Baby knew almost everybody at New Brothers Pizza. And they all obviously loved him. He waved to the owner, Mr. DiMuzio, as they walked in. Baby asked if they could sit at the table in the back.
Mr. DiMuzio winked and held his arm out toward the table. “Are you finally bringing a beautiful woman here for a date?”
Baby nodded. “Mr. DiMuzio, this is Quinn.”
Quinn held out her hand to shake the older man’s. “Quinn Harrison.”
“Quinn works at the Eagle’s Nest for the lunch shift and also teaches at Teton State College.”
Mr. DiMuzio nodded. “Harrison? Are you any relationship to Riley Harrison?”
“Yes, sir. He’s my half-brother.”
Before she had any inkling, Mr. DiMuzio pulled her into a bear hug. “Then you’re practically family. Boy Riley and Girl Riley are two of my favorite people, and every time Phoenix does a stunt around here, I get extra business for days. I can almost forgive you for being the reason lunch hour around here has slacked off.”
Quinn patted the big man on the back awkwardly. She’d never been great at hugging. “Well, I think Lexi is more to blame for that than me.”
Mr. DiMuzio let her go. “Yes, the mysterious Lexi. She’s on my list, I tell you.”
Baby shook his head. “Everybody’s on your list, Mr. D.”
Mr. DiMuzio laughed a big belly laugh. It was impossible not to smile upon hearing it. “You watch it, Baby, or you’ll be on the list, too.”
Baby’s hand rested on her back again as he led her to the table. “Did you put him up to saying that? The part about finally bringing a date here?”
“Naw. Bringing a date here is kind of like taking them to meet your family.”
Quinn had absolutely no idea what to make of that statement, so she decided not to push it.
The restaurant itself was homey, with an authentic Italian flair—highlighting the comfort and joy of life. The décor was rustic with wooden chairs at the tables and booths along the far wall covered with checkered tablecloths. Quinn loved it.
She opened the menu to look through it, but Baby didn’t bother.
“You already know what you want?”
“One of the advantages of living in a small town your whole life is familiarity with the menus.”
“Fair enough. Do you have something you always get?”
“Honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything Mr. DiMuzio makes. But unless you’re opposed to it, I would definitely suggest pizza. We can get one and split it if you want.” He narrowed his eyes. “Unless you’re one of those big city freaks who likes anchovies and pineapple on their pizza.”
“Together?” She couldn’t help the face she made. “I think you’re safe from this city girl. Why don’t you order whatever you think is best?”
“Can do, but first we have to rope in the best.” Baby nodded his head, his eye contact slightly over Quinn’s shoulder, grabbing a waiter’s attention before he gazed back at Quinn. “I know exactly what we’re going to get.”
When the waiter came over, Baby gave him a smile. “Tell Mr. D to make a medium pie of whatever he’s feeling the most love toward.”
The waiter smiled. “And to drink?”
“Beer for me.” He held his hand out toward Quinn.
“I’ll have water, thanks.” Rock-hard abs over there didn’t need to worry so much about the calories they were about to ingest—the advantage of having the metabolism of someone in their twenties.
Quinn didn’t have that luxury.
“You’re leaving the order up to Mr. DiMuzio?” she asked after the waiter left. “Aren’t you afraid you might get something you won’t want?”
“Mr. D has known me since I was in diapers. Not to mention he’ll want to impress you, so I’m sure we’ll get something good.”
“I guess I’m used to eating with somebody who had specific tastes. Peter was always very particular as to what he would order.”
“Peter. That’s your ex?”
“Yup. Going on two years now.”
“And he’s back in Boston?”
“Cambridge, yes.”
“Aren’t Boston and Cambridge the same thing?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “To everyone else maybe, but not to the people who live there. Boston is a city. Cambridge is too, but a smaller one.”
The waiter brought their beverages and Quinn distracted Baby from talk about Peter or Harvard by discussing the differences between the cities of Cambridge and Boston until the pizza arrived.
It was beyond delicious. Mr. DiMuzio had done his version of a supreme, complete with gooey cheese and thick crust and a sauce that was both sweet and tangy.
She looked up from her bite–having to pull strings