Frisk Me(38)

It broke his heart a little. This confident, successful woman who was so clearly out of her element in a family setting. After meeting Miranda, he’d definitely suspected that they weren’t exactly one big, loving family, but seeing how uncomfortable Ava was around hugs and compliments and laughter confirmed it.

Luc sincerely hoped he never met the Sims family, because he’d be hard-pressed not to give them a piece of his mind.

Ava was sitting to his right and fidgeting so much that Luc longed to reach under the table and touch her…just to calm her. But he wasn’t sure that wouldn’t make her more jumpy.

There was a rare silent moment at the table as everyone devoured the food, and Ava jumped to fill it. “Mrs. Moretti, this roast is amazing. And the pasta—”

Nonna broke in. “You like this, you should come to my place for some good cooking. I don’t dry out my meat.”

Maria Moretti ignored her mother-in-law and smiled warmly at Ava. “I’m glad you like it, dear. And please, call me Maria.”

“Okay,” Ava said, her smile quick and shy. “I’d like that.”

His mom caught his eye and winked.

“Ava, you said you’re from Ohio?” Luc’s father asked.

“Oklahoma.”

“Okay no offense,” Vincent broke in, “but aren’t those like the same thing?”

Elena made no efforts at subtle as she kicked her brother under the table. “Seriously? Don’t be a douche bag.”

“Yeah, don’t be a douche bag,” Nonna chimed in.

“We all remember how we feel about name calling at my dinner table, yes?” Maria asked quietly, taking a sip of her water.

Elena gave her mother an exasperated look. “But—”

“So, Ava, you’re from Oklahoma,” Tony Moretti interrupted.

She smiled. “Yes. Darrington. And don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of it. Most people haven’t.”

“Trust me, I don’t feel bad,” Vincent griped.

Elena tried to kick him again, but he dodged this time.

Tony quieted his squabbling offspring with a single look before he continued his talking. “So Darrington’s a small town?”

“Very,” Ava said.

“New York’s a big change. Did you come specifically for your career?”

Luc’s chewing slowed as he caught the too-casual note in his father’s voice. Warning bells went off in Luc’s head. He knew that tone. It meant his father was after something. And what Tony Moretti wanted, he usually got.

Ava seemed to sense the danger, because she set her fork aside. “Yes, I came for my professional development. New York is definitely the hub of broadcast journalism.”

“Hmm,” Tony said. “It’s the hub of a lot of things. Why this profession?”

“Dad, you’re making her sound like she chose prostitution,” Elena said, giving her father a scolding look.

Tony merely lifted a shoulder and took a bite of pasta, and Luc glared.

“You don’t like reporters, Mr. Moretti,” Ava said, picking up her fork and resuming eating. It wasn’t a question.

“Well now, I don’t know that I’d say that,” Tony said with a quick grin. “I’m just not convinced of their purpose.”

“Dad!” Elena said at the same time Maria exclaimed, “Tony!”

Luc remained silent, but the glare he shot his father was lethal. A glare his father ignored.

“No, it’s okay,” Ava said, dabbing her mouth with her napkin. “Plenty of people feel that way about reporters.”

“That may be so,” Luc’s mother said quietly, “but you’re a guest in our home.”

“I’m a guest in your home because I’m doing a story on your son,” Ava said, her voice kind but firm. “It’s fair that you all would have some concerns. And I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have.”

“Okay, I’ve got one,” Anthony said, jumping in for the first time. “I think we all know why Luca got chosen for this article over any other cop. The face. The smile. The jumping into rivers to save kids. But what I want to know is how you’re going to stretch Luca’s good deeds into three hours’ worth of television.”

“Well,” Ava said slowly, “it won’t just be about Luc. He’ll be the focus, certainly, but we’ll be talking about the NYPD and law enforcement in general. And when we do focus on Luc, we’ll of course cover his recent good deeds, and the fallout of that, but we’ll look into the complete picture as well. Who is Luc Moretti off camera? What’s his journey been like from youngest son of the police commissioner to officer?”

The silence in the dining room was deafening.

Luc knew that Ava thought she’d be putting the family at ease, but her words had done anything but.

“So you’re planning to dig into his past,” Tony said.

“Well, not dig, exactly,” Ava said, shooting a confused look at Luc. “I mean, we want to tell a complete story, but if there’s something you want us to avoid…”

“No,” Luc broke in before his family could interject. “We have nothing to hide.”

He looked around the table as though to say right?