Page 128 of The Great Dating Fake Off
Mamma V’s open-mouthed grimace looks like a smile gone wrong. “He brought you to a deli for your first date?”
“Best deli in the city,” Ro murmurs, a faraway sheen in her eyes. “Serendipi-deli, we call it.”
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Benji says with more resolve than I’ve ever heard in his voice. “We’re going to get out of this car, and no one is going to say a snide word. You will listen to what Enzo has to say, and if you don’t, I will never answer my phone to you again.”
“Benjamino!” Mamma V cries. “Non ti azzardare.”
“I do dare, Mother. Because your daughter deserves to be happy, and I don’t want to see her unhappy any longer. Do you?”
Silence follows this declaration.
A long-suffering sigh wafts out of the front seat. “He’s right, Veronica.”
Mamma V recoils at her husband’s words. “He is?”
Giuseppe lays a hand on the door handle. “Correct. If Vinny can stand here and listen to whatever is about to happen after everything we’ve been through, so can we. It’s time.”
Ro starts to climb over the middle seats. “Let me out of this car before I explode.”
We evacuate the car like we’re on a time crunch.
Eloise and Alessia stand against the side of the car next to Vinny, chatting under their breath. Sebastian stands a few feet away, like he’s letting them have their space.
He catches my eye.
Electricity zips down my spine as I force my gaze to the ground.
At the wedding, at poker, in the bowling alley—no matter what crowd we found ourselves in, I looked at him and found my safe place to land.
But now, I have no idea where we stand.
We desperately need to talk, but that will have to wait. And the part of me that is terrified he’s changed his mind about me in the wake of our breakup is A-OK waiting a little bit longer to confess how I feel.
How much I miss him and want to try distance, because he’s worth it.
Worth everything.
Enzo stands a few feet away from the gathered group with a bouquet of cream-colored dahlias, hydrangeas, and roses. He’s dressed like his own version of a black-and-white cookie, a crisp white button up and black slacks. I’d think he and Ro planned to match if this whole thing wasn’t a surprise for Ro. They are truly fated mates.
Benji pats me on the head. “Let’s go stand by the car.”
I swat his hand. “When will you learn I am not a dog?”
“You have the spirit of a puppy.”
“You have the spirit of a bearded dragon.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” He all but shoves me toward Sebastian.
I leave a foot of space between us.
He breaks the silence first. “Hi.”
My body responds as if it’s been a hundred years since I’ve heard his voice, yearning for more. I’m standing just close enough to smell his cologne, which is pure torture. “Hi.”
“Are—”
“How—”
