Chapter 6
ROCCO
Nancy is beautiful and quite tempting, but thoughts of Maddie cloud my thinking. This isn’t what I want anymore. But I can just imagine what Maddie thought. I look at Nancy, her fingers still on the button of her blouse, a smile on her face. I sit her down in the chair and shake my head.
“I can’t do this,” I tell her. “If you’ll excuse me.” I turn and start to run after Maddie. Nancy stops me.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to play the chivalry card with me,” she teases as she drags a long pink fingernail along my arm. “The others have warned me to steer clear of you.”
“Did they?”
“Mm-hmm. Little do they know, I like bad boys. I’d love to show you just how much I do,” she says as her sexy eyebrow rises up her forehead.
“I have to go.” I walk around her and head for the kitchen.
“Don’t tell me you are going to go after her,” she pouts.
“Actually, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“She doesn’t even want you!” she yells as I disappear through the kitchen and out the door. In the back of my mind, I know Maddie is gone but I try to catch her anyway.
By the time I get to the street, the only thing I see is the cab that pulls away with Maddie in the back. Taking my time to go back into the restaurant, I am hoping Nancy is gone. Walking back through a now dark kitchen, I see the dining area lights go off.
“Hang on a sec,” I say when I see Joanne flipping switches. “I just have to grab my stuff in my office.”
“I’ll wait and walk out with you,” she says.
I grab my things from my office and lock up before joining her at the front. After she locks up, she puts her arm in mine and we casually stroll out into the cool night air.
“Rocco, I think we need to have a little talk.”
“I thought we already did that?”
“Apparently it wasn’t enough.”
“You saw.”
“Nancy? Yes. But that is not what is worrying me.”
“What is it?”
“It’s Maddie.”
“I think she is doing a fine job.”
“Oh, she is. It’s you I have an issue with.”
I take a deep breath and put down my head. I know it’s coming.
“You have feelings for her.”
“I have feelings for women, in general.”
“Not like this. I’ve been watching you and I can see how she affects you.”
“It’s really not that big of a deal.”
“Let me finish. I know you own half this place. But I am telling you as my brother, as my business partner,” Joanne stops and turns to me. “I forbid you to see her in that way.”
“You really have no grounds to do that, Joanne.”
“I do, and I will. I need you to stay away from her.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I will pull out and stop financing the restaurant.”
“You and I both know you can’t afford to do that.”
“I won’t sit back and watch you run it into the ground. I would rather sell out to someone than watch that happen.”
“I’m not going to do that. Will you have some faith? Don’t you want to see me be happy?”
“More than you know. But jumping from woman to woman, then thinking you can settle down with Maddie is not going to happen.”
She has a point, but it’s not enough. I can’t stay away from Maddie. Every fiber of my being screams to be with her.
“I will think about it.”
“There is no thinking about anything. If you pursue her, I’m out. Do you understand?”
“Loud and clear.”
“Good.” She walks to the street and raises her hand. Without another word, she climbs into the taxi cab and slams the door.
“See you tomorrow,” I mumble.
Chapter 7
MADDIE
Walking into the restaurant, I don’t feel very well put together. A sleepless night was not in my itinerary, nor was thinking about Rocco the entire night. I know I told him I wasn’t interested, but it wasn’t true whatsoever. I am so very interested in Rocco.
I walk through the dining area, the lights still off. The only light illuminating the place is coming from Joanne’s office. It is usually a toss-up on who gets in first. It surprised me that she had given me a key after the first few times I had to wait for her to arrive to let me in. When I get into the kitchen, the smell of my lemon meringue pies fill the air and I smile at how good the aroma is.
That is, until I turn on the lights. I want to gasp or scream or throw something but I don’t. I just stand there looking at the large mound of desserts piled onto the floor. My pies and crème brûlée are thrown together onto the floor, the display cases and refrigerator door still wide open.