Page 34 of Mine to Promise

“Oh, that sounds like fun,” Ms. Terry says.

“Okay, come give Momma a kiss,” I say, squatting down, and she comes over to me.

“Will Stefano come and see me again?” she asks me, and I just nod my head.

“We are going to the park after school, and he’s going to be there,” I tell her, and she jumps up before running back into the class. I avoid looking at anyone before I walk back to my car. Even when I get to work, I walk in, head straight to the kitchen, and start the coffee. Unlike yesterday, there is less fanfare this morning.

Shelby comes in not long after me. “Morning,” she mumbles to me as her phone rings in her hand.

Clarabella is the next one in with a car seat. She huffs as she comes in and the door closes behind her. “Have kids, they say.” She blows the hair out of her face. “It’ll be fun, they said.”

I roll my lips when I look at her and see she’s literally leaking through her silk shirt. My eyes must go big, and she looks down. “I’m like a cow,” she says, putting the car seat down with the baby still sleeping. “I swear, he cries, and it just pours out of me. The other day I just thought about him, and it was dripping everywhere.”

“Ew,” Presley states, coming in the door at the moment, “you’re leaking.” She points at her, and Clarabella just gasps.

“Really?” She looks down. “Wait, your shirt doesn’t leak milk?” She rolls her eyes. “Watch your nephew while I clean up.”

“Clean up in aisle ten.” Presley makes a joke at Clarabella’s back. She just lifts her hand high in the air and flips her the bird. “Good morning,” she greets, picking up the car seat and bringing it with her.

I turn around and start the emails. I have a whole list of questions I have to ask Sofia when she gets in. The time flies by, and when I hear the door open, I expect it to be Sofia. So when I look up with a smile, it quickly disappears when I see Stefano walking in. He’s wearing black jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt that makes his arms look bigger than they were yesterday. He pushes his aviator glasses on top of his head, the smile on his face filling it when he sees me.

“What are you doing here?” I don’t even move from my chair because I can’t. It’s as if all motions have left my body.

He holds up the brown bag I didn’t see in his hand. “I brought you lunch.”

My mouth opens to say something but nothing comes out, I just close it and then open it again. But, in that little bit of time, Clarabella comes out from the back and the front door opens and Sofia steps in.

“I just left you like ten minutes ago, so how are you here?” she huffs at Stefano.

“First off, I left you guys an hour ago,” he corrects, “and second, your shirt is all buttoned wrong.” She looks down and laughs.

She quickly fixes it and glares at him. “What do you want?”

“I brought Addison lunch,” he says, walking toward my desk and my legs finally decide it’s okay to stand.

“Interesting,” both Clarabella and Sofia say at the same time before crossing their arms over their chests.

“Nothing is interesting.” I walk around my desk toward Stefano, the smell of him making my mouth water and my stomach twinge which makes a certain part of me tighten. “Thank you,” I say, grabbing the bag from him.

“See you later.” He smirks at me and then a smile fills his face. I want to punch him in the face, but I also want to climb him like a tree, so the two parts of my brain are working at the same time.

“Yes,” I grit between clenched teeth, then bite down before I say something I shouldn’t.

He turns and puts the glasses on. “Ladies, have a great day.” He pushes the door open, and when it slams shut behind him, I close my eyes.

“Oh my God,” I hear Sofia mumble, but all I can do is shake my head.

“It’s nothing.” I avoid even looking at them before heading back to my desk.

“It’s not nothing,” Clarabella declares. “It’s lunch from Luke’s.”

“If he got her a whole combo, you know he means business,” Sofia adds.

“If he even got her a drink, he’s been thinking about her the whole day.” Clarabella looks at her, then at me. “Open the bag,” she demands of me.

I open the bag, and my eyes scan a sandwich, a bag of chips, a little something else that looks like a dessert, and a bottle of tea. “It’s a bag of chips, and I think, a dessert.”

“You’re lying,” Sofia scoffs and takes a step forward, but I close the bag before she gets too close, making them both laugh.

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