I hate pho. “I love pho, only I can’t tonight. I make quilts, and I have an order due in just two days. I’m way behind. Maybe lunch this weekend or coffee or something?” I actually shut down my online store when the last of the quilts I had already completed were sold. But there were a few former clients who still pleaded for baby quilts. Baby quilts were the easiest and ones I took the most joy out of making so I’ve accepted a few orders for them but I don’t have anything due for another two weeks.
He tries to cover it, but his unease is clear. “Actually, I’m crazy busy this weekend. My mom needs me to help her around the house. I already made plans, I’m pretty popular, you know. How about next week instead?”
I’m too relieved to care about his weirdness about doing anything over the weekend. “Sounds good.”
“Can I get your number to text you?”
“Oh yeah, sure.” I write my number on a sticky note. As I hand it
to him, Cesare and Dante are walking toward us.
“Great, I’ll text you.”
“I look forward to it,” I say as I force a smile. Dante goes still as he stares at me. Cesare keeps walking into his office, slamming the door so loud I wince at the way the doorframe shakes from the force of it.
“My office,” is all Dante says.
He drops the file he’s carrying on his desk. “Are you suicidal? What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m making a date. I’m trying to move on from the colossal mistake of thinking I was attracted to your brother. I found someone who does want me. Who doesn’t care whether I’m a virgin or not. How the hell could you have told Cesare?”
Dante winces. “I know, I know. I swear if I had it to do over, I wouldn’t have. What the hell are you talking about? Cesare wants you, he wants you so badly he’s driving himself into the ground to keep away from you.”
Long past embarrassed, I admit, “I told him I wanted him. I told him I’d take him on his terms and he turned me down flat. Muttered some stupid bullshit about me being a virgin and he didn’t do them. Fine, I’ll make it so I’m not a virgin.”
“Fuck.” Dante runs his hand through his hair as he stalks the room. “I can’t believe him sometimes. You, you’re trying to grab a tiger by the tail. Be careful what happens when you’ve caught it.”
On that note, I back out of his office with my tail between my legs.
The day passes with the kind of tension that ties my stomach into knots. Hannah is stiff, Dante is short, and Wyatt is sending me memes every five minutes. By the end of the day, I’m ready to run for the door.
I’m barely through my front door when I have a call from Lydia. I relay I did what she suggested with Wyatt, and Cesare seemed suitably pissed off but hasn’t said anything.
“So are you and Wyatt going out this weekend?”
“He asked if we could go out tonight. I wasn’t up to it, so I made an excuse. When I offered to do lunch or something this weekend, he acted a little weird and said he was busy. He asked if we could do something next week.”
“Ah, well put those guilty feelings to rest. He’s not looking for anything more than a hookup. If he were interested in something more, he would have taken you out this weekend. Chances are he has another woman he’s taking out over the weekend, and he’s worried about you two running into his family or friends.”
“Asshole.” I wondered about the week-only dates.
“Whatever, don’t worry about him. He’s a means to an end. Do you think Dante could be trusted with helping out?”
“No, not after him telling Cesare about the virgin thing. While I like Dante, I don’t know if he’ll keep his mouth shut or help or what.”
“It’s fine then, it can be done without him. Although it would be better with his help. Okay, sweetie, I have to go, work is calling.”
I wish I had Lydia’s optimism. With a sigh, I go to get changed into something comfortable. I’m in old silky pajama pants and a soft T-shirt sewing a few squares by hand on the couch when the pounding starts, threatening to take the door off its hinges.
Heart beating fast, I check the peephole. Cesare. I yank open the door. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
I have to back up fast as the anger and aggression emanating from him threaten to knock me down. His eyes flick around the room as if he expected to find someone else. “Your little trick won’t work. I want you to know it and stop right fucking now.”
God he’s stunning in his rage: his color is heightened against the black of his beard, he seems even bigger as his chest works to contain his outrage. I have no doubt Cesare will see my confusion as genuine, because a tiny part of me is extremely confused. He really does want me despite what he said last night. “I don’t understand, what trick are you talking about?”
“This business with Wyatt Carter. You’re using him to make me jealous. It won’t work. Stay away from him,” Cesare roars.
Holy crap, it sure as hell worked. And suddenly I’m so fucking pissed off at him. How the hell could he want me yet deny the both of us what we both wanted so badly? “Excuse me? You told me you didn’t want me. You made it crystal fucking clear you didn’t want anything to do with me after I made a fool of myself offering myself to you. What I’m doing with Wyatt doesn’t have a damn thing to do with you. You aren’t even a part of the equation. I told you, I’m tired of living life the way I was. Wyatt has shown interest in me for weeks, he does want me. I told you, I don’t want love, I’m just looking for some fun. I’m tired of being a nearly thirty-year-old virgin. I doubt Wyatt cares one way or another. Who I fuck is none of your concern. You can leave now.”