Читать книгу The Vineyards Of Calanetti - Rebecca Winters - Страница 9

Lily held back a gasp. Working with Mic? Seeing him eight or ten hours a day for weeks? She’d never survive.

Still, if she gave him even the slightest inkling of how difficult it was to see him, he’d take advantage and push for answers about their breakup. Answers she wasn’t prepared to give and he wouldn’t be happy to hear.

“That’s fine. I’m fine with you being here. Why wouldn’t I be?”

He gave her a confused look that quickly turned into a look of condemnation, but he said nothing, only turned and walked away.

Lily deflated. The man hated her. How was she going to work with someone who hated her?

The next day, she prepared herself before she walked into Mancini’s. No matter what Mic said or did, she could not react. She had to get through these few weeks.

But after the first hour of ignoring her, Mic slowly came around. At first, it was a simple “you’re welcome” when she said “thank you”. Then he handed her orders across the stainless steel shelf. Soon they were working together normally.

She would have breathed a sigh of relief, except the next time she came into the kitchen she caught him staring at her.

A shiver ran up her spine. Not the shivers of fear, but the shivers of memory. That look he gave her was the same one he had every time she’d undressed for him.

The very thought made her breath catch, as memory after memory flooded her, and she knew she had to get away from him.

With the night ending and the crowd dwindling, she stood at the Maître D podium with Gino Scarpetti, the tall, stiff man who seated guests at Mancini’s.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to close down for the night?” Gino asked, one eyebrow quirking.

“Si.”

“Why aren’t you?”

Before she could answer, Mic came out of the kitchen. He walked to the bar and reached for a bottle of wine—undoubtedly wine for him and Rafe to drink as they closed the kitchen. But when he turned from getting the wine, his eyes met hers.

Their gazes caught and held. He couldn’t hide the look of longing and she couldn’t seem to turn away. She’d pined for him for years, unable to move on, unable to forget the man she’d let go, even though she knew he probably hated her.

Mic blinked and turned to return to the kitchen.

Gino said, “You two knew each other before, didn’t you?”

Her heart thundering in her chest, Lily said, “We dated.”

“From the way he looks at you, I think our Mic might like to start things up again.”

Lily’s heart wanted to say, “Really?” But her head was too smart. Mic was a proud man and she’d hurt him. There was no way he’d want anything to do with her.

“I think if you strolled into that kitchen right now and asked him out, he’d be putty in your hands.”

Oh how she wished she could do that. But she’d had one shot with him and she’d given him up. Sacrificed their love for his success. There was no turning back now …

Was there?