Page 57 of Meet Me in Montreal

“I said I wanted to talk to my sister alone,” he said coolly.

“She’s my sister, too. Whatever you say to her, you can say in front of me,” she insisted.

Classic Zoe, never knowing when to fall the fuck back.

Before she could tell Zoe they were not, in fact, sisters simply because of the marriage, Bobby cut in. “I said I want to talk to her in private.”

When Zoe stomped back over to Santino with a pout, like a kid, Vanessa was the one whose eyebrow rose. Bobby usually let Zoe run roughshod over everyone else in the small household with the exception of Nadine, whom she made a great show of worshipping. For Bobby to finally clap back was new.

Appearing to try and keep his cool, Bobby glared over at Santino before he spoke. “You said the guy you were seeing canceled out on the trip because of work. Was this reunion the real reason?” He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Not the way you think. Scott broke it off because he thought we were still together despite the separation. And Santino took it upon himself to come up here after me.”

“So, he’s been stalking you? The guy who openly cheated on you but won’t give you a divorce?”

Vanessa’s eyes popped open at his reinterpretation of what she’d said. “Stalking? No! He…”

How to explain the catfishing on the app? Dani had admitted to telling Santino about the Montreal trip when she was drunk and loose-lipped, but howhadhe known about Scott before that?

She redirected. “Okay, I know this is shocking and out of the blue. He came up here to ask me for one last shot at the marriage, and I said ‘yes.’ He promised to sign the papers and let me move on if we’re not good by Saturday.”

Bobby’s laughter was short and sardonic. “Right, so you guys are going to frolic through fields of daisies and roses, and everything will be wonderful up until Saturday. All the fights and the immaturity and the disrespectful ex-girlfriend are…” He balled his talented hands together then opened his fingers like a magician doing a trick. “Poof! Just disappeared into the wind.”

“I know my marriage was far from perfect,” she remarked softly. “You were one of the few people I could turn to when I was going through it, so no, I don’t expect you to forget what happened. But we had our good moments too. This is our goodbye. I want it to end in a way I can look back on and feel at peace with. Does that make sense?”

Wow. That almost sounded legit when in reality, all she’d done this week so far was allow a new craving for Santino to seep in through her weak spots and take hold. But Bobby would keep her honest. He’d hold her to her pledge to finish it. Slowly, he stroked his goatee, then nodded finally.

“Alright, if that’s what you’re really doing. Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to see you like that again. You were devastated. If he hurts you, I hurt him.”

Bobby was staring at Santino when he said that, who was looking at them steadily in return. Zoe was glaring at them with her heart-shaped face screwed up in an angry pout. When Bobby walked back over, she gripped his lean-muscled bicep with both hands as if relieved to have recaptured him.

“Okay, champion,” Bobby said to Santino, putting on a Jamaican accent. “We’ll go to the show together and to your friend’s after-party. Who is he?”

“Virgil Li. He’ll be at the show.”

“Virgil Li as in the Li Conglomerate?” Bobby’s face went still. He appeared to be speechless as he looked away, then nodded. “It’s nice to have friends in high places. Looks like you’re good for something.”

Vanessa quirked her lips at the remark but said nothing. She knew Bobby had loved Santino like the brother he’d never had, and that had included harsh teasing like Santino endured from his own brothers. But there was still anger there, resentment that still smoldered under the surface. Just if and when it might come roaring out was left to be seen.

19

THE ROOT

VANESSA

The hours in between the meeting and the concert went by relatively quickly, thank goodness. They window shopped the cute boutiques in the area, ate a quick, relatively informal dinner at an open-air restaurant with beautiful lighting, and talked about casual topics. Work, current events, nothing deep or personal. Bobby seemed to be feeling them out, as was Zoe, their eyes noting every time Santino touched her, the way he draped his arm behind her on her seat.

And she enjoyed all of it. Yes, partially because it felt good to be part of a couple again, and yes, because Zoe was clearly bothered by it. But if she had to admit it to herself, it simply felt good to be with Santino like this again. Fun, easy. The sad tension of Upton, Garcia & Vega’s conference room was a distant memory, despite her assurances to her brother that that would be her first stop when they returned to the city.

Finally, it was time for the show. They filtered in at leisure, knowing there were a few acts up before the headliner. Vanessacouldn’t help looking around when she thought Santino’s attention was elsewhere, keeping an eye open for a certain big, angry ginger. Scott had confessed he didn’t know Panthro’s music, but he’d really dug the songs she’d sent to him via text and chat that she thought he might appreciate. He had his tickets, including what would have been her seat right next to the original tickets bought by Bobby and Zoe.

Thanks to Virgil Li’s surprising generosity, they could avoid anything potentially unpleasant by sitting somewhere else entirely.

Virgil was already in the VIP lounge with a dark-haired woman with pretty features in a short, tight black dress. They were sitting together on a red leather couch, close but not quite touching. She was leaning in while Virgil stood to greet them. He also wore all black with his dress shirt open at the collar. The thousand-watt white smile added to the handsomeness. Vanessa was momentarily dazzled by it, and surprisingly, she noticed Zoe was too, who gave him a flirty little grin Vanessa hadn’t seen her give Bobby since their early days. If her brother noticed it, he was ignoring it as his gaze stopped cold when he saw Ling. He stared at her, then averted his gaze with a visible swallow.

Uh-oh. Zoe flirting with Virgil, Bobby checking out his date? Were they on some kind of swingers shit now that they were out from under Lady Marmalade’s watchful eye?

Vanessa chided herself. That would be ridiculous. They were a thousand percent devoted only to each other. Or at least that’s what they’d put in the brochure. Still, she kept an eye on the various people in this new little coterie. It was natural for her. She’d grown up looking at friend groups from the outside, so it was easy to slip into observer mode without anyone else noticing, except for Santino, who smiled at her and kept hold of her hand.

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