Page 51 of For Butter or Worse
“I like her.” Donna wrapped an arm around Nina. “Don’t you like her?”
Heat rose from his neck to his face. Leo didn’t say anything. He smirked for his mom’s benefit, but, yes, he realized, hedidlike her.
Well, damn it.He’d been trying, and failing, to ignore his attraction to her. ButlikingNina was a different problem entirely. Now he’d have to figure out how to deal with his feelings. He had a habit of falling for unavailable women, so he wasn’t completely shocked that his hopeless romantic self had done it again.
“I am single as fu-u-uck,” Gavin said dramatically into the silence.
“Gavino, language!” their mother snapped.
Leo caught Nina’s eye, and she smiled back. He’d been worried about what Nina would think of him, his house and, most importantly, his family. He wasn’t sure if her expressions were all part of the act, but he couldn’t help hoping that she was enjoying herself just as much as he was.
The house was a modern new-build, and the kitchen was all chrome with sleek granite countertops. His brother had laid out a board holding thinly sliced prosciutto and sweet chunks of melon on the kitchen island.
Nina took a piece of melon and topped it with prosciutto. He tried not to stare as she nibbled.
“Can I help with anything?” Nina offered as she chewed.
“No, Gavino and I will get the wine—you two eat.” Donna squeezed Leo’s shoulder.
Without saying a word, he knew what his mom was thinking. She loved Nina. Which, he realized with a sinking feeling, was actually not great news. If she hated Nina, dealing with their eventual fake “breakup” wouldn’t be hard, but now that his mother liked Nina...
And then they were alone. She chewed. His foot nervously tapped the floor.
“Your house is cozy for being the place of eternal damnation,” Nina said to him. “Didn’t realize Satan liked shag rugs.” She looked toward the living room.
“Even Beelzebub needs some creature comforts,” he returned, playing along.
“Your mom is way cooler than you, by the way.” She folded a slice of prosciutto into her mouth.
How had he never noticed that her lips curled up into a very cute little grin every time she made a playful jab at him?
“She doesn’t know about our arrangement...” he began. Then stopped himself, as his mom came back into the room with a wine opener and a bottle of red.
“Make yourself useful.” His mother handed both to Leo. “Now, Nina, don’t you think it’s odd that we’ve never met? Three years of working with my Leonardo. He never once invited me to set. Don’t you find that odd?” his mom asked.
“I do.” Nina nodded her head.
That’s just fantastic. Now he had two strong women ready to gang up on him.
“Have you invited your mother to set?” his mom asked.
Leo saw Nina’s mouth twitch, almost imperceptibly. He’d been put in similar situations, where people who didn’t know his story asked about his dad, and he’d had to explain that he’d passed away.
But Nina’s mom’s birthday had just come and gone. He imagined she was still reeling from the experience of having to open that wound at the dinner they’d had.
“Mom...” he began.
“It’s okay.” Nina pursed her lips at him, then she smiled at Donna. “My mom passed a few years back.”
Donna put her hand on Nina’s knee, and squeezed warmly. “Your mom and I would’ve gotten along. I feel that.”
“She would’ve loved you,” Nina said.
Leo wished he could’ve met her mother, too. Anyone who raised a woman as strong, talented and funny as Nina was worth meeting.
Even though Nina had done him a solid by agreeing to come to dinner, he’d made the situation infinitely more complicated. Because for the first time, he’d brought a woman home to meet his family and he could actually picture her being in their lives for longer than the expiration date on their relationship.
Leo washed dishes at the sink while Nina sat at the kitchen island, polishing off a second helping of his brother’s chocolate gelato. The meal had been special—Gavin insisted on cooking a feast for a fellow chef: braised rabbit stew, spaghetti squash with rainbow chard and homemade gelato.
