Page 167 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8

She looked at his eyes, which seemed to draw her to unknown places. She reached for her purse. ‘I ought to get going.’ She wasn’t lying. ‘I have to...’ She paused and went a little bit pink. ‘I’m meeting a friend. Juliet,’ she added needlessly. ‘And I’m running late.’

He waved away her offer to pay half and she felt his eyes on her as she left.

‘Susie!’ Mimi was in an absolute panic. ‘Dante is here.’

Her violet eyeshadow was bright, but her signature eyeliner was absent, and though she still cut a fabulous dash, she was a little dishevelled.

‘Si?’Susie said, and pointedly switched to Italian, telling Mimi she had met him last night. She didn’t mention she’d just left his table. Oh, and that he’d offered her a night of passionate sex.

‘Avocatto!’

She frowned, thinking of avocados, and then caught herself and laughed at her own mistranslation—Mimi was bemoaning the fact that he was an attorney.

‘He will think I am after Gio’s money and the winery. He and Sev will do all they can to dissuade him...’

‘Mimi!’ Susie slowed down the rather frantic pace. ‘Surely the brothers know you’re not really his housekeeper?’ She looked at probably the most glamorous octogenarian on earth. ‘You were an opera singer...’

‘A lot of artists fall on hard times.’ Mimi sighed. ‘Well, that’s what we told the boys.’

‘Boys?’ Susie giggled at Mimi’s description of Dante and his older brother, but then checked herself. Mimi really was distressed.

‘We told them that when I first moved in,’ she said, then halted, her face suddenly brightening.

Susie quickly found out why.

‘Dante!’ Mimi was suddenly all smiles.‘Buongiorno!’She switched to English. ‘Susie is here.’

‘We meet again.’ He looked directly at Susie, making her want to squirm.

‘I am helping with her Italian,’ Mimi told him.

It was Dante who switched to Italian now, asking Mimi if he could speak to her. But of course she was desperate to get away from him and declined, blaming Susie, telling Dante she had paid for an hour-long Italian lesson.

‘Ciao!’Mimi said, and hurriedly walked off.

Before Susie could follow there was a brief second when she was alone with Dante.

‘Juliet?’ He called her out on her lie.

‘I should have just said...’

‘Did Mimi put you up to helping my grandfather?’

‘I’d rather not say...’ She could hear Mimi calling for her. ‘I’d better go.’

Except she stood, almost as if she was waiting, certainly hoping he might offer dinner again.

He didn’t.

‘Susie!’ Mimi called again.

And she knew she should be relieved that Mimi had dragged her away.

‘I cannot believe my bad luck,’ Mimi moaned. ‘I just hope Gio doesn’t tell him about us. I want that ring on my finger before the grandsons interfere.’

‘Limited bar menu,’ Pedro told the team. ‘We are short in the kitchen again.’

Susie felt her jaw grit—and not just in frustration at waitressing.