Page 24 of Release Me

“How can you say that when I’m the one who laid the floors in your salon?” he asks.

Zoe rolls her eyes at him. “You paid someone to do it.”

“And I had to pay someone else to remove them and get new ones put down.” My addition to the conversation brings all eyes at the table back to me, and I immediately regret reminding everyone how I had find a quick solution when Luca’s hired help left Zoe with warped floors and crooked baseboards the day before her opening.

“That’s right, Seb, you’re a regular ole hero.” Luca grins at me, taking a sip of his lemonade. “Did you save the day for Nadia too? Is that why she was calling to thank you?”

Andreas snorts when I roll my eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “Should have seen that one coming.”

“You’re right. I should have.” I sit back in my seat and resign myself to divulging the details of my conversation with Nadia so Luca can finally let it go. “Everybody listen up because I’m only going to explain this once. Nadia is the new manager for the Cerros rooftop, and she didn’t call me, I called her to make sure she received the flowers I sent to celebrate her joining the team.”

Mom makes a semi-disapproving noise in the back of her throat. “I still can’t believe you fired Vince. Every time Adrienne calls me it’s the first thing she brings up. You know he’s moved back to LA, right? She’s worried sick about him.”

I love Aunt Adrienne, and I love my mom more, but neither of them are going to make me feel bad about getting rid of Vince, and no amount of subtle pouting is going to make me take any kind of responsibility for the bender he’s probably on out in LA. Aunt Adrienne is only ever worried sick about Vince when he’s in a hole somewhere, gorging on drugs, women and alcohol.

“He wasn’t right for the job, Mom.”

She nods like she understands even though I think there’s a part of her that wishes I would have kept Vince on in some capacity if only to save her from the constant stress of discussing it with her sister.

“And you think this Nadia person is?” Dad asks between bites of his food.

“I do. She’s smart, passionate and quick on her feet. Her knowledge of wine is extensive, and she knows how to craft an experience that makes people want to come back for more.”

That makes me want to come back for more.

Ever since our first encounter, I’ve been holding my breath until the next. I can’t remember the last time I’ve just wanted to be around someone like I want to be around Nadia. Talking to her, learning from her, challenging the lies someone told her about who she is and what she deserves.

Every member of my family is looking at me, but it’s Mom’s face that tells me I’ve revealed more about my interest in Nadia than I intended. Her eyes are bright with excitement.

“She sounds lovely, Sebastian. Maybe we should have her over for lunch one day.”

The image hits me immediately. Nadia sitting beside me while we share a meal with my family. Zoe would obsess over her hair and talk her into coming to the salon for an appointment. Mom would have her in the kitchen tasting every component of the latest dish she came up with on a whim. Dad would steal her away and dazzle her with the contents of the wine cellar we used to play hide and seek in as kids. And Luca and Andreas would do what they’re doing right now: stare at me to try and find a crack in an expression designed to give away nothing.

My jaw clenches with sudden discomfort and the need to deflect. “She’s exactly what the restaurant needs.”

“Exactly what the restaurant needs or exactly what you need?” Luca asks through the smug grin pulling at his lips. It makes me want to pluck every hair of his beard out one by one.

I glare at him. “My relationship with Nadia is strictly professional.”

Zoe twists her lips and casts a doubtful look in my direction. “I don’t know about that, Seb. You sent her flowers.”

“And?”

“And you don’t send people flowers,” Andreas says, his tone flat.

“He’s right,” a voice, husky but feminine and definitely not currently present at the table chimes in, causing every head, including mine, to turn toward the source of the sound.

Talia West.

She’s never been an Adler because she refused to take my last name when I made her my wife. Her almond eyes glow with pleasure when everyone lets out their own unique sound of surprise, and her back length microlocs sway around her shoulders as she sashays towards us, spreading hugs and kisses around the table before she comes to sit beside me.

“You never brought me flowers, Sebastian, and I was your wife.”

“Still not sure how he managed to talk you into marrying him,” Luca snickers, grabbing Talia’s hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “You know you should have chosen the best Adler brother.”

“I would have, Luca,” Talia purrs, slipping her hand out of his grip. “But Andreas was taken.”

Her dig at me and Luca sends laughter skittering through the group, and I hope the infusion of humor plus Talia’s sudden appearance will be enough to get and keep us off the subject of Nadia.

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