Page 99 of Be Very Quiet

“Meow!”

“Aw, hey, Smoke. I missed you too, buddy.” He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “How was the drive?”

“Long.”

“Are you up to meeting everyone? My coworkers look for any excuse for a party, so they’re all waiting at the park with grills fired up and beverages on ice.”

She looked down at herself. “I dressed for comfort, not socializing.”

“You look beautiful, though I would prefer you wear nothing at all—but only for me.”

“We’ll see how the afternoon goes.” She wagged her brows, and he had to kiss her again.

“I guess we better go before they send a search party.”

Luca climbed into the passenger seat and reached back to pet Smoke through the carrier. “I’m glad you decided to keep him.”

“Me too.”

The gate opened without them having to hit the call button, which meant Tucker had been watching and most likely witnessed their public display of affection. His smile when they reached the security booth confirmed it.

Luca made the introductions, and Tucker chatted with her while processing her information. Luca pointed out the various buildings as they passed. “I’ll give you a more in-depth tour tomorrow. Our destination is Duquesne Park, in the heart of the complex. “

“Is it named after the president?”

“It is. She donated funds for the buildings.”

Luca had Liliana park at the apartments, and they dropped Smoke off in his unit before taking his golf cart to the picnic. The party was in full swing, with music blaring through the speakers and the smell of grilled meat filling the air.

“Audria texted me saying she wouldn’t be here,” Liliana said.

“Yeah, she’s on an assignment.”

Christian spotted them first and ran over to hug Liliana. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.”

They chatted until a group of children came bounding over, headed by their ringleader, Kai. He fist-bumped Luca. “Hi, Liliana. It’s nice to meet you in person.”

“You too, Kai.”

He smiled. “Hey, Liliana, what do you call a pig that practices karate? A pork chop. What do you call a sheep that does karate? Lamb chop.”

“Hey, you didn’t even let us guess the punch lines,” Luca scolded him.

“Yeah, they were lame, so I had to motor through them as quickly as possible.” He shook his head sadly. “I seriously need to upgrade my material.”

Liliana laughed, and it wrapped around Luca and squeezed. He could happily listen to that sound for the rest of his life.

Two people headed their way, and Luca’s heart rate kicked way up. This meeting was crucial. It could be the difference between Liliana staying or going.

“Hi, I’m Cassidy—”

“Cassidy Swain. I know who you are,” Liliana said. “I watch you on Dancing with The Celebrities.”

“It’s Cassidy Rossi now.” She patted her husband’s chest. “This is my better half, Mason.”

Liliana shook their hands.

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