the biggest smile.
"A beautiful girl like you deserves all the hearts the world has to offer," he replies, with a wink that suggests there's more to the compliment than meets the eye.
As I glare at the waiter, he suddenly breaks into a mischievous smirk. "Wait a moment, you have something there," he says, reaching behind Leora's ear. With a flourish, he produces a single flower, his eyes lingering on her with a playful twinkle.
Leora gasps in delight, and the surrounding tables erupt in applause.
Is this man flirting with my wife right in front of me? I can’t have other men flirting with her openly; what if someone sees or hears?
I take her hand in mine, subtly asserting my presence, "She truly deserves it all."
When the waiter leaves, Leora's eyes sparkle with amusement. "Someone’s feeling a bit territorial today," she teases.
"Can you blame me? We have a facade to uphold," I reply before taking a bite of my pizza. I watch her under my lashes as she takes her first bite, waiting to see her reaction. It’s anything other than disappointing. Her eyes grow as large as saucers, and she moans at the taste.
"This is the best pizza I’ve ever had," she hums between bites.
"It’s the best pizza in Nice, but when I take you to Italy, you’ll taste the finest pizza the world has to offer."
She pauses, the pizza slice dangling a few centimeters in front of her lips. "You want to take me to Italy?"
"Doesn’t a married couple travel?"
"I guess." Her eyes sparkle with eagerness before she takes another bite from the pizza, a little smile hidden behind the slice.
I want to get to know her. I want to know what makes her hesitate, what makes her happy, and what her life is like. It's time for us to open up, to let each other in.
"So," Leora begins her tone more serious, "we should get to know each other better."
It’s as if she’s reading my mind, "I agree."
She puts down her food, and I sense a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. "Tell me about your family, Lucas."
Every time I think about my parents, about what I remember, something in me shatters over and over again. But for her, I'll try. "There’s not much to say. My parents passed away when I was very young, and Antoine and his wife, Marie, became our guardians. "
Leora's expression softens, and she reaches out to place her hand on mine. "I'm so sorry, Lucas. That must have been incredibly difficult."
I appreciate her empathy, but I’m more interested in her. "It was, but I had my brother with me. Now tell me about your family."
"Do you want to hear about my chosen family or biological family?" That’s not the answer I was expecting. Her expression reveals a haunted past, and for a moment, I find myself questioning why I feel this inexplicable urge to help her. I have no obligation to her. Yet, a strange desire to take away anything that has hurt her, lingers within me.
"If there’s a difference," I say, my tone gentle, "I want to hear about both."
A deep breath escapes her before she speaks. "My mother died when I was born, and after that, my biological father left me to be raised by a foster family who cared more about getting their checks than taking care of us."
There’s a tightening in my chest as she shares how her father left her as a child. The idea of someone abandoning Leora is incomprehensible to me.
"I’m okay, Lucas. He did me a favor," she assures me, obviously noticing the shift in me.
"As for my chosen family," she continues, a smile creeping up on her face. "Adeline and her family were our neighbors, and I spent quite a lot of time with them. They’re practically my family, and later on, Sophie joined."
Her eyes meet mine, and I see a flicker of something deeper.
