Better Be True (Harrison Campus 3)

“Wasn’t she helping him run the business?”

“Oh, heavens no. Nonno was old school Italian. His wife did not work. She ruled the house. When I was five, she called a family meeting with my father and his two sisters. She explained the situation and asked her children if they wanted to keep the business or sell it. My aunts don’t work and had no interest in helping run the business, so they voted to sell. My father was already working there, trying to fix things, but so long as Nonno was in charge, he could only do so much. He voted to keep it.”

“So your dad bought out his sisters.” Luke opened two cabinet doors before taking down two mugs.

“No and yes.” Nico moved into the kitchen to wait for the coffee to finish. “Nonna and Nonno had bought out Nonno’s siblings years ago— they owned the business. They appointed my dad to run it and began transferring ownership to him as part of his salary.”

“Bet that went over well.”

“Like a drag brunch without alcohol.” Nico snapped his right hand, and immediately scolded himself. He was supposed to tone that down.

Luke eyed him, his hand, his stupid cargo shorts and shirt, and frowned. “Like what?”

“It didn’t go over well.”

“Did you say like a drag brunch?”

Nico tapped the coffeepot as if that would make it finish sooner. “That was a bit much, I suppose.”

“There’s such a thing?”

“Huh?”

“Drag brunch. That exists?”

Where had this guy been? “Yeah. I went to a few in New York. To eat.”

“Do they have those in Philly?”

Not the conversation he expected to have on their first night in the apartment. “Maybe. I never checked.”

“We should go if they have one.” He reached for the coffeepot, then stopped. “If it’s not too expensive.”

“Okay, sure.” Unexpected, but—

“Awesome.”

Yeah, awesome.

Luke removed the pot and filled both cups. “You were telling me about your parents.”

“Right.” Nico sipped and stared at Luke over the lip of the cup. “Once Papà took over, he realized two things. One, the business was worse than he expected. And two, he couldn’t manage the bakery and the financial side alone. Which meant he needed help. Since my aunts weren’t interested, he got my mom to help him.”

“I take it your mom didn’t work before that?”

“She did before my older brother was born.”

“Your grandfather was okay with that?”

“That was one of Papà’s conditions for taking over. He also said Nonno had to remain in the business as head pastry chef and Nonna had to help watch me and my siblings.”

Luke gulped his coffee. “You spent more time with your gran—nonna—growing up.”

“Yep. And being the baby of the family, I’m her favorite.”

“Must be your incredible modesty.”

“Whatever.” Nico hid a smirk in another sip. “Okay, you did a good job with this.”

Luke picked up the bag. “I think it’s the coffee we bought. I never heard of Lavazza, but I like it.”

“Well the bag does say it’s Italy’s favorite.” Nico shrugged. “It’s pretty good.”

A smile stretched Luke’s lips. “You totally bought it because it said that, didn’t you?”

Nico tried to play it straight but couldn’t hold back the goofy grin. “Busted. But hey, it turned out to be good, right?”

Luke nodded once and raised his cup. “Here’s to the rest of the summer turning out good, too.”

Nico inched his mug higher. “And to our first night!”

Nico put his toothbrush in the holder and clicked off the light. The one in the bedroom glowed into the hall, easing the way, but not easing his nerves. He hadn’t shared a bed with a guy that he wasn’t sleeping with since he was six. And Joey Virgosia’s family was so close to his, they were like relatives.

Pulling back the sheet, he kept his eyes on his side of the bed. Not that it mattered. Luke had gotten in before him and lay on his side facing the wall. He couldn’t nail down what weirded him out most. That he barely knew Luke, or that he was sharing a bed with a totally hot, single gay guy and they wouldn’t do anything but sleep.

He turned off the lamp on the nightstand, rolled onto his back, and stared at the darkened ceiling.

Don’t think about how hot he is. Don’t think about how sweet he might possibly be.

Oh God, Luke—jock Luke—was afraid to drive in the big city. He wanted to prove himself to show his parents he’d be there for his sister.

Nico was big in trouble.

He turned on his side, back to Luke.

So what if Nico liked the guy? That didn’t mean anything would happen. Dating someone who still had a thing for their ex was like flicking a lighter around flammable liquid. It never ended well.

Plus, he’d seen Luke frown when he got campy. Luke would never seriously go for someone like Nico.

They could be friends—maybe even good friends—but that was it.