Page 80 of The Veiling

“Where are you going?” Remembering one of our first encounters, I grinned, knowing exactly where she was headed.

“This,” she stopped at an intersection, “is where I ran into you, and you pretended not to know me.”

Amused, I tightened my lips, fighting back a laugh. “Right.”

She spun on the balls of her feet and continued trekking down the almost deserted walkway. A few minutes later, she came to a halt at the café where we had coffee together for the first time. They were closing in thirty minutes.

I stepped over to the table we shared, pulling her chair out for her. “Would you like to join me for coffee?”

“That depends on your name,” she giggled.

“Hmm,” I mused. “Was it Romeo? Or Casanova, maybe?”

She snorted, then slapped her palm over her mouth as she sat down. I took a seat across from her, just as I had before. Joseph and Noah remained close by, whispering amongst themselves. Joseph was probably telling him about Isabelle, saying he was cool in this very spot. He brought that up every now and again.

The waitress approached. “Mr. Greco, Miss A—”

“Isabelle is fine,” she corrected.

“What can I get for you two?”

I motioned to Isabelle.

“I’ll have a decaf coffee with only about this much cream, please.” She held her thumb and index finger about an inch apart.

“Black coffee for me, both to go.”

“Absolutely, sir. I’ll be right back.” She offered us a warm smile, then hurried back into the café.

“So, where to next?” I curiously skewed my head, observing Isabelle nibbling on her bottom lip.

“What?” She shook her head. “Oh, a walk in the park.”

“Are you trying to seduce me on a dark path?”

“I’ll seduce you anywhere.”

I let out a light chuckle. “What’s on your mind?”

She inhaled a deep breath and let it out with force. “It just feels so odd to be fully free of him, you know?”

I nodded.

“He just…he’s always been there since I was a child and then with us.” She reached for the single flower in the small vase centerpiece and rotated it. “It just all feels so surreal. I’m sc—” She peered over my shoulder with a smile as the waitress returned with our beverages quickly.

I reached into my pocket, sliding out my wallet.

She held up a hand, grinning. “No charge. Enjoy your night.” She sped away.

I stood and waltzed around the table to help Isabelle. She hooked her arm in mine as we strolled toward the park, led by Joseph, while sipping on our coffees. The moment we crossed the sidewalk and stepped onto the path, canopied with enormous trees, she checked over her shoulder to make sure Noah was behind her.

“Like I was saying,” she continued, “I know he’s gone. I know he wasn’t well-liked and so many people are probably thankful he’s gone too. I just wonder if someone else will ever step up and carry on his legacy. Like that guy he wanted me to marry.” She snorted. “He wasn’t even my type.”

“Ah, Xavier. I would have never let that happen, anyway.”

She snickered. “I know. I also know you’re…you.” She nudged me in the side playfully.

“What do you mean by that?”

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