Can't Fool Me Twice: Sweet Contemporary Romance: Belles in the City Book 1 (3 page)

As close as she'd gotten to Bethann, she hadn't told her about Chase and the fact that she found out he'd been seeing someone else after he died. She knew that until her closest friend understood that, she'd never be able to fathom not following her heart.

"There are some things I haven't told you." Sunny's voice cracked. "Some things that are difficult for me to talk about."

"I get why you had a hard time trusting him in the beginning," Bethann said, "but hasn't he more than made up for that? The man is practically begging for you to love him back."

"I know." Sunny walked into the study and took a seat on the overstuffed chair. "It's just that … well, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to trust him, no matter what he does."

"Okay, this sounds serious. Do you want me to come over there after work tomorrow? I think you need to unload. You've been alone in that big ol' honkin' house way too long."

"I'd love for you to come over," Sunny said. "But don't expect me to change my mind."

"Oh, trust me, I get it. Remember how hard it was for me to let go and love Judd?"

Sunny did remember. "It was always obvious that you and Judd were meant to be."

"Well, if I remember correctly, even you agreed with me that something wasn't right for a while," Bethann reminded her.

"Yeah, but I got over that very quickly. Judd never did anything wrong."

"I know, but this is different. That was a misunderstanding. This is intentional deceit."

"Okay, I get that," Bethann said, "but he's already apologized more than once. If he never does that again, don't you think you should give him a chance and see where this thing can go?"

"Never is a long time. Even if he's open and honest with me now, how do I know he won't resort to his old ways in the future?"

Bethann let out a loud sigh. "If you expect perfection from someone before you allow yourself to fall in love with him, you might find yourself single for the rest of your life."

"That's not always a bad thing," Sunny said.

"True, but I don't think you should turn away from this possibility."

"Okay, okay, let's stop pounding the same drum. I get off work tomorrow at three. What time can you be here?"

"I can be there at four. How about I bring some food and the two of us cook dinner together, like old times?"

Sunny smiled. "Sounds like fun."

*

"Have fun last night?" Anthony said as he sank down in the chair across from Dante's desk the next day.

"Yes." Dante tapped his pencil on the desk and tried to think of a subject to discuss. He still hadn't processed what had happened last night, and he certainly wasn't in the mood to discuss it with his brother.

"I don't think you need to get hung up on this girl and exclude everyone else. You've always had plenty of women falling at your feet. Besides, you're not getting any younger. Mom and Pop want lots of grandkids."

Dante smiled as he shook his head. "Mom just wants someone to hug and spoil, and Pop wants to make sure the family restaurant legacy continues."

"You know it's more than that, right?" Anthony lifted an eyebrow and looked Dante in the eye. "They want us to be happy."

"I'm happy."

"Oh yeah?" Anthony stood back up and looked down at his brother. "Is that why every time I walk by your office you look like someone stole your wallet, and you're trying to figure out a way to get it back?" He paused and then turned toward the door. "I have to line up some interviews for a new chef. If you need me, you know where to find me."

Dante didn't say another word. He remained sitting at his desk, thinking about what his brother had said.

He'd been happy—or at least he thought he was—until he let himself fall in love with Sunny. Ever since the day he knew she was the one, his mind had been filled with trying to figure out how to win her trust.

It wouldn't be easy, and he understood why. A day didn't go by that he didn't want to kick himself in the backside for not being upfront with her about who he was to begin with. He thought it was a smart business move to be incognito, but that plan backfired in a way he never imagined. He understood her initial reluctance, but she was being more stubborn than he thought she should be.

The saddest part about this whole thing was that he'd never done anything like that before. In fact, it hadn't even been his idea to begin with. One of his buddies in the restaurant association had mentioned that it would be fun to see employees as the customers do, and that got everyone at the table talking about how to execute such a plan. The timing of needing a new manager was such that Dante thought it was something worth trying. Who knew he'd be playing a trick on the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with?

The remainder of the day, Dante went over and over in his mind how to undo the mess he'd created. Finally, he decided to go to the restaurant and sit until she had time to talk. She couldn't very well ignore him when she was at work. He'd do that tomorrow.

*

Sunny had a wonderful time with Bethann last night. Together they prepared a good, old-fashioned southern dinner of ham, more pots of vegetables than they had room for on the stovetop, biscuits, gravy, and pecan pie with the nuts Bethann's mama had sent from Mississippi. Bethann brought some of the food home for Judd last night, but Sunny still had enough to eat leftovers for a few days.

Since she'd worked the breakfast shift yesterday, she went in a little later to cover lunch and dinner today. As soon as she opened the door to the restaurant, her eyes connected with Dante's.

Her heart thudded, and her lips twitched. She tried her hardest to appear confident and unfazed, but she wasn't sure she carried that off. The only consolation was that Dante looked even more nervous than she felt.

"Have you been helped yet?" she asked as she tied her apron.

Dante shook his head. "I told Estelle I would wait for you."

Sunny glanced over at Estelle who shrugged apologetically. Then she turned back to Dante. "What can I get you?"

He held her gaze long enough to know that he wasn't here for the food. "How about I start with some coffee?"

"Comin' right up." She was grateful for the opportunity to walk away and regroup. She hated being surprised like this.

Estelle joined her at the coffee station. "Sorry about that. I don't know what's going on between you and Mr. Romero, but whatever it is, it must be a doozy." She shook her head. "He looks lower'n a snake's belly in a ditch."

"Don't worry about it. I've got him covered." Sunny laughed. "Lower's a snake's belly in a ditch, huh? I haven't heard that one in a while."

Estelle smiled but didn't say a word. She just filled a carafe and carried it to a table in her station.

Sunny managed to pour coffee and place it on the table in front of Dante without spilling it, a feat that she considered huge, considering how she was quaking inside. "Are you ready to order lunch?"

"What do you recommend?" he asked.

"It's all good." She cleared her throat. "But if I were you, I'd pick the chicken and dumplings."

"Okay, that sounds good. And I'll have the turnip greens on the side."

"Cornbread, biscuits, or yeast rolls?"

Dante glanced down at the table and stared at it before looking back up at her. "You choose because you're going to join me."

"I—"

"We need to clear the air, Sunny, and if it takes calling someone else in, I'll do that."

Sunny looked over her shoulder at Estelle, who was close enough to have heard everything. Estelle gave her a thumbs-up and winked.

"Okay," was all Sunny could manage.

"If it gets too crazy, you and I can both help out," he said. "But it looks to me like Estelle has everything under control for now." He stood. "Tell you what. You sit down, and I'll go get our lunch." He leveled her with a look letting her know it wasn't open for discussion.

She sat down in the booth and nervously glanced around. One of the customers at the table a few feet away grinned at her. She smiled back but quickly turned around. She wasn't in the mood to strike up a conversation about why she'd just arrived at work, only to take a lunch break before she started working.

Dante and Riley, the new head cook who'd recently moved to New York from Alabama, carried plates of food to the table. "This is more than I would have gotten," she said as she skimmed the bowls of chicken and dumplings, greens, beans, and other vegetables.

"What I have to say might take a while." Dante laughed. Dante looked around at the food. "It all looked so good I couldn't resist."

"I think he's a southern boy at heart," Riley said. "Can I get y'all anything else?"

"Not now, but thanks." After Dante dismissed Riley, he looked over at Sunny. "I was worried when my mother's cousin had to quit, but Riley's working out just fine."

"Yeah, in fact, he fits right in."

Dante smiled and nodded his agreement. "Do you want to say the blessing, or should I?"

"Why don't you do it?" Sunny tried to disguise her surprise over Dante volunteering to say the prayer. Although he claimed to be a Christian, until he met Judd, he didn't go to church regularly. Now, though, he managed to be there most Sundays.

He cleared his throat and began, "Lord, thank you for this beautiful day and for the opportunity for Sunny and me to enjoy lunch together. I pray that she will find it in her heart to forgive me for messing up before we even met. I've already asked Your forgiveness, and you've given it to me. I'm thankful for that. Please bless this delicious food that we are about to eat. In Your name, Jesus, we pray." Dante paused. "Amen."

As Sunny listened to Dante's blessing, something struck her hard, smack dab between the eyes. She realized something important. She'd been blessed by God's forgiveness for her many mistakes, yet she'd been too stubborn to grant Dante the same thing.

She opened her eyes, took a good look at Dante, and blinked. He didn't look any different, but she now saw him differently. She saw someone who truly wanted to be forgiven, and now she realized she should forgive him. It wouldn't be easy, but she was ready to work on it.

"Dante," she said slowly, never taking her gaze off of his. "About this whole forgiveness thing …" She swallowed hard. "I think I really need to give you another chance … that is, if you'll give me another chance."

The look of pure delight covered his face. "That's all I want—another chance."

They ate their lunch with light conversation and plenty of smiles. Although she still had a tiny niggling of doubt in the back of her mind, Sunny felt as though she was doing the right thing ... sort of.

They'd barely finished eating when they got slammed. "I really need to get back to work," Sunny said as she stood.

"Put me to work too." Dante placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "I meant what I said about helping out."

She allowed herself to enjoy a few seconds of unspoken communication with Dante, but she couldn't forget where she was. "Okay, why don't you seat people while I clear the table?"

"I have a better idea …" His voice trailed off. "I'm here to help, and you're the manager, so I'll clear the table while you take care of something else."

"Smart man," Estelle said as she walked past. "I'll help you clear the table as soon as I put this stuff down."

The afternoon went by in a flash, with Dante doing a mix of things—from seating people to busing and helping the kitchen with prep work when things slowed down between lunch and dinner. Sunny was amazed by how little direction he needed.

"How do you know to do all this?" she asked as she stopped for a moment to drink a glass of water.

He shrugged. "Remember, my family has been in the restaurant business since long before I was born. I was raised doing all the jobs in a restaurant."

Sunny thought about the differences between her upbringing and Dante's. He'd always known what he wanted to do, and he had choices. She still wasn't sure about her career, but it was all she knew how to do. She'd taken the first job she could find right out of high school, and now she was doing the same thing. It wasn't exactly her choice, but she didn't mind it either. It was comfortable—at least until Dante entered her life.

After the last dinner guest left, Sunny went to work cleaning. Without being asked, Dante picked up the sweeper and started running it. They finished up for the day in half the time it usually took.

"You ought to come around more often," Estelle said.

"I would if I thought it would help." Dante grinned at Estelle and then at Sunny. "But I have a feeling I'd get in the way."

Estelle flashed a look of understanding at Sunny and then turned to Dante. "Maybe you can talk her into putting you on the schedule."

After Estelle left them alone, Dante took Sunny's hand. "I wasn't kidding when I said I'd work everyday if you want me to."

"The question is, do
you
want to?" She held his gaze in spite of the churning sensation in her abdomen.