Page 46 of Love Around the Corner
“Let’s get out of here. Do you think Gemma cooked anything tonight?”
“Gemma always cooks something.”
“I could really use a good meal and a drink.”
Well, she couldn’t heal his broken heart, or fix his fractured family, but she could provide him with a meal, a drink, and companionship. Maybe tonight that was enough.
Chapter Eighteen
Nick dropped his fork onto his plate with a clatter. “Gemma, another knockout.”
Gemma smirked as she swept his empty plate away. Turning to Livie, she murmured, “What brought tonight on?”
Nick wasn’t nearly as drunk as he’d been the first night she’d brought him to Romano’s, but he was on his third vodka tonic, and definitely feeling at peace with the world.
“We went to pack up the rest of his stuff and Poppy was there.”
“The ex? So? She still lives there, right?”
“Yeah, except she wasn’t alone. And there was every indication that it wasn’t a recent development, if you know what I mean.”
Gemma’s expression softened into sympathy as she looked over at Nick. Frank was commiserating with him about faithless women, probably telling Nick all about his ex-wife. “Ah, poor bastard. That sucks.”
“I can’t believe she would do that to him.” Livie watched Nick for a moment, trying to gauge his mood. He seemed in good spirits, all things considered, but that might have been the vodka.
“You like him, don’t you?”
“Of course. He’s great.” Kind of a mess, but he tried.
“No, youlikehim.”
Livie met Gemma’s concerned gaze as alarm rattled through her system. Was she that easy to read? “Gemma—”
Gemma laid a hand over hers to stop her. “Just be careful, okay? He’s an okay guy, but he’s got about a hundred issues he’s dealing with right now. You could get hurt.”
Gemma’s mothering could be really annoying, especially when she was right. “Gem, I know that. I’m not dumb. I got this. We’re friends. That’s all.”
Gemma paused, watching her steadily. “Sure. Friends. Be careful with yourfriend.”
“Gem—”
But Gemma had turned away to get Dennis his refill. Nick was still talking to Frank.
“You gotta be careful with that online stuff, Frank. You could get catfished.”
“But I don’t fish,” Frank protested.
“No,catfished. Like, you think you’re talking to some attractive divorcee from Bay Ridge and you don’t find out she’s some dude from Moldova until you’ve given him access to your checking account.”
Frank’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “That happens?”
Nick clapped him on the shoulder. “Frank, you have no idea. Promise me you won’t chat with anybody online until you talk to me. I got your back.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
“Anytime, Frank.” He looked back over his shoulder at Livie. “You ready to head out?”
“Um, yeah, sure.” She was still unsteady, thrown by the way Gemma had seen right through her. She’d thought she’d been handling these feelings well enough, burying them where they couldn’t do her any harm. Maybe not.
