Page 19 of Cherry on Top

“Oh.” Enzo had the nerve to look disappointed. He straightened. “I . . .I do hope you change your mind, honestly. It’s a beautiful building now.”

“And what, your mural would make it look even better?” Will asked archly.

Enzo flushed. “Something like that.”

“Well, I’ll think about it,” Will said. That wasn’t just lip service, because he was already beginning to think he’d made a mistake.

Stay strong. You don’t need to tangle yourself up with Enzo Moretti.

But he wanted to.

“Don’t wait too long,” Enzo said, flashing him one final smile as he headed towards the door. “I’m not going to be around forever.”

But he hadn’t had to say it, because Will already knew it.

It didn’t surprise Enzo much, but his mom was avoiding him.

She’d had dinner with them last night, but then she’d had a “meeting” and then this morning when he’d walked into her kitchen, it had been empty already.

Clearly she’d discovered that he knew the truth about the mural, and she didn’t want him to yell at her.

Killing two birds with one stone, he swung by Sweetie Pie’s, Oliver’s bakery and coffee shop, to pick up apology coffee for Will but when he asked Marjorie if she’d seen his mother, she’d shaken her head no.

Then after talking to Will, he headed to the deli, but Luca was there by himself, and he said he hadn’t seen her.

Frustration mounted as he stepped back onto the sidewalk.

He’d needed to make it clear what she’d done was completely inappropriate, nevermind unprofessional, and that was before he’d found out that Will might be charmed into forgiving him, but he wasn’t interested in discussing the mural.

Enzo had told himself that was fine. He could simply take a vacation and rest and enjoy himself. But then he’d walked by the wall again, and damnit, he wanted to paint it as badly as he’d wanted to paint anything, ever.

Grabbing his phone he texted Rocco. You seen my mother? he asked.

Rocco answered almost immediately. Yeah. She’s at Oliver’s. Figured she was safe from your wrath because you’d already been by.

That was even worse. He wondered who’d given her a heads-up that he’d found out.

Enzo walked back down to Sweetie Pie’s, and yep, there she was, sitting by the big window at one of the small tables that dotted the bright, cheery space, enjoying a cappuccino.

“There you are,” he said, taking the seat opposite her.

Giana pasted on an innocent-looking expression, but he knew her too well to believe it was true. “Oh, were you looking for me?”

“Who told you?” Enzo was grumpy and he didn’t even want to hide it.

Not only had she probably ruined his chance at painting that gorgeous blank wall, she’d been advertising to Will—hot, delectable Will—that he couldn’t get a date on his own.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she claimed.

“Come off it, I know what you did. You didn’t even bother to ask Will about the mural. You do realize we need his permission to paint his wall, right?”

“I thought he’d be honored,” Giana said with a sniff.

“You’re kidding, right?” Enzo made a face. “It really wasn’t cool. And it really wasn’t cool for you to be soliciting dates for me. I can get my own dates.”

“Can you?”

Enzo groaned. “Mom, I’m not interested in Will, no matter what you think. I’m busy. I’m going places. I’m crazy busy right now. I don’t need to settle down, or whatever it is you’ve decided I should be doing.”

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