Page 48 of Mistletoe in the Mafia

“No way, you’re Madelyn?” she asks excitedly.

The unexpected recognition throws me off.

“Yes… how do you know that?”

She grins. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

That freezes me in place. “He’s… talked about me? With you?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say he talked about you. We both know Dom’s favorite means of communication is grunts and shrugs in lieu of actual words,” she says, making me laugh. “Actually, I heard a lot about you from Josh. You’re the woman who’s bringing my reclusive friend out of his shell. I can see why Dominic’s so enthralled by you. You’re gorgeous,” she says enthusiastically.

I smile. “Thanks, I feel the same about you.”

“And you also have good taste,” she states, gesturing around my office. “I love the decorations. I’m a bit of a Christmas enthusiast myself.”

“I can tell. I love your sweater by the way,” I tell her, immediately relaxing. She has a calming aura. It’s almost impossible to keep your guard up around her.

“Thank you. Anyway, I should probably leave. Sorry to bother you.”

I shake my head. “It’s fine. I wasn’t doing anything before you arrived.”

That has Carly’s eyes growing lighter. “Really? So is there any chance I could steal you away for drinks? Dom already canceled on me and Joshy’s in some meeting. It’ll be fun. Just us girls.”

I ponder her suggestion for a minute. It would be nice to pick the brain of someone who actually knows Dominic—apart from Joshua, who has proven himself to be fiercely loyal. Plus, Carly seems like the kind of person who could help me out with the information I need. I know she’d be willing to divulge a secret or two. If not, at least she’ll help me understand the relationship between her and Dominic better.

My curiosity has me nodding in agreement.

“You know what, I had a long day. Maybe drinks aren’t a bad idea,” I state.

After that meeting where my idea was shut down once again and what happened with Dominic in the stairwell, alcohol mightjust be the thing to help me loosen up. Going home certainly won’t help, because all I’ll be doing is thinking about either my problems or the man who plagues my every waking moment. I’m actually glad he’s not here right now. We need some space from each other.

Carly is visibly excited that I agreed to go out with her. “It’ll be great,” she says assuringly.

I offer her a small smile. “I know a place not far from here we could go. I’m sort of a regular there.”

It’s the same bar I headed to when I was assaulted a couple weeks ago, but now I know better. Carly and I won’t be taking any shortcuts.

Half an hour later, we’re both seated in front of the bar with two drinks in front of us.

“So,” Carly drawls after taking a sip of her margarita, “I know you probably have a lot of questions. Ask me.”

“I’m just curious about your relationship with Dominic. He just doesn’t seem like the sort of person to have friends. Joshua was a surprise, you’re…” I trail off, unsure of how to complete that statement.

“I’m the third wheel,” Carly finishes for me with a grin. “You know how a tricycle needs three complete wheels to function. Yeah, that’s basically the three of us. I’ve known Josh and Dom since I was a teenager. They’ve known each other longer. The three of us have been close for a really long time.”

“Oh,” I say, slightly jealous of their bond.

I don’t have that with anyone. Someone once told me I have a “floater” personality. Meaning I’m friendly with everyone and yet I don’t really have anyone I’m actually friends with. It’s adefense mechanism I had to cultivate to survive, but right now, it hurts a little in the face of the relationships even someone as seemingly cold as Dominic was able to establish.

“You don’t have to worry, though,” Carly hurriedly adds. “Dom and I are just friends. I’ve never hooked up with him or seen him as anything other than my brother. You can join our tricycle if you want. We could always use another extra wheel. Or scratch that, you and Dom can be a bike all on your own. Two wheels, that would be so cute.”

I huff out an amused breath at the analogy. “That’s really nice, Carly. But Dominic and I aren’t in a relationship.”

She arches an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that? After all the time he spent searching for you, I can promise that he has no plans of ever letting you again.

“Wait,” I say, my eyes widening, “what do you mean, all the time he spent searching for me?”

Carly freezes for a second. She has this deer-caught-in-headlights expression for a minute before it clears and she offers me a soothing smile.

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