Page 8 of Melody’s Little Secret

My frustration mounted and my brat went into battle mode. “No. If you won’t tell me what you wanted, pretend you didn’t come to my shop, then I’ll just flutter off.” I ignored his offer to listen to me and my troubles. “I may have offered you a free cupcake, but now you can’t have one.”

“Excuse me?” He cocked an eyebrow. “You’re just about the cutest little thing to trot into my restaurant today,piccola, but your attitude leaves much to be desired.”

“Did you forget my name too?”

“No,piccola. You haven’t told me your name yet. Could you be confusing me for someone else?” He smiled like he had a secret, and I could have screamed.

Bosco hadn’t addressed me by the sweet nickname in any of our other interactions. It was almost as if he wasn’t the same man I’d met. I liked the pet name, it made me feel special, but his repeated use of it seemed a bit strange. I opened my mouth ready to tell him off for good when a large group came into the restaurant, each adult carrying a toddler on their hip.

Slamming my mouth shut, I tipped an imaginary hat at him instead of flipping him off. His eyes darkened, and he shook his head. If I ever spoke to him again, he could tell me all about his feelings, about my attitude and I would really let him have it, consequences be damned.

His look promised in no uncertain terms that our conversation was far from over. Without giving it another thought or sticking around to find out what he really thought of our interactions, I hustled out of the restaurant.

Chapter Four

Bosco

“Our sassy little neighbor from the bake shop stopped in today,” Zio remarked as he counted the money in the till.

I’d been in the middle of wiping down a table. We were short-staffed so after the crazy dinner rush, we both needed to take on extra chores tonight. His message hit me sideways. “Melody? I didn’t think she was sassy. What did you say to set her off?”

“Melody.” He tested her name on his tongue. “Well, she sure wasn’t singing to me,fratello. A better question is what did you say to her?”

I threw the rag over my shoulder. “Not much. I barely know her.”

“Well, she came in here demanding to know why I was in her shop today and practically stomped her foot when I told her I had no idea what she meant. If she isn’t a brat,goffo, I’d be shocked.”

Strutting to the counter, I almost slipped on a stray cloth napkin. I picked it up to add it to the laundry.Goffomeant clumsy and I’d almost lived up to the teasing name. My feet were always tripping me up. “We haven’t interacted enough for me to know if she’s a brat. She is all sweet and smiles when she’s with me. Must be your charm that pulls the brat side out of women so quickly.”

“Is that what it is? My charm? Good to know. Anyways, I’ll bet my paycheck she is a bona fide Little brat, and she is going to give you a run for your money.” Zio snorted and stuck out his hand.

I threw the rag at my brother, and he caught it. No way in hell was I going to take that bet. Whenever I made a bet against him, I lost. I knew better by now. Enzio constantly tried to bet me on everything from the weather to the amount of people eating here on any given day. It was our longest running joke.

“Keep your money.” I acted as if I’d win the bet which made Zio laugh harder.

“Aw. Don’t be mad. She’s adorable.”

“Did Melody say anything else,bello?” I called my brother handsome. He used to spend hours in the mirror perfecting his style, his hair, but our close friends found it hysterical since we were identical twins. It was good that I wasn’t full of myself, and Enzio had mellowed out after high school.

“I think she’s into you,goffo. She said she might have offered me a treat but because ofmyattitude, she no longer wanted to give me one.”

Slapping my thighs, I doubled over from laughter, leaning against the counter for support. I could picture her nose scrunched up in irritation as she told my brother off. Melody seemed sweet as pie but if she thought Enzio was me, then it made sense that she would get upset. “You think she likes me, huh?”

“I’d say, but you’ve got some damage control to handle. She stormed out of here.”

“Cazzo.” The swear word rolled off my tongue as I retrieved the bank deposit envelope from Zio’s hands. Melody likely thought I was playing games and the knowledge made me upset. My mood swing did not go unnoticed by my twin.

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Zio remarked pointedly. Sometimes he was bossy even with me. “You’re persuasive. It’s probably your best skill. Melody will likely change her opinion of you once she meets me and this whole thing gets sorted out.”

“I’m happy you’ve got so much faith.”

“I’m saying yourdulcitawill realize her mistake.” Enzio finished the end of day transactions. “Melody seems like a smart woman, though I can’t imagine why she’s picked you.”

“Remind me again why I likeyou.”

“You can’t get rid of me,goffo. We’re attached by DNA.”

“It won’t stop me from trying,” I teased.

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