Can't Fool Me Twice: Sweet Contemporary Romance: Belles in the City Book 1 (14 page)

"Mama!" Sunny caught herself, but it was too late. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She paused. "In private?"

"Sure, sweetie." Mama smiled at Riley and let go of his hand as she walked toward the dining room. "Let's go over there."

Riley grinned at Sunny, and she quickly turned away. This was too much for her to process.

"What is going on?"

Mama tilted her head toward Sunny and sighed. "If you're talking about Riley and me, it's the start of a new friendship." Her eyes twinkled as she smiled. "A very special friendship."

"But why? Don't you have enough to deal with already?" Sunny's voice shook. "I mean between being here, getting a new job, and the cancer?"

"There's always something to deal with, but that doesn't mean I can't have friends." Mama gave her the same look she'd had when they mother-daughter talks in the past. "The second I saw Riley I knew he was special."

"But he was upset about your being here," Sunny said.

"Of course he was." Mama paused. "Which was why I deferred to him on everything … well, except the mayonnaise. He has done a tremendous job in this kitchen, and I can learn a lot from him."

"It's not just about professional respect, though, is it?"

Mama leaned back and laughed. "No, of course not. He's kind, sensitive, and interesting. Did you know that he used to help his daddy cook for President Carter?"

"No, but that doesn't—"

"Look, Sunny, it's not like I'm runnin' off and doin' something foolish. I'm just enjoying the company of a good, hard-workin' man." Mama took her hand and squeezed it. "But if it bothers you that much, I can tell him I need to concentrate on other things."

Put that way, Sunny felt bad. She looked down at the floor and then back up at Mama who waited expectantly for an answer. "No, that's not what I want. You deserve some happiness, and if Riley makes you happy, then …" Tears stung the back of Sunny's eyes. She swallowed and started again. "Riley is a nice man, so I don't blame you for liking him."

"Since you feel that way, I hope you don't mind if I don't come home with you. He has asked me to go somewhere and talk."

"A date?"

Mama hesitated but finally nodded. "Yes, a date." The color had drained from her face, and the joy Sunny noticed earlier had faded.

Now Sunny felt bad. Mama, of all people, deserved as much joy as she could find. Life had never been easy for her.

"Mama, there is nothing wrong with you having a date." Sunny dropped her gaze to the floor, said a quick prayer for forgiveness, and looked back at Mama. "I'm really sorry I acted out."

"That's okay, sweetie." Mama picked up Sunny's hand again. "You were caught off guard. In fact, I probably would have done the same thing if I'd been in your shoes."

Mama had always been kind and forgiving, doing everything she could to make other people feel better. Sunny hadn't really thought about that before, but now that she'd been away from her for a while, she saw it.

"That's no excuse." Sunny cleared her throat. "I want you to enjoy your time here in New York, and if being with Riley does it for you, then by all means, be with him."

"What if I wind up staying?" Mama asked tentatively.

"Staying? As in forever?"

Mama shrugged. "At least for a while."

"Do you think you might? I mean, New York is quite different from what you're used to."

"You seem to be doin' just fine here."

Sunny studied Mama's face and decided this wasn't the time or place to argue. "I am. And you might too."

"Let's talk about this some more later, okay?" Mama glanced over her shoulder. "I don't want to keep Riley waiting."

Sunny went over to the beverage area and made sure everything was set up for the next day. When she came back out into the main dining area, most of the lights had been turned off, and the only person there was Dante."

She blinked. "I didn't know you were still here."

"I was just getting ready to leave." He took a couple of steps toward the door and stopped. "Do you want me to get you a cab?"

"No thanks. I'll be fine."

"Okay then, see you in a few days." Before she had a chance to say goodbye, he walked out the door, leaving her standing alone in the diner, wondering what had just happened.

*

Now Sunny knew how Mama felt all those years of waiting up for her to come home. She used to resent the fact that she had a curfew that was enforced, even if she was a half hour late.

Sunny sat up in bed reading, waiting to hear the sound of the deadlock turning, unable to go to sleep until she was confident she was safely in the house. It was torturous, not only because she was worried about Mama in the big city, but she felt slighted that Mama had been here a few days and seemed to have adapted so quickly. Sunny had hoped to be the one to show Mama around.

After a few minutes, she turned off the light and slid down beneath the covers. Before she fell asleep, she heard a light knock on the bedroom door, so she sat up. It had to be Mama.

"Come in."

The door opened, and she saw Mama standing there. "I thought I saw the light under your door when I first got in. Sorry if you were asleep."

Sunny reached over and turned on the light. "Not yet." She propped up on her elbows. "So how was your date?"

Mama looked directly at her, smiling. "I really like Riley. He's sweet, smart, funny, and very much a gentleman."

"I'm glad you like him." Sunny wasn't sure what to say now. It felt awkward talking to her mother like this.

"He asked me if I could do something with him when we both have a day off." Mama's smile turned to a frown. "But since we're both cooking for Bubba's, will that even be possible?"

"Yes, of course. Once his cut heals completely, you won't have to work unless you want to … at least not until the Harlem location opens. I always schedule Riley on the busy days, but the other cooks can handle the kitchen otherwise."

Mama let out a sigh, and then her smile returned. "That's good. I need to let you get your rest, but I did have one thing I wanted to talk to you about." She paused. "Riley mentioned that you and Dante have an incredible chemistry that everyone around you sees."

"Please, Mama, don't—"

"Hear me out, sweetie. I know you told me you're having some hang-ups based on what happened with Chase. But Dante isn't Chase. In fact, from what I can tell, he's nothing like Chase, who was always looking over your shoulder the whole time he was with you."

Sunny didn't want to hear this now. "I know, but—"

"Wait, let me finish. When Dante looks at you, all I see is admiration and …" Mama's expression went all dreamy. "I see love."

"Can we talk about this some other time?"

"Sure, sweetie, but please don't miss out on this wonderful and rare opportunity to be with a man you really like, and one who so clearly adores you."

"Good night, Mama."

With a smile and a wave, Mama backed out of the room. "Love you, sweetie. See you bright and early in the morning."

Sunny lay there staring up at the ceiling until she finally fell asleep. When she awoke the next morning, the first thing she thought of was what Mama had said about the way Dante looked at her.

*

Dante sat at his desk, staring out the window, thinking about how difficult it had been leaving Sunny last night. She appeared more vulnerable than he'd ever seen her, but he suspected something she and her mother had discussed was the reason.

Riley called and had a talk with him about how quickly he and Twila had hit it off. "I was prepared to fight for my turf, but she came in, fell into step with me, and next thing I knew, we were joking around and having a great time."

"I'm fine with that as long as it doesn't interfere with your work."

"Oh, trust me, that won't happen. If I thought even for a minute it would, I would have backed way off. Twila is a hard worker, and she doesn't seem to mind being told what to do."

"I hope she can give orders as well as she can take them," Dante said. "Since you turned down the position in Harlem, I thought I might as well give her a shot."

"Has she ever managed a restaurant before?" Riley asked.

"No, but then neither had Sunny, and look how good of a job she's doing."

"You know the old saying about the apple not falling far from the tree," Riley said.

"That's what I'm counting on."

They discussed the opening of the new restaurant. Riley offered to help out with some of the foods that could be prepared in advance and said he'd help out as much as he could.

Although Dante knew he needed to keep his distance from Sunny—both emotionally and physically—it wasn't easy. What he still wanted more than anything was for her to love him as much as he loved her. Unfortunately, it was obvious that she couldn't take that next step.

"What's up, bro?"

Dante glanced up at the door and saw Anthony. "Trying to tie up some loose ends before I start working on the new location. How about you?"

Anthony shrugged as he walked into the office and sat. "More of the same. Sometimes it gets boring doing the same old thing, day in and day out."

"Maybe you should think about expanding." Dante gestured around the paperwork on his desk. "I can honestly say I don't have time to be bored."

"You work too hard."

Dante laughed. "Maybe you don't work hard enough."

"I've got great people working for me. My restaurants can run themselves." Anthony looked around and then settled his gaze on Dante. "So how are things going with Sunny?"

"Is that why you stopped by?"

Anthony snorted. "Don't be so suspicious. I came in here to see how you're doing."

"Is that so?" Dante put down his pen, leaned back, and clasped his fingers behind his head.

"Well, maybe, maybe not. Just tell me what's happening."

Dante chewed on his bottom lip as he thought for a moment. "I've decided to take your advice and cut bait."

"Cut what?" A smile formed on Anthony's lips.

"I've been hanging out with southern people," Dante said. "I like the way they talk."

"Okay, so you've … cut bait … with Sunny. Now what?"

"I haven't figured that out yet."

"It's time to meet someone new and start dating," Anthony said as he stood. "And I have just the girl for you."

"Why am I not surprised?" Dante leaned forward and propped his elbows on his desk. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Carmella Vitali."

"Don't tell me. Let me guess." Dante narrowed his eyes as he studied his brother. "She's the daughter of one of your best customers."

"You're good, bro. Yeah, her pop has been bringing clients to the restaurant for years. He brought Carmella in last week, and I thought you might like her."

"So you met her before you told me that I needed to back off of Sunny because she's not into me?"

"Well …" Anthony stood and shrugged. "Yeah. But she's very cute, and I'm sure Mom and Pop would approve."

Dante gritted his teeth to keep from speaking his mind. His family had been guilty of attempted matchmaking before, but this was the first time any of them had tried to pull him away from someone he cared about.

Anthony lifted an eyebrow. "Don't throw your jaw out of whack, Dante. I'm just looking out for you."

"Oh, I'm sure."

Anthony took a step toward the door. "I guess I'd better leave. Just remember that sometimes you have to … cut bait." He grinned. "I think I like that saying. It fits." He paused, turned around, and held up his pointer finger. "You really need to meet this girl. Like I said, she's cute, and I think she'd make an excellent wife."

As Anthony walked down the hall and toward his office, Dante sat and stared at the wall, wondering at the wisdom of his brother's advice. He'd always valued Anthony's opinions in the past, but now he wasn't so sure.

One thing Dante knew for certain was that he wasn't interested in meeting someone new, just because she was cute and would make an excellent wife. His feelings for Sunny hadn't vanished. If anything, his resolve to back away from her had only intensified his feelings for her.

The phone rang, jolting him from his thoughts. "Hey, Dante? It's me, Tyrone. I've got to talk to you about something."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Something has come up, and I've decided not to take your offer."

"Are you kidding me?" Dante's heart sank as he listened to the man who owned the property for the new diner location. "But I thought it was a done deal. You agreed on the amount."

"Let's just say we had another offer that's much better than yours. I still haven't signed the papers yet."

"Look, don't do anything until I speak with my realtor." Dante mentally added his attorney, but he didn't need to antagonize the owner at this point.

After he hung up, he called his realtor and told him about the phone call. The realtor didn't sound surprised. All he'd said was, "Sounds like we got another tough break. I'll see what I can do, though. Stay tuned."