XOXO

I push back to stand. “You should go home. I have at least a few more hours of work tonight. I’m determined to show Mr. Calvetti that I can do this.”

Maren darts to her feet. “You will, Arietta. You’re a superstar. There’s nothing you can’t do.”

I believe her.

I’ll finish this task, and then I’ll reward myself with a night out with Lowell. That’s a win-win for me.

Chapter 15

Dominick

“Just look, Dominick.” Judd shoves his phone at me. “Look how beautiful that kid is.”

I take the phone and look at the screen. I twist it sideways before I have it upside down in my hand. “What the hell am I looking at?”

I know exactly what I’m looking at. It’s a sonogram picture. My youngest sister, Bella, send me a string of them when she was pregnant with her daughter. She even framed one that she presented to me when she asked me to be the kid’s godfather.

“That’s my daughter,” Judd says, his voice shaky. “After three boys, I’m about to be a girl dad.”

“Congratulations,” I offer because I sense that’s what he’s looking for.

“You know what this means, right?” He lifts the bottle of beer in his hand as if he’s about to toast to something.

I follow suit and bring mine to within an inch of his. “It means that there’s a strong possibility that she’ll date a kid who is just like you when you were sixteen.”

All of the color drains from his face. “What the hell?”

Chuckling, I lightly tap my beer bottle against his. “Here’s to years of you being an overprotective girl dad.”

He downs what’s left of his beer. “Jesus. What am I getting myself into?”

I can’t offer an answer to that. He’s a few months away from being a father of four. He started down this path ten years ago when his wife Judith gave birth to their first son.

“How’s Judith feeling?” I ask, genuinely curious about how she’s holding up.

Her third pregnancy was rough. She ended up in the hospital for weeks during her third trimester.

His mood shifts instantly. “You know Judith. She’s thrilled.”

I do know her. She was in my English Lit class during my senior year of high school. On the third day, she asked me who the blond guy with the ocean blue eyes was. I gave her Judd’s number, and the rest is history.

I take another drink. “Good.”

“You’re falling behind.” Judd motions for the server to bring another round. “You’re not even married yet, and I’ve got a full house with another about to be born.”

I glance around Durie’s, the bar that Judd and I regularly meet up at. I catch the eye of a brunette. It’s the second time since I walked in that I’ve glanced in her direction. There’s an invitation there. I sense it. The question is will I accept it or not.

It’s Saturday night. I’ve got nothing going on, so it should be an easy yes.

Leveling my gaze back on Judd’s face, I lift a brow. “It’s not a competition, Judd. We’re not all destined to be husbands and fathers.”

He glances over his shoulder. “That woman has her eye on you.”

I ignore the comment to circle back to the reason I asked him here. “Give me an update on Clarice Blanchard.”

Exhaling heavily, he shakes his head. “I haven’t made any progress there. We need face-to-face time with her before she signs with someone else.”

Indeed we do.

After the email mix-up yesterday, Arietta sent me her draft of my email to Clarice. It was charming and professional with an air of thoughtfulness woven into it. I sent it out immediately, but I’m still waiting for a response.

If we sign Clarice to our firm, she’ll jump to the position of our number one client. Her wealth is vast. We’ll make a mint, but we’ll also provide her the best financial advice that much money can buy.

The server slides two beers onto the bar between us. “Here you go, gentlemen.”

I reach into the back pocket of my jeans, pull out my wallet, and hand him a few bills.

He’s not discreet about it. He fingers them, counting as he goes. “You’re serious, man?”

Judd laughs. “He’s a fucking show-off. Take it and run before he changes his mind.”

“Thanks.” The server tips his chin. “This is half my rent for the month.”

Good service deserves a reward. I always tip well.

“You made his night.” Judd takes a small drink from the fresh bottle of beer. “Hopefully, he doesn’t spend it all on weed and video games.”

Huffing out a laugh, I glance back at the server. He’s excitedly showing his tip to a young woman dressed just as he is in a white button-down shirt and black pants. “He’s not fifteen, Judd.”

“He’s twenty-one. Maybe twenty-two.” He chuckles. “I had Judith to ground me when I was that age. You were a wild child still. The only thing on your mind was...”