Page 27 of Flirting with Sunshine

Tony pulled out multiple pizza boxes with the familiar logo I’d always loved. I squealed when I saw them. Pizza from Lombardi’s was my absolute go-to meal when I didn’t want to cook and was tired of eating my own food. Mr. Lombardi wouldn’t tell me his secret, but there was something special that he did to his crust. There were flavors in there that even I couldn’t figure out. It was as infuriating as it was delicious.

“This is the best! Have you tried it?” I asked, wanting to smack myself right after. Lombardi’s was the only pizza place in Port Rufton, so of course, Tony would have gotten it at some point since he had started living here.

“I have. It’s really good.”

“It’s chef’s kiss,” I said, pressing my fingers to my lips and moving them away before what he had said a little earlier finally resonated in my brain. “Wait a second. You said you heard this was my favorite? Who told you?”

I wondered who Tony might have been talking to. If it were Elise, she wouldn’t have been able to keep that information to herself. I highly doubted Tony was having deep conversations with my mother behind my back. Tapping my finger to my lips, I tried to figure out who it might have been.

“I should probably keep my sources to myself, but it was Rory,” he said, waiting to gauge my reaction to the news.

“Wow.” I felt surprise zip through me. “That’s…” I searched for the right word. “Impressive? Shocking? Nice?”

Tony nodded. “It is all of those things. I was taken aback too, but he’s a really good guy.”

“I thought you hated him,” I teased.

“I did. But now, I don’t.”

I shot him a look. “What changed?”

“I thought he wanted to date you. I couldn’t like him then.”

“He doesn’t want to date me?” I asked with a curious tone, clearly trying to push Tony’s buttons. But I liked seeing him a little worked up and admitting his feelings to me. Who knew if he’d ever do it again? “That’s news to me,” I said, pushing even more.

“Are you trying to get me riled up?” he asked.

I started laughing. “Maybe a little.”

“Rory told me that I could have you. So, we’re friends now.”

I let out a choke, mixed with a laugh. “He said you couldhaveme?” I emphasized the wordhave. “I didn’t realize that Rory got to give permission on my personal life.”

Tony turned around and leaned his back against the counter as his arms crossed over his chest. “Do you want us to be friends or not? I can go back to hating him if that’s more fun for you.”

“Definitely not. I want you two to get along,” I said with an uncomfortable smile, but I meant it.

Tony and Rory actually liking each other instead of wanting to kill each other would make everyone’s life easier. Or at least a little more pleasant. And I definitely didn’t want them to be enemies, especially if I was the reason.

“Grab some plates,” Tony directed.

I did as he’d asked before setting them on top of the table. He followed close behind. The three pizzas tempted me with their delicious scent as he placed them down and opened the top of each one.

“I got a bottle of wine too. Hope white is okay.”

“You thought of everything. Roses. Food. Wine.”

“I was trying to impress you,” he said so quickly and honestly that it almost gave me pause. His dark eyes looked into mine with such intensity that our mutual desire lingered in the air between us. “Tell me it’s working.”

I nodded my head and placed a kiss on his scruffy cheek. “It’s definitely working,” I whispered into his ear before I passed him by to get to my seat.

I watched as he struggled to catch his breath, obsessed with the fact that I was the one who had made him that way.

We ate our pizza and drank the wine, and the liquor was definitely doing me a favor. There were things I knew Tony and I needed to talk about, and I was grateful for the way the wine made it seem possible by loosening me up and giving me a little liquid courage. Maybe that was why he’d brought it. He needed the help as well.

Barley had finally given up on Snickers and was currently passed out on my tiled floor, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. I honestly had no idea where my cat was. Probably plotting.

“So,” I started to say, not wanting to put this on the back burner any longer, “can I ask you something that might be a little uncomfortable?” I swallowed my latest bite and quickly followed it with another sip of my drink.

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