Page 117 of Burn for You

“Hey!” May jumps as Gianna appears at the table. “Are you guys eating tonight?”

I smirk. “Did you work up an appetite?”

May’s eyes are wide as she looks over at me, pinching my arm beneath the table. Gianna looks between us, a suspicious look on her face.

“She’ll have the fettuccine,” I say. Gianna scribbles it down and skates off, leaving us alone so May can smack my arm.

“Oh my god!” Her face is flushed with pink. “She knew.”

I chuckle. “She won’t say a word. You’re lucky Nico’s in the kitchen tonight.”

She throws her hands over her face sinking down into her seat. “We can’t ever do that again.”

“Why not? It was your idea.”

“A bad one.”

“It didn’t taste like that.”

“Rafael!” She’s giggling behind her hands. She peeks through her fingers. “This table is really always going to be reserved for me?”

“Always. It’ll be here for whenever you want to be.”

She threads her fingers through my hair. “Thank you.”

I pull one of her hands away from her head, pressing a kiss to her palm. “You’re welcome.”

“This fettuccine better be good. You were right—I did work up an appetite.”

chapter forty

MAY

The week leadingup to Isla and Caio’s wedding has gone by in the blink of an eye, from the last-minute dress fittings, to the rehearsal dinner, the wedding has snuck up on me quicker than expected.

It’s hard to believe that just over nine months ago we didn’t even know that a small town called Ruby Cove existed. Caio and Isla had never met, the two of us were living in New York, trying to figure out what to do with our lives. If they knew then what we do now I don’t think they’d believe it.

I walk through the front doors of Hotel Dolce and make my way into the wing that’s been reserved for the wedding party.

“Ciao Stefan,”I say as I walk past him.

“Oh!” He walks up to me and gives me a kiss on my cheek. “You look beautiful, will you tell the bride good luck from me?”

Stefan is the operational manager at Hotel Dolce, promoted from Caio’s assistant when he decided to take a step back from the hotel to spend more time with my best friend.

“She won’t need it,” I say.

“Then tell her to throw Caio’s phone into the ocean the first chance she gets. I don’t need him checking up on me while he’s on his honeymoon.”

“That I can do.”

He throws me a wink before I find the door to the ‘bridal suite’ and twist the knob. I walk in to find Isla’s family sitting on the plush couches sitting in the corner of the room.

Caio went all out transforming this place, white furniture fills the room, with bouquets of flowers sitting on every side table. There’s a dressing table in the corner and Isla’s wedding dress is hung on the wall.

“Hey munchkin.”

I smile as I’m pulled into a hug by Miles. “Ugh I’ve missed you, you big idiot.”

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