“He’s pretty hot,” she said, her lips curving up into a smile as she continued to look over at the two men. “Maybe I should take your advice and make an appointment.”
Something unpleasant knotted inside my chest. My sister was the free-spirited, gentle flower who unknowingly stoked men’s inner caveman tendencies. In her ex’s case, those tendencies had manifested in possessive, jealous, and abusive ways, but Caleb Johnson was an asshole. In decent men, those ways presented as gallant and chivalrous behavior.
I sensed that Paul Cerasino was more of a white knight than he was a knuckle-dragging mouth-breather. My sister could use someone like him in her corner. So, why did the idea of her getting chummy with the hot lawyer bother me so much?
“Yikes, Ally. I’m just kidding,” Miriam said, breaking into my thoughts.
“What?”
“You should see your face right now. Like someone just peed in your Cheerios. Relax, okay? I’m not interested in anything besides getting my life back.”
That knot in my chest loosened, and I breathed easier again. “I can’t help it. I worry.”
“I know you do.” Her lips turned downward. “But things are different now. I’ve got this. I’ll never be a victim again.”
I wanted to believe her. I really did. But I also knew my sister. She’d lose focus and eventually let her guard down. Plus, Caleb was adept at manipulation. He knew her weak spots.
Across the room, Paul laughed and stood, as if ready to leave.
Now or never.
“Then, prove it,” I said boldly, shamelessly taking advantage of her willingness to convince me and the fact that Paul Cerasino was only a tome’s throw away. “Talk to him.”
Her eyes widened. “What? Right now?”
I pressed on. “Talk to him. If you’re right and Caleb really has accepted your divorce, then you’ll be doing nothing more than making a new acquaintance. But if things do go south, you’ll have a backup plan and a powerful ally already in place.”
I could tell she was considering it. It was time for my closing argument. “Please, Miriam. If you won’t do this for yourself, do it for me. I’d feel much better, knowing someone has your back when I return to Boston.”
Yes, I was playing on her good, soft heart, but I was doing so with pure intentions, so I felt zero guilt.
She worried her bottom lip, and then her expression turned to one of resolution. “All right, fine.”
I stood, ready to follow him out if need be, but he paused before the door and turned. Those dark eyes zeroed in on me like smoldering lasers. And ... there were those pesky tingles again.
“Mr. Cerasino,” I said, annoyed with the breathy quality my voice had somehow acquired.
“Ms. Kearney. A pleasure to see you again.”
I made quick introductions. “Miriam, this is Mr. Cerasino, the lawyer I was telling you about. Mr. Cerasino, my sister, Miriam.”
They exchanged polite greetings.
“Miriam would like to speak with you concerning the matter we touched upon this morning.”
His eyes moved to Miriam, and like the tingles, that unpleasant swell in my chest resurfaced. Maybe it was because I was holding my breath.
“Is that so?”
“It is,” she confirmed. “May I call your office for an appointment tomorrow?”
“Please do.”
“It’s okay if I bring Ally with me, isn’t it?”
His eyes slid back to me. His lips curled at the corners, and just like that, the tightness in my chest loosened. “Of course.”
Chapter Six: Paulie
Allison Kearney was looking at me with those pretty eyes, now filled with hope. I much preferred that to the disappointment I’d seen earlier. In fact, that burden I’d been carrying around on my shoulders seemed to have lifted in the last few minutes.
She looked different than she had in my office, but I would recognize those eyes anywhere. As attractive as she was in conservative attire, she was even more so in her faded jeans and hoodie.
My feet didn’t want to move, but I forced myself to walk away. A clean getaway was not in the cards. My nonno, no longer busy assisting customers, waved, beckoning me over toward the register with undisguised interest. I knew if I didn’t answer the summons, he’d cut me off before I made it to the door and start chastising me loudly in Italian.
“Nonno,” I greeted.
His eyes flicked to Allison and back to me, dancing with a gleam I knew all too well. Did I mention that my grandfather considered himself quite the matchmaker?
“She a pretty girl, no?” he asked.
I pretended I didn’t know who he was talking about and turned around. Miriam had sat back down, but Allison was still watching me—or more specifically, my ass. A surge of manly triumph rushed through me when her gaze moved upward, and the look on her face turned from one of undisguised interest to embarrassment. She quickly spun around and sank into one of the comfy chairs but not before I saw the glow of a blush blooming on her cheeks.
“She is,” I agreed.
“She like-a you.”
Another frisson of pleasure zipped through me, but it was short-lived. I had to set my grandfather straight. “She’s only in town for a few days, and her interest is purely professional.”
“You change-a her mind,” he said, nodding with certainty.
I chuckled but said nothing. There was no use in trying to reason with him. The man believed true love was the solution to the world’s problems.
He narrowed his eyes. “You no believe me.”
“I believe that you believe.”
“You bring-a her to Mama C’s. You mama will tell you same.”
Yeah, I couldn’t let that happen. My mother also fancied herself a matchmaker, and when she and Nonno joined forces, resistance was futile. Allison Kearney wouldn’t stand a chance.
“I’ve got to get back
