Page 96 of Mafioso's Muse
Lili forced down another mouthful of lettuce. ‘I’m going to struggle to show Harrison the same level of respect now, knowing what I know.’
That was exactly what Willow had been trying to avoid. ‘My issues with Harrison are exactly that—myissues.’
A text message pinged on Lili’s phone. She read it, smiled, then set the phone facedown on the table again.
‘I know that message wasn’t from your mum,’ Willow said, leaning forwards. ‘Pilot Guy?’
Lili fluttered her lashes playfully. ‘Pilot Guy.’
Her joy was contagious. ‘Two dates and you’re smitten.’
‘Twogooddates.’
Willow reached across the table and took Lili’s hand. ‘I’m happy for you. You deserve good dates.’
Lili’s expression softened. ‘Stop.’ Then she picked up her phone again. ‘I might just quickly reply.’ She tried to keep her tone casual. ‘He was going to swing past my apartment, but I’ll just tell him I’m?—’
‘Going to walk the two blocks home and see him?’ Willow shooed her away. ‘We’ve eaten our bland food and whined about Harrison. We’re done. Go see Pilot Guy.’
Lili pressed her lips together. ‘His name’s Qian, by the way.’
‘Oh, I’m getting arealname? Normally, all I get is “Neat Freak” or “Lizard Man.”’
‘You saw the picture of Lizard Man. Did he not look like a blue-tongued lizard?’
Willow laughed. ‘A little. Go seeQian. Finish the day on a high.’
Lili grabbed her bag off the floor as she rose. ‘Are you going to stay here for a bit?’
She shrugged. ‘I don’t want my tap water to go to waste.’
‘Just think of that wine on Monday.’ She checked her phone again. ‘Call you later?’
‘Sure, but it’s fine if you’re too busy.’
Lili snorted. ‘Things aren’t goingthatwell.’ She blew Willow a kiss, then left.
Willow spent a few minutes on her phone checking emails and texting her mother and brother back. It was too short a notice for them to fly down for the solo, but she had shared the news with them anyway, knowing they would be excited for her.
When she finally rose, her gaze wandered to the man she’d recognised earlier, who was still seated comfortably with a beer. Their eyes met briefly before he looked away. Collecting her bag off the ground, Willow left the pub.
The streets were busy and the air freezing as she began the fifteen-minute walk to her apartment, feeling oddly relaxed despite the earlier drama. Standing up for herself felt even better than she’d expected.
As she turned the corner, she felt the presence of someone behind her and glanced back. There was the man from the pub, following at a distance. Normally, her first reaction would be to panic. Instead, she pulled out her phone and dialled Vaughn’s number.
‘Hey, everything all right?’ he asked.
It was tragic how happy the sound of his voice made her. She glanced over her shoulder at the man again. ‘You tell me, Mr Gallo. There’s a rather large man following me home, and I have a sneaking suspicion that you already know about it.’
She heard him light a cigarette and pictured him leaned against his car in a cloud of smoke.
‘I did tell him to be discreet,’ he said eventually.
‘Oh, he has been discreet.’ She laughed. ‘You can call off your watchdogs. I promise you, I’m fine.’
‘Is Harrison behaving himself?’
She looked up at the bleak sky. ‘Most of the time.’