Page 45 of Empire of Temptation

Roberto made a dismissive sound. “There will be no issue, signorina.”

The confidence in his tone gave me pause. “How do you know? Did the mayor say something to you?”

“Of course not.” He waved his hand. “Ignore me.”

How could I, when it seemed as if he knew more than I did? “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing! But I know how these men full of self-importance are, signorina. They are bullies. He will back down,te lo prometto.”

Roberto’s gaze was shifty, evasive. I was about to press him for information when Bev said, “Well, the mayor won’t be bothering you today. I hear he called in a security company from Albany this morning to come down and replace his current alarm system. There are four or five vans outside his house.”

“I wonder why?” I reached for my coffee drink. “It’s not like anyone would dare to break into the mayor’s house.”

“I couldn’t say.” Bev shrugged. “But you can bet I’ll find out.”

I didn’t doubt it. No one was better connected in town. Bev knew all the good gossip. “Let me know what you learn.” The aroma from whatever Giovanni was cooking filled the kitchen and my stomach rumbled. “That smells amazing,” I called over to him.

“I know,” he said simply. “It will be the best asparagus risotto you have ever tasted.”

I didn’t doubt it. I felt very spoiled lately, from Luca making me pasta and looking after me last night, to Roberto and Giovanni assisting me in the restaurant. What had I done to deserve any of this?

There is no shame in accepting help from others when you need it.

Yes, but there had to be limits. I needed to rely on myself. My father never bothered to stick around, and cancer stole my mother from me. Becoming dependent on others led to heartbreak and failure.

“I should get back to the café,” Bev said, reaching over to pat my hand. “I’ll see you later, Val.”

“Thanks again. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She turned to go, then paused. “Incidentally, I heard about what happened at book club. I think it sounds romantic. Just likeAn Officer and A Gentleman.”

“Ugh,” I said, dropping my head onto the stainless counter. “Great.”

“A classic movie,” Roberto added unhelpfully. “And I can see the comparison.”

“There’s no romance between me and Luca. And I don’t want to hear anything else about it.” The two of them exchanged a quick look that scraped across my nerves. “What? What was that look about?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bev replied, now hurrying toward the back door. “See you later!”

“Ciao!” Roberto called after her and I shifted to glare at him. The man had the audacity to wink at me.

“I can still fire you,” I said grumpily, even though we both knew I wouldn’t.

“True, but you need my help to reopen next week. Incidentally, we still must hire two bartenders.”

“What happened to the guy we interviewed yesterday?”

“Failed his background check.”

Background check? “I didn’t realize we were running background checks on every employee. What is the cost of that?”

“It’s not a formal process, signorina.” He shifted on his feet and slipped his hands into his trouser pockets. “It’s through a friend of mine.”

Roberto’s response was cagey—and telling. I spoke very clearly, saying, “Is this friend Luca?”

“Not exactly.”

“Hmm.” I didn’t love it. The sign, covering bar tabs. Background checks. Not to mention whatever happened with Mayor Lombardi. I made a mental note to take all of this up with Luca at my first opportunity.

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