Page 14 of Mob Boss's Second Chance

“Yes. I am.”

“Huh.” Anthony purses his lips, his gaze shifting away like he’s toying with an idea. “Fine. You know, I thought you fancied her a little. Natalie, I mean.”

“Why on earth would you think that?” I ask, keeping my tone even though my pulse feels like it’s betraying me.

The only time I’ve ever let my guard down was when I caught myself watching her through my window. Unless Anthony has somehow developed mind-reading abilities, he’s just teasing me.

He shrugs casually like it’s no big deal. “I don’t know. It was a passing thought. Nothing to it.”

Anthony braces his hands on the table, standing up with a stretch. “Anyway, I’ve got something to take care of. I’ll be back.”

I watch him wander off and let out a long, shaky exhale. Anthony’s comment might’ve been flippant, but his earlier statement stays with me.

Natalie is not the type of woman to taint our lifestyle. Harboring feelings for her is a distraction and one that I can’t afford at this time.

She’ll be gone soon,I remind myself. After tonight, I won’t have to worry about Natalie anymore.

For now, I’ll indulge.

As much as I can.

Chapter Five

Natalie

Danielle dumps her bag on the table as she collapses on the empty chair, sighing loudly.

“Do you know how crazy it is to work for a boss who thinks that he owns your time?” She complains as she smoothes her hair. “I swear, one of these days, I’ll walk into his office and hand in my resignation letter.”

“What are you going to do, then?” I ask, pushing my smoothie across the table. “You’ve talked about quitting several times, but you’ve talked yourself out of it each time because you don’t have an after plan.”

She makes a point of slurping down a smoothie through the straw, and I lean back, arms crossed, as I wait for her to be done.

“I don’t know,” she sighs as her shoulders slump. I glance at my smoothie, shaking my head when I see the empty glass. “Maybe I’lltake a break. I haven’t used my off days yet,” Danielle grins. “But that’s beside the point. Why did you want to meet again?”

My eyes squint as I tilt my head. “It was your idea to meet up.”

“Oh really?” Danielle purses her lips. “I must’ve forgotten. I just went along with it when you asked me why I wasn’t here yet. Anyways,” she waves her hand, “there’s that. What about you? What’s been going on lately?”

Nothing.

It’s been a month since the job with the Cross cousins, and I took a birthday gig after that, but I’ve been busy remodeling some parts of my apartment and sorting out my finances.

Well… not nothing. I do have something on my mind, but I’m not sure if I want to share it with Danielle. Unfortunately, she sees the hesitation on my face and leans in suddenly, her eyes wide with unrestrained curiosity.

“Tell me,” she whispers. “What is it? Did Anthony Cross ask you on a date? Did you run into a handsome, charming,andwealthy man at your last job?”

“It was a kid’s birthday party,” I correct her with an eye roll.

She shrugs, unfazed. “Who says parents don’t attend these things? And there’s something called single parents, you know.”

“I do know, Danielle,” I say. She gives me a look and gestures with her hand like—alright then, spill.I sigh.

I’ve been thinking about it for days since I got the offer, and I have no one else to talk to, so I might as well risk the fallout. “Anthony Cross reached out to me a week ago. He said he needed me to work another gig, but a catering one this time. I said yes, but I’m not—”

“Yes, yes, and yes,” Danielle interrupts before I can finish. "You’re going to agree, and then I’ll convince my boss to…” She pauses and squints. “When’s the event again?”

“Two days from today,” I reply.

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