Surprise: Outback Proposal: Surprise: Outback Proposal. Sarah Mayberry

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СКАЧАТЬ you?” Lucy asked, noting he was still wearing his Bianco Brothers shirt.

      “Something like that. Hey, Rosetta, how are things?”

      Rosie was smiling at Dom with slightly glazed eyes. “G-good. Things are good. I’m married now, you know,” she said.

      Dom’s eyebrows rose a bit at her sister’s odd segue.

      “Congratulations. When was the wedding?” he asked politely.

      “Eight years ago,” Lucy said.

      “Right,” Dom said. He looked confused, as well he might.

      “Lucy tells me you’ve come back from six months in Italy,” Rosie said.

      Now it was Lucy’s turn to be embarrassed. She didn’t want Dom to think she spent her spare time talking about him.

      “Yeah. Had a few months in Rome, Florence and Venice, checked out the countryside.”

      “Andrew and I were going to go for our honeymoon, but we wound up in Thailand instead,” Rosie said. “I guess you got a bit of sun while you were there, huh? You’re really tanned.”

      Rosie’s eyes were on Dom’s forearms as she spoke, and she looked as though she was about to lunge across the table and sink her teeth into him. Lucy drew back her knee in case she had to kick her sister.

      “It was summer over there. What can I say?” he said.

      He turned his attention to Lucy. “Your client happy with the herbs for his wedding dinner?”

      “As happy as he can let himself be. He’s French. He makes it a point to never smile too much.”

      Dom laughed, and Lucy felt a surge of satisfaction that she’d amused him.

      “We’ve got a few French chefs as clients. They like to keep us on our toes, that’s for sure.”

      “Pretty amazing, Lucy winding up as one of your customers after all these years,” Rosie said. “It’s a small world.”

      “Even smaller when you’re Italian,” Dom said. “Lucy is one of our favorite clients. My father and I fight over who gets to serve her.”

      Even though she knew he was only joking, Lucy shifted in her chair.

      “That’s rubbish. You almost always serve me,” she said, aware of her sister’s speculative glance bouncing back and forth between them.

      “That’s because I cheat,” Dom said with an unrepentant grin.

      The waiter arrived with their hot chocolates and cake, and Dom checked his watch.

      “I’ll leave you to it—looks as though you’ve got your work cut out for you,” he said, indicating the generous slices of cake.

      “See you tomorrow,” Lucy said.

      Dom smiled and gave a small, casual wave before moving to the other side of the café, out of sight behind the central counter.

      “Oh. My. God. Pass me the chocolate. I need emergency therapy,” Rosie said, slumping in her chair and fanning herself. “He’s better-looking than ever. What a hunk. I mean, wow.”

      “Oh, look, there’s Andrew,” Lucy fibbed.

      Rosie immediately sat up straight. Then she realized her sister was yanking her chain.

      “Good one. Very funny.”

      “Just a timely reminder.”

      “Hey, I love Andrew with everything I’ve got, don’t you worry. I’m not going anywhere, with anyone. But I can still admire The Bianco. It’s a sentimental thing.”

      “It’s sad. And, can I say, just a little embarrassing. You almost got drool on your good shirt.”

      “Pshaw,” Rosie said, flicking her fingers in the air. “I was in total control the whole time.”

      Lucy rolled her eyes and spoke to the ceiling. “Delusional. The woman’s delusional.”

      “Anyway, he never even noticed me. He was too busy looking at you like he wanted to lick you all over.”

      Lucy stared at her sister.

      “He was not!”

      “Uh-huh. He was, and he was flirting with you, too.”

      “Get out of here. I look like I’ve got a beach ball stuck up my top. He was not flirting with me.”

      “Lucy is one of our most favorite clients ever. My father and I wrestle to the death over who gets to serve her. What do you call that?”

      “Being polite. Or being funny. Maybe both. But not flirting.”

      Rosie gave her a get-real look. “Seriously? You seriously didn’t think he was flirting with you?”

      “Of course not. Duh,” Lucy said, pointing to her belly.

      “Man. We are going to have to do something about your dating skills, because if you’re not picking up signals that strong, you are never going to find another man,” Rosie said.

      Lucy knew her sister was only joking, but her words still caught her on the raw.

      “Hey, what’s wrong?” Rosie asked as Lucy reached for her hot chocolate and concentrated on stirring it.

      “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”

      “Bad at flirting and bad at lying. What am I going to do with you?”

      Lucy stopped stirring her drink and met her sister’s eyes.

      “I don’t want another man. I want Marcus. I want the father of my baby,” she said in a small voice.

      Her sister stared at her, her face full of sympathy.

      “Go on, say it. Tell me I’m pathetic for wanting someone who doesn’t want me,” Lucy said.

      “I don’t think that’s pathetic. Marcus is the pathetic one. I just feel sad that I can’t give you what you want.”

      Lucy sighed heavily and picked up a fork.

      “I guess all this chocolate is still very necessary, after all,” she said.

      “Chocolate is always necessary, whether it be for celebration or commiseration,” Rosie said.

      Her sister waited until Lucy was swallowing a chunk of sinfully rich frosting before speaking again.

      “And he was flirting with you. The Bianco was fully, blatantly, balls-out flirting with you.”

       CHAPTER FOUR

      “DID СКАЧАТЬ