Page 35 of Roses in Summer

Taking a deep breath, I pull open the employee side door of Garganello’s and survey the space. I don’t care about the décor, the ambiance, or any of the other shit people evaluate when going to the hot spot where I’ve worked for the last four years. No, I’m looking for a petite brunette in a red dress.

I was in the side alley, taking a break, when the Uber carrying Grey, Dante, Wolf, and the girls rolled up in front of the restaurant and club. From my position, I had a perfect view of the street and swallowed in the sight of Seraphina like fucking water.

I saw her the minute she and her sisters unfolded themselves from the back of the car. Bianca could almost definitely stop traffic in the orange dress she wore, so flimsy that it looked like it would bubble off her slim body as she walked.

But Seraphina? No, the little thorn was drenched in dark red, like a bloody cut from a stem. While Bianca may call attention to herself in the bright dress, it’s Seraphina who my eyes drank in with a need I haven’t felt in years. In the back of my mind, I remind myself about Gemma and my relationship, but it doesn’t change the fact that Seraphina Rose Gregori is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.

I can’t help but think about how similar my reaction is to the reaction I had the first night I saw her, innocent and draped in a little pink dress. She was easy to spot across the room, the same way she’s easily seen across a street and an alley. Concealed in darkness, I let my mind go back to that night and revisit the ghost of our first interaction.

“Oh shit, there’s Red and Ava.” Dante’s words draw my attention to the room, and I watch as Ava and her best friend, Celeste, Dante’s latest obsession, lead a small group inside.

“Thank fuck,” Grey murmurs on my other side, a heavy breath filling the space. “She told me not to come up to her, but if one of these assholes tries something, I’m going to lose it.”

Celeste turns, stepping to the side as she does, and my jaw goes slack as I catch sight of the woman behind her. Delicate in her pale-pink baby-doll dress and entirely out of place in the grime of this house party, she’s sandwiched between Ava and Celeste, with Serena not far behind, and judging by her wide-eyed expression, she’s overwhelmed by the chaos. Like a beacon, her innocence calls to the other fuckers in this house, and they can’t keep their eyes off the too-innocent apparition either. My eyes flit from one horny asshole to the next as they watch the girls weave through the crowd until a guy with a lingering stare and a full cup of beer stops Ava. I feel Grey tense beside me before powering through the swarm of bodies separating him from Ava.

Unlike that night, when my full attention was on Seraphina, tonight, I was on the phone with my parents when she arrived, and I was disgusted by how absorbed I got in her walking twenty feet across the street to the entrance while I was talking to my mom about her birthday. I rebelled against my reaction, but my body didn’t give two shits when she turned her head and inadvertently faced me, showing off her angular face, dark-brown eyes, and eyebrows so delicately arched they defy the current trend for thicker, more prominent brows.

She’s exactly as I remember her, but also nothing as I envisioned. When I caught her face, there wasn’t an easy smile on her lips or excitement pulling at her features. She looked nervous, and I can only assume that I’m the cause.

I ran back inside and stayed in the kitchen for thirty minutes, telling myself I was cleaning—and re-cleaning my station—to be ready for prep tomorrow. But now, almost an hour after my shift ended, I look like an asshole.

Scanning the large space, my eyes find Celeste’s bright-red hair first. Trailing my eyes down the table, I bite at the inside of my cheek when I see Seraphina again. Just like outside, her face is tight, but she’s still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever fucking seen. Despite the pinched expression, it’s easy to see that the years have been good to her and have given her features a maturity they didn’t once possess.

Her hair is still long and thick, thrown over one shoulder like a mane, but instead of just the chestnut hue, I can see caramel ribbons, even in the distance, and how it warms her olive complexion.

“Hi, can I get you a table?” A voice breaks through my thoughts, and I turn to see a hostess in a figure-hugging black dress approach.

“No, I’m set.” I walk past her, careful to angle my body so that I don’t brush against her as I make my way to the table in the center of the space. I’m not surprised by the large number of people assembled to celebrate Grey and Aves; Grey’s an asshole, but Ava seems to pick up strays everywhere she goes.

Grey looks up as I approach, and I don’t miss the way his head tilts in the direction of Seraphina as if to sayYou ready for this?Gritting my teeth, I make my way around the table and draw Grey into a hug as he stands.

“Happy for you, man.” I clap his back before pulling away and turning toward Ava, who also stood up at my approach. Looking at the excited expression on her face, I can’t help but tease, “You sure about this, Aves? Marrying this ugly fucker sounds like a shitty life.”

“Watch it,” Grey growls beside me while Ava just laughs, shaking her head like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever heard.

“Go sit, asshole.” Contradicting her command, Ava burrows into me, giving me a strong hug before stepping back into Greyson’s body.

Lifting my gaze from Ava and Grey, I turn to address the rest of the group and walk around the table, careful to avoid the petite brunette who was inches from me moments ago. I make my way around, greeting everyone, until I circle it completely, ending almost exactly where I started.

Looking down, I cup Bianca’s shoulder and lean until I’m able to brush my cheek against hers in a pointless air kiss. “Bianca, how are you?” I ask, though I stand up before she responds.

Steeling myself, I narrow my eyes on the final person at the table and step forward until I repeat the same shoulder-cup, lean-down, cheek-to-cheek greeting that I gave Bianca. But unlike the hello shared with her sister, I breathe in Seraphina’s scent of apple blossoms and lemon and breathe out her name, “Seraphina.”

Her body tenses against me before relaxing, pressing her cheek closer to mine. “Hi, Lincoln.”

Her voice is low, almost like she doesn’t want anyone else to hear it. Wrenching my body away from her, I stand tall, stepping back to get the smell of her perfume out of my nose and her voice out of my head. Giving her a smile that probably looks like a grimace, I turn and find one of the available seats at the opposite end of the table.

Her eyes track me as I walk, and I feel the sting of them on my back as I retreat farther away like a fucking coward afraid of a slip of a girl. Sliding into the seat beside Wolf, I grab one of the three pitchers of beer on the table, a clean beer mug, and pour a tall drink, tilting the glass to reduce the foam head on top. Once it’s brimmed, I set the pitcher down and bring the mug to my lips, draining half the contents before setting it back down with a soft thud.

“Just keep that pitcher. You’re gonna need it.”

Casting a glance at Wolf, I scowl at his commentary. “Fuck off.”

“Relax before you break that glass.” Looking down, I see he’s right: my hand is clenched around the glass mug in a tight grip, my knuckles turning white from the effort.

“Shit.” I release the mug and lean back into the soft leather chair. Running that same hand over my face, I relish the coolness left over from the condensation on the chilled mug and frosty beer. A prickle of unease hits me at the thought. “Shit, did I steal your beer? It’s ice cold.”

Wolf grunts, shaking his head as he holds up a mug I hadn’t seen. “No, the waitress just brought the pitchers and extra chilled mugs to the table before you got here.”

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