The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. Her neck was hot with exhilaration. A part of her was half-worried Wyatt was going to sneak down and spy on her date out of boredom, but Jules wouldn’t have changed anything about this night even with the risk. For just a moment Romeo had her feeling like a real-life Juliet, and she was okay with that.
* * * *
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“Warm lamb tongue. Crispy polenta sweetbreads.” Jules looked up from her menu and pulled a face at Romeo. “Is this what y’all eat?” Romeo shook his head, his eyes wide. “I think this is some sorta fusion cuisine.
Which is so wrong.”
Jules laughed and looked back to the menu. “They have a pasta-tasting thing that seems decent. But it says the whole table’s got to order it.”
“Works for me.” Romeo set the menu aside. “I’m all about pasta. Carbs and me are old friends.”
“I’m not real sure what smoked purple Cherokee conserva is or why they’re putting it on pasta,” Jules went on, still reading through the pasta-tasting selections.
“But it sounds better than warm lamb tongue.”
“Italian fusion.” Romeo shuddered. “Why fuck up something that’s perfect to begin with?”
“If it ain’t broke.”
“Exactly.” Romeo pushed the menu closer to the edge of the table as if it would somehow rub off its fusion cooties on him. “Are you sure you don’t want some wine?”
“No.” Jules winced inwardly. The night before she’d drunk too much, and she was still trying to recover. “I’m on vacation from wine, but don’t let that stop ya. Order some if you want it.”
“I don’t actually drink.” Romeo gave her a look of hesitance. “I know that makes me sound like a prude or something.”
“There ain’t nothing wrong with not drinking. When I was competing, I didn’t drink ’cause you can always feel it the next day. I rarely drink, and between you and me, when I do, it usually ends badly. I’m a lightweight.”
“I probably am too,” Romeo said, another smile tugging at his lips as he straightened the silverware. “I’ve never tried it. I don’t like the idea of being outta
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control. Freaks me out. I guess I was worried about other things when most teenagers were learning how to party, and I never got into it later.” Jules heard the sadness in his voice. She knew she should let it be, but she felt compelled to reach out to him. “What other things did you have to worry ’bout?” Romeo gave her a sad smile. “My mom had cancer for a long time. She died when I was nineteen.”
“Oh.” Jules studied Romeo, seeing the pain etched over his face though it was obviously a long time ago. “I’m sorry.”
He went back to straightening the silverware in a nervous action that betrayed a man with a lot of extra energy. “Me too. She was great. I mean, not perfect. She made mistakes like we all do, but she had a good heart. I miss her.”
“My mama died when she was having Wyatt and me, so I can’t say I missed her when I never knew her, but my daddy, losing him was rough. He died when I was twenty-three,” Jules whispered, because just saying the words made her heart hurt.
“One day I get a call from Wyatt saying he’s dead. No warning. He dropped at the sheriff’s office, and there weren’t nothing to be done for it. Sometimes I think it’d have been easier if he’d been sick for a little while. At least we could’ve said what needed to be said.”
“It’s not. Watching someone you love get sick and waste away is terrible. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
“Yeah.” Jules knew he was probably right. She gave him a sad smile and then tried to lighten the mood. “So how’d you get involved in MMA?” He gave her a look of hesitance, his smile embarrassed. “I’m not gonna tell you.” Jules laughed, because his New York accent got more pronounced, making it obvious he was self-conscious. “Come on.”
“No way.” He shook his head, still smiling in embarrassment. “Tell me about you.
What sport did you compete in?”
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“Judo. Karate. Mostly judo when I got older. I was on the US Olympic team.” Romeo’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Really?”
“I didn’t go, though.” Jules winced. “Daddy died and I quit. I had other obligations.”
“Like your brother?”
“Yup.” She nodded. “Kinda sucks.”
“I’m sorry.” Romeo sounded earnest as he studied her across the table. The dim lighting made his beautiful eyes glow, and the candlelight flickering over his strong features made him more enigmatically handsome than ever. “I’m sitting here being a horrible date, feeling sorry for myself for one loss, and you had to give up your dream.