Miss Match by Lindzee Armstrong, Lydia Winters Page B

will all go away.
    I do put Antonio first. But Luke needs me right now. I’m all he has.
    He has his mother.
    That’s not the same.
    “I’m sorry.” Brooke put a hand on Antonio’s arm. “I’ll do better. Please, let’s not fight anymore. You just got home and I’ve missed you.”
    Antonio kissed the top of her head,. “I’ve missed you too. I love you, Brooke. I don’t want something as trivial as a friend to come between us.”
    But he’s not trivial. He’s my best friend. Brooke squeezed Antonio’s arm and didn’t say a word.

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    Brooke didn’t sleep well. She rarely did at Antonio’s, with his hard-as-a-rock mattress and the ceiling that made her feel claustrophobic. Antonio’s apartment was a studio, with the bedroom as a loft. When sleeping, the ceiling was only four feet above her head. She spent a lot of the night staring at Antonio, wishing there was an easy solution to Luke constantly driving a wedge between them. Eventually she gave up on sleep and got ready for the day before climbing back up the ladder to the loft. Antonio still lay sprawled across the bed in his boxers, the sheets only half covering him. She lifted his arm and slipped underneath it, cuddling against him.
    Antonio stirred. “ Mia dolcezza, ” he said, smiling sleepily.
    “I’m sorry about yesterday,” Brooke said. “You’re right, I need to set better boundaries with Luke. I don’t want to fight anymore.”
    “Me either.” Antonio caressed her lips with his own, and Brooke wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
    “Let’s go to the beach,” Brooke said. “We can eat brunch at that café we like and do some shopping. Maybe catch a movie.”
    “Sounds wonderful,” Antonio said. “Give me twenty minutes.”
    Brooke made the bed and tidied Antonio’s apartment while he got ready to leave. Her phone buzzed. Luke. She rejected the call.
    Antonio walked out of the tiny bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. “I’ll be ready to leave as soon as I get dressed,” he said.
    Brooke wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. “I love you.”
    “I love you too.” He took her hand and played with her engagement ring. “Let’s not talk about anything stressful today, okay? We’ll talk about the big stuff tomorrow. I just want to enjoy spending time with you after so long apart.”
    “Deal,” she said. Her phone buzzed with a call. Brooke rejected it again. Today was about her and Antonio.
    They had a fabulous time reconnecting. It was too chilly for playing in the water, but they walked along the beach and browsed the shops nearby. They enjoyed a leisurely brunch at the café, and ended up forgoing the movie when they discovered an art festival downtown.
    “I’m glad you’re home,” Brooke said as they sat on his balcony that night, watching the stars. Antonio sipped a glass of red wine while Brooke drank coffee.
    “Me too. Let’s never again be apart for so long.”
    “Next time you go to Italy, you’re taking me with you.”
    “Deal.”
    * * *
    On Monday morning, Brooke picked up Zoey and they headed to work early. Charlotte had called a staff meeting for ten o’clock.
    “What do you think the meeting is about?” Zoey asked.
    Brooke signaled left, her car brakes screeching at the turn. “How slow business has been.” It wouldn’t be the first staff meeting they’d had to discuss the lack of clients. They’d tried everything—marketing campaigns, sales, special promotions, training for the employees.
    Brooke pulled into Toujour’s parking lot and killed the engine.
    “If she’d add an online dating branch to the company, we’d be doing fine.” Zoey unclicked her seatbelt and they got out of the car.
    “Don’t you dare suggest it.” Brooke locked the door and they walked toward the building. “Have you forgotten Janet?”
    “’Course not.” Zoey scowled. Janet had been fired on the spot for suggesting online dating. “I’m just saying