Sincerely, Your Inconvenient Wife (The Harder They Fall, #2)(14)

After a tense beat, Luca blew out a heavy breath. “I’m sorry. I haven’t gotten enough sleep this week and my head hurts. I’m being an asshole.”

Now that I was really looking at him, compared to the man I’d met last week, he seemed beaten down. He was impeccably dressed and groomed, but his shoulders were slightly slumped, and there were purple smudges beneath his heavy-lidded eyes.

“That’s okay.” I tossed him a saucy smirk. “I know I probably give off the impression of being a femme fatale, but I assure you, it’s an illusion. I have never once broken a man’s heart, nor do I want to.”

“Can you say the same, Luca?” Elise asked.

He gave her a slow, crooked smile. “I’ve never broken a man’s heart, bella. I can promise you that.”

She snorted a laugh. “Shut up and eat your food. You’re ridiculous.”

Brunch went on with slightly less animosity after that. Elliot told us about the property his development company was considering investing in, and the guys debated the economics of it. Though I listened, I didn’t have a lot to add. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a mind for business, but I was more of an idea person. Numbers were like Sanskrit to me.

Elise leaned closer to me, zoning out of their conversation. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I have coffee scheduled with Maritza, but I’m free after that. It’ll be a laundry and veg day.”

“Who is Maritza again?”

“I met her at a hostel in Croatia, remember? She’s from Berlin, but she’s moving to Boulder and starting a boutique gardening business, which is why we’re having coffee.”

“You’re helping her with her plans?”

I nodded. “She wants me to look over what she has.”

Elise’s mouth flattened. “And knowing you, you’ll probably end up spending hours and hours reworking everything.”

“That’s an exaggeration, but yes, I have a tendency to get carried away with ideas.”

“You shouldn’t be giving your time and effort away for free. I don’t know why I have to keep telling you that.”

“It’s just fun for me.”

I had a propensity for picking up friends and acquaintances wherever I went. Elise called me the Pied Piper of needy people, which was an overstatement of facts, to be sure. Besides, I enjoyed helping people out. Lately, my friends and acquaintances had been coming to me to go over their business plans, and I’d been helping them refine them.

Like I’d said, it was fun. A brain exercise for me.

But in the back of my mind, I’d been toying with the idea of turning this into a true business. It was only the beginning of a daydream, though. I wasn’t even sure I had it in me to run my own business. If it came to fruition, it would be way down the line.

“If you say so.” Elise sighed. “I just don’t like you being taken advantage of.”

“I’ll stick with temping for now.”

“Speaking of…” Elise tapped Luca’s forearm. “Were you aware Saoirse is Rossi Motor’s latest employee?”

He went still, his gaze flicking to mine. “I wasn’t aware of that. When did you start?”

“I’ve been at Rossi for a week. It’s only temporary,” I explained.

“In which department?”

“Marketing.”

He regarded me carefully. “Are you enjoying working for my company?”

“I like my coworkers, and the job is interesting. Plus, there’re biscotti in the break room, which ups the cool factor tremendously. Oh, and Gina brings in donuts and éclairs every Friday.”

His brow winged. “Gina?”

“Mmhmm. Gina’s the department manager, and she has the hookup. Her uncle runs a bakery.”

“So, what you’re saying is, you enjoy working for me based solely on the snacks?” The corners of his mouth tipped slightly in amusement.

“I did mention the work was interesting, but it could be dull as toast and I’d still look forward to coming in every day simply for the biscotti. No doubt I’ll gain ten pounds before I leave Rossi, but it’ll be worth it.”

Luca’s gaze slid to Elliot’s. “Is she for real?”

Elliot folded his hands on the table and inclined his chin. “Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of Saoirse Kelly.”

I gasped. “You think I’m wonderful, Levy? I’m so flattered.”

Elliot made a grunting sound and returned his attention to his mostly empty plate.

“Don’t tease my brother,” Elise admonished. “He doesn’t know how to handle it. He might implode.”

“But it’s so fun,” I whispered. “And yes, Luca, I’m real. Snacks are important in a workplace. I read over your employee surveys. I bet you the marketing department is the most satisfied, and it’s all due to Gina and her magical baked goods.”

“I’ll be sure to look into that,” he replied without a hint of sincerity.

“You honestly should. Employee satisfaction is vital to any business.”

His nostrils flared. “I wasn’t aware you’ve run a company.”

I refused to be spoken down to. “If you think someone has to run a company to have common sense, you’re more out of touch than I realized.”