Thirst (The Calvettis of New York 1)

She blinks up at me. “Hot?”

“Extra, extra hot.” I glance at her full lips.

“I’ll order it that way.” She turns to face the barista counter, shielding the blush on her face from my view.

I stand aside as she orders and pays, noting that she likes two sugars and a splash of cream in her coffee.

“The barista said someone will bring it to our table.” That pulls a small laugh from her. “I told them I could wait for it at the counter, but he insisted we sit.”

I motion toward an unoccupied table near the entrance. “How’s that?”

Her gaze circles the café. It’s packed, as usual. I’ve never dropped in to find it vacant, which I’m grateful for.

“Sure.” She nods, brushing past me to make her way to one of the two wooden chairs next to the circular table.

I wait until she sits before I lower myself onto the chair next to her with my back to the counter.

She wrings her hands together in front of her. “I wasn’t expecting to see you this afternoon.”

Of course she wasn’t. After our brief encounter on the sidewalk outside her building this morning, she put all of her focus on work.

“Have you heard from Rhoda?”

She runs her fingertips over her temple, her eyes closing briefly. “No, not yet.”

I anticipated as much. Rhoda will take her time to gather an arsenal of hard numbers and facts to show Dexie. She’ll argue her case for a large chunk of equity and use the persuasive power of future profits to lure Dexie to sign something she’ll quickly regret.

Rhoda has a good heart, but when it comes to a deal like this, she has a shrewd business sense.

“I’m a better partner for you,” I say, rubbing my hand over my jaw.

I don’t mince words because there’s no need to. I am the better partner. I’ll treat her fairly and I’ll make her work hard for the inevitable success she’ll achieve.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t hear Rhoda out.” She smiles past me, her gaze darting over my shoulder. “There’s Palla. She runs this place.”

I met Palla a decade ago when she walked into my grandmother’s restaurant on the arm of Arlo.

I was having dinner with his father, my uncle, Robbie.

I witnessed my uncle meeting the woman of his son’s dreams. Marti called it that night, telling Palla that she would be the newest member of the Calvetti clan within a year.

They married eight months later.

Palla is next to us with a cup of coffee in each hand before a word leaves my mouth.

“I knew it was you, Rocco.” She puts one cup in front of me. “You’re the only person I know who orders their coffee extra, extra hot.”

I move to stand, taking her in for a quick embrace. “How are you?”

“Happy.” She pats her round belly. “Three more months.”

“How do the other five feel about this one?” I dip my chin. “Have you told them?”

Her gaze drops to Dexie before it settles back on my face. “I had to. Joey asked if I ate too many pancakes, so I had to tell them.”

Joey is the oldest of her and Arlo’s brood. They’ve been blessed with two sets of twins, all boys and a golden-haired two-year-old princess named after Marti.

“You look stunning today, Dex.” She reaches for Dexie’s hand. “So you two know each other?”