Page 38 of Kiss Me Like You Mean It

‘A few of us usually head to Darlene’s after the meeting,’ Luke says to me. ‘I hope you’ll join us.’ The smile he gives me is sweet, and I find it’s easy to smile back at him even though I don’t know what he’s talking about.

‘That sounds lovely.’

When I turn back to Nico he’s watching the two of us and his mouth has thinned. ‘We’d better get going,’ he says abruptly. ‘That bloody meeting tonight.’ He glances at his watch. ‘Magda will be coming to pick Phoebe up from ours soon.’

‘I’ll see the both of you later then,’ Luke says. ‘Nice to meet you, Lee. Miss Rita.’ He gives her a little salute as he heads for the door.

‘I do love to watch him leave,’ she sighs, her eyes on his – admittedly excellent – butt before she wiggles her brows at me.

‘Come on,’ Nico says, laying some cash down on the counter and turning to Phoebe. ‘I need to buy a giant bottle of multi-vitamins on the way home.’

‘Why are you so obsessed with vitamins?’ Phoebe grumbles, sliding to her feet.

‘I’m worried you’re going to develop scurvy.’

‘My ice cream had peanut butter in,’ Phoebe says. ‘Peanut butter must have loads of vitamins in. Is a peanut a vegetable?’

‘A peanut is a legume,’ I volunteer. ‘They’re actually closely related to peas and beans.’

Nico shoots me a dirty look. ‘Whose side are you on?’ he mutters, but Phoebe is delighted.

‘Peas and beans!’ she says as the two of them head for the door with Taco dancing alongside. ‘They’re very good for you. We should have ice cream every day.’

‘There’s another one the good Lord blessed with a spectacular behind,’ Miss Rita smirks. ‘And he’s a good daddy to that little girl, too.’ She pauses. ‘It would be a real shame if anyone did anything to hurt them. People around here would not take that well. Not at all.’

It takes me a second to realise I’m being lightly threatened and my mouth drops open. ‘I wouldn’t…’ I manage before trailing off.

Rita only continues to fix me with a surprisingly flinty look.

‘I’ve known Nico for most of my life,’ I say finally. ‘He’s… very important to me. I’d never do anything to hurt him, or his daughter.’

Whatever she sees in my face has Rita’s expression softening.

‘I see how it is, honey. You just mind how you go. Those two are going to keep you on your toes.’

I have a feeling she might be right about that.

Chapter Thirteen

Nico

When we get home Magda is waiting on the porch.

‘Sorry,’ I call, hurrying towards her. ‘I can’t believe I forgot.’ The two of us take it in turns to watch Phoebe on town meeting days. I’m a fan of this arrangement because it means I get out of fifty per cent of them, which is the maximum I’m allowed to miss without getting major grief from my neighbours.

Magda only shrugs, her alligator smile growing wider and wider as her eyes move between Lee and me.

‘It’s no problem,’ she says, bending down to fuss Taco. ‘I hear you were giving your guest a tour of the town. Apparently you looked very cosy.’

‘Who did you hear that from?’

Magda digs into the pocket of her dress and pulls out her phone, which is buzzing even as she holds it up. Notification after notification scrolls past on her screen.

The latest one shows a small preview of a photograph that was clearly taken about ten minutes ago when Lee and I were walking down the street.

This fucking town.

‘What did you think of Roseport, Lee?’ Magda asks, following Phoebe up the steps to the front door.