Redeemed (Dirty Air #4)(44)

“What have you learned so far from me?”

“That you love your shot of espresso with a dash of milk and you sing ABBA’s ‘Take A Chance on Me’ when you’re thinking about something.” I mentally face-palm myself at how stalkerish I sound.

“You pay attention.”

That’s one way to reframe my psychotic behavior.

I smile. “Yes. Plus, I’ve been watching you make different drinks and learning for myself.”

He pats the counter with a smile. “If you’re interested in learning more, you can start working behind the counter with me.”

“Really?” The question leaves my lips with a squeak.

“Sure. Come in tomorrow an hour earlier and I’ll teach you some of the basics.”

“Yes! I’d love that! Sure!” I cringe at my desperation.

“If only my son was as excited as you are to learn about the family business.” Matteo chuckles to himself.

My chest tightens. It’s such a casual statement, but it has me grinning to myself. I don’t want to be petty about my supposed little brother. It’s not his fault he wants to go to a university and live his best life in Milan. The selfish part of me wants something Matteo can be proud of me about, and this seems like my way in. If it means learning all about coffee and posing as someone I’m not, so be it.

“How is your son?” I offer to ease some of my guilt.

“He’s good. I’ve been actually meaning to ask you something about dinner tomorrow.”

“Do you have to reschedule?” Please don’t reschedule.

“No.” He shakes his head furiously. “The opposite. I don’t want to intrude, but the moment I told my son about meeting Santiago Alatorre and being invited to dinner with him, he was excited. He begged me to come along. See, we heard the rumors of him living next door. We even saw some reporters occasionally, but we never had the chance to meet your boyfriend ourselves. So, I wanted to ask if my son could come with me to meet Santiago, but I understand if you both don’t want to.”

The panic building up inside of me is replaced by a sense of disappointment. He wants to bring his son to dinner with us? All because of Santiago? What the hell am I supposed to say to that? Sorry, no, your offspring shouldn’t come along because I want to get to know you all by myself. I can’t exactly say no when Matteo clearly wants to be a cool dad to his kid.

Instead of yelling an obscenity, I nod my head. “Sure. We’d love to meet him.”

Santiago’s going to hate the plan even more than me. A little brother crashing our dinner party wasn’t part of the agreement, especially someone who seems like a huge fan. Instead of getting upset, I shelve the feelings. It’s probably normal for a son to beg their parent to join us. If I were in their shoes, I would do anything to meet my idol.

I need to focus on my end goal. Choosing the easy path isn’t an option, so I go with my gut. If Matteo and his son want a superstar, I’ll give them one. I only hope Santiago doesn’t kill me for it.





“Why would you say yes to something like that?” Santiago passes me the salad supplies and a step-by-step guide on a sheet of paper.

“Seriously, a how-to-create-a-salad manual?” I snatch the piece of paper and give it a once-over.

He frowns. “You could’ve said ‘no.’ Ever heard of the word?”

“Based on how I said yes to your crazy plan of spending a whole weekend with your family, I can see why you’d think that.”

“Be serious for a second. Why did you agree?”

I let out an agitated breath. “I was afraid he would get upset if I denied such an easy request.”

“The whole point of this dinner was for you to get to know him outside of the cafe.”

“Yeah, well, not everything can be perfect. I’m making do with a shitty situation.”

“I don’t like this plan.”

I shrug. “You don’t like many plans unless they’re about you secluding yourself in your giant lair of a house.”

“Hilarious.”

“What’s the worst that can go wrong?”

He groans. “Don’t say that out loud. It’s bad luck.”

“Fine.” I huff dramatically.

Santiago and I work together, prepping the food. He spends the entire time testing me with questions about him. My answers have him switching between laughing and scowling, but the game distracts me.

I appreciate him a bit more for going out of his way to make me comfortable. No matter how many times I warn myself about Santiago, I can’t help the draw I have toward him. This man is beyond likable, and I don’t know what to do about it.





20





Chloe





“They’re coming!” I call out to Santiago as I adjust the wine glasses for a third time.

“Relax.” Santiago’s arms wrap around me. His warm breath heats up my neck and tickles my ear.

Whoa. This is the first time he’s initiated touching me without an audience, and I am not exactly opposed to it. Honestly, I want more of it. I’m tempted to cling onto him like a baby koala and make myself at home.

He presses his thumb to my pulse point. “You’re going to have a heart attack if you keep this up.”