Page 27 of My Casanova

I nodded and fled down the hallway to my bedroom. Once inside, I shut the door and leaned against it. “My god,” I whispered.

Why was that man so handsome? And to top it off, he was nice. So freaking nice to me. And it wasn’t like the wimpy nice, you know? The man was manly, rough, and gruff, but still nice. How?

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.

I didn’t have time to figure out how that was possible.

I needed to get my butt in gear and get to the shop.

I grabbed clean clothes, slipped into the bathroom, and took a quick shower. After getting dressed with wet hair, I headed back out to the kitchen.

Smoke was there.

Still hot.

“I’m ready,” I announced. And I was surprisingly feeling better. A hot, steamy shower worked wonders.

Smoke held out a travel cup of coffee. “Let’s hit it, angel.”

Chapter Ten

Smoke

“It’s five after ten.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall behind the counter as its antique hands ticked steadily forward. “Yup.”

The bell above the door of Wine and Cheese Me dinged.

I turned toward the entrance just in time to see Stan push through the door. He juggled three cups of coffee in one hand and clutched a bottle of Pepto-Bismol in the other. His sunglasses sat low on his nose and barely hid the dark circles and red-rimmed eyes beneath them.

“I thought you said you were going to be late,” Dani laughed and leaned against the counter.

Stan trudged over, his boots scuffling against the hardwood floors, as he set the coffee down with a heavy sigh. He pushed his sunglasses onto the top of his head, revealing eyes so bloodshot they practically matched the red accents of the shop’s decor. “I am late.”

Dani raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. “Are you late because you stopped for coffee?”

Stan shrugged and seemed unbothered. “I mean, yes, but I was late picking up the coffee because I am hungover. I haven’t drunk that much in twenty years. I’m surprised my old body is even upright now.”

“I don’t know if you’re old, Stan,” Dani teased. “Even at fifty-nine, you managed to keep up with the girls.” She groaned and rubbed her temples. “I, on the other hand, was fighting for my life this morning.”

“Thought you couldn’t feel your legs when you called this morning?” I chuckled.

Stan shrugged again and stretched his back with a grimace. “It passed. Got my butt out of bed, showered off our bender, and decided to head to Gloria’s to get some caffeine for us.”

Dani pointed at him with mock sternness. “A bender that we are not going to do again, right?”

Stan lifted his hands in surrender. “I plead the fifth. And you should really be mad at that one there.” He nodded toward me with a smirk, tugging at the corners of his mouth. “He’s the one who brought in the girls. They should come with a billboard warning.”

I let out a low chuckle. “I’ll let them know you said that, though I’m pretty sure they’ll be proud.”

Stan pointed a finger at me with a knowing grin. “And that is why I love those girls.” He grabbed one of the coffees and held it like a lifeline. “I’m going to sit in the back room for a second and let this caffeine do its job. I’ll be out if the bell chimes.”

Dani laughed and shook her head. “Okay.”

I reached for a cup of coffee, and a sharp pang shot through my ribs. I couldn’t hide my wince.

“You okay?” Dani asked.

---