he doesn’t let it rule or define him.
Another thing I love about him is that he loves my friends, and although they love him for the great man he is and not his money, he still likes to lavish them at times.
Dad’s hand touching mine has me glancing at him.
“When am I going to get to give you your own extravagant wedding gift? Along with paying for the wedding itself, of course,” he adds with a wink.
I twist my lips to the side. “When I find the right man to fit the role of a perfect husband.”
Black hair and eyes flash through my mind, but I quickly force it away. It’s way too soon to be thinking about Enzo in that role.
Isn’t it?
“I’m afraid you’re going to be waiting a long time for that to happen. You should know by now that no man is perfect. Especially for my little girl.”
I grin and pat his hand still on top of my other one. “He may not be perfect to everyone else, but I have no doubt he’ll be perfect for me.”
“Well, this old man ain’t getting any younger, so if you could hurry up with that search, that’d be great.”
I giggle then lean over and kiss his cheek. “I’ll get right on that.”
We spend the next few minutes talking about nothing important. It’s nice sitting here with him. I’ve only seen him once since he came back from his cruise.
He looks down at his watch.
“I suppose I should get going. I’m meeting Laurie for lunch.”
He gets up and I walk him to the door, grabbing my purse and keys from the counter.
“I’ll walk you out. I’m actually headed out to meet a friend for lunch too.”
He gives me an assessing look. “A male friend?”
“Nope. A female friend.”
I keep out the part that the female friend is the sister of the guy I’m dating. I’m not quite ready to tell Dad about Enzo yet.
I laugh at the dejected look on his face.
Before we can walk to our cars, I give him one more hug. “It was good seeing you again, Dad. Give Laurie my love.”
“You betcha. And call me in a few days. Laurie wants you over for dinner one night next week.”
“Will do. Love you!”
“Love you back, Lana.”
With a wave, we both get in our cars and drive away.
Getting out of my car, I beep my locks and toss my keys into my purse as I walk toward the old mom and pop diner on the corner. When I spoke with Enzo’s sister yesterday, she asked what type of food I like. I’ve never been a picky person, so I told her to surprise me. Her choice did surprise me. I’d expected something fancy, but what she picked is the total opposite. Mary Bea’s Diner doesn’t look like much on the outside, but their food is the shit.
Grabbing the handle to the heavy door, I give it a good yank and it opens. A blast of cold air hits my face when I walk inside. My stomach’s already growling at the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. If you ever want a good home cooked meal, Mary Bea’s is the place to go.
After my eyes adjust to the lighting, I look around for Allison and spot her in a booth. My eyes drift to the person beside her, and I barely suppress a growl.
What the hell is Heidi doing here? Every time I turn around, the woman is there in some fashion.
Pasting on a smile, I head toward them. Allison gets up and envelops me in a hug. She pulls back and looks me up and down.
“I absolutely love that dress!” she gushes. “You need to tell me where you got it from!”
“I found it at Bailey’s.”
“The fancy resale shop on Twentieth Street? I love that place. I’ve gotten several steals from there.”
My eyes slide to Heidi, who’s wearing a tight-lipped expression. It smooths out when Allison turns to her.
“I hope you don’t mind I invited Heidi along. When she found out I was having lunch with you, I could tell she wanted to come. She’s kind of like a little sister to Enzo and would like to get to know you.”
I just bet she does, Nova snarks. I can practically see the wheels turning in her head looking for ways to cause problems for Enzo and me. Ordinarily, I’d feel like a bitch for instantly hating another person. In reality, Heidi’s given me no reason to feel any ill