Page 16 of Sincerely, Your Inconvenient Wife

“Luca, I’d like to finally introduce you to my best girl, Saoirse Kelly. Sersh, meet Luca.”

I held out my hand. “Hi, Luca. It’s nice to meet you after all this time.”

After a beat of hesitation, his hand enclosed mine, and he squeezed slightly too hard. “Saoirse. Do people often mispronounce your name and call you Sasha?”

“All the time.” I blinked at him. “Do you ever go by Luke?”

“Sometimes.”

I tried to pull away, but he held on, searching for something in my gaze…or my expression. With a huff that sounded like frustration, he dropped his hold and turned away from me, placing a swift kiss on Elise’s cheek, then took the empty chair across the table from me.

Once we were all seated and had ordered, conversation picked up between the five of us. While I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’d hooked up with Luca Rossi, my technical boss and Elise’s friend, I attempted to play it cool.

“By the way, I have a present for everyone.” I picked up my canvas bag from where I’d stashed it beneath my chair and reached in, grabbing the first item. “These are for West.”

I handed him the six-pack of hand-embroidered cloth napkins. His brow crinkled as he studied them, and I laughed at his befuddled expression.

“They’re cloth napkins. I know how important the environment is, so I thought you might like these instead of using paper. I bought some for Elise and myself too.”

“Thank you.” Weston smiled gently at me. “That was really thoughtful.”

“Changing the world one napkin at a time,” Elliot intoned.

“That’s right.” I was used to him, so I never let his teasing get to me. And that’s what I’d decided it was. Despite how closed off and uptight he was, he wouldn’t be mean to me simply because I was Elise’s friend. “Don’t worry, I got something for you too.”

I handed him the beet I’d chosen just for him. He immediately dropped it on the table to stare at it. “What is this?”

“A heart-shaped beet, Elliot. I saw it, and it reminded me of you.”

Luca’s low snicker drew my eyes to him. I grinned at him, and his humor fell away. He straightened in his seat, composing himself.

“Oooh, El, I’ll send you a recipe for beet salad.” Elise scrolled through her phone. “I haven’t made it myself since…you know, cooking and I don’t mix, but you’re much better in the kitchen than I am. You can handle it.”

“Thank you, El. I can’t wait,” he remarked with the enthusiasm of a corpse.

I sputtered a laugh. Elliot Levy was the best.

“Don’t tell me you left Luca out,” Weston prodded. “He’s looking rather sad over there.”

Luca held up his hands. “I’m just fine.”

“What kind of person would I be if I didn’t bring Luca a gift?” I reached in my bag and withdrew the grand prize, handing it to Elise. “Pass this to Luca for me.”

He took the cutting board from Elise, staring at it in the same befuddled manner Elliot had with his beet. I’d been excited to give this to him before we’d met, but now I was a mess of trepidation.

My love language was gifting, and though Luca and I hadn’t met—or so I thought when choosing his present—I’d wanted to give him something that showed him how excited I was to get to know him.

Now it just seemed over the top, especially after our bitter exchange outside the bathroom.

“It’s a play on words,” I explained. “It’s a cheese board with a crown on it because you’re now king of the boardroom.”

On top of the cheese board, I’d given him honey, jam, and a few different cheeses I’d selected just for him.

“Oh my god, that’s so cute,” Elise cooed.

“Very thoughtful,” Weston added.

Even Elliot had something kind to say. “Good going, Kelly.”

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