self-confidence. Lola had hired her because she needed help and Millie needed a job. Millie lived upstairs over the deli, which meant travel wasn’t a concern for her.
I hurried into the back room and watched Lola scrub a sink that didn’t look dirty. Stainless steel appliances gleamed. The workbench, where chopping, slicing, and dicing took place, appeared immaculate. Impressed by the sparkling kitchen, I settled on a stool against the wall, out of the way. Lola glanced up, smiled, and said she’d be with me in a minute.
Voices from the front room caught my ear. I listened to Millie chuckle, a rarity at best, so I figured there had to be something special happening out there. I peered around the corner and watched Aaron’s smile widen while Millie reacted the only way any warm-blooded American woman would. She blushed when he accepted the mug of coffee from her and ordered a meatball sandwich with minestrone soup to go with it. I smiled. Aaron was a charmer, no doubt about it.
Kind and generous were terms I would also use to describe Aaron. Others would be tenacious, determined, and secretive. He is FBI and it’s usually the latter, rather than the former, that come to mind when thinking of the brute. He must have had good home training as a child, because his manners were impeccable. I could swear Aaron could get information from a rock. I often spilled my guts without him even trying to force me to do so. Sharp-creased trousers with a shirt and tie only Armani could have designed were his attire most of the time. Aaron always looked as though he just stepped off a GQ Magazine cover.
His dark-eyed glance turned toward the kitchen. I caught the full brunt of his smile. I returned the grin and motioned for him to join me. He nodded and told Millie he’d be in the back. She smiled as he walked away.
“Good evening, girls,” he said with a grin.
“Girls? We aren’t girls, but thanks anyway.” Both Lola and I are thirty-something.
“That’s true.” He chuckled. “What is this I hear about you two?” he asked as one eyebrow rose a tad.
Here we go. I opened my mouth as Lola jumped in.
“What did you hear, and where did you hear it?” She smiled the Julia smile. It worked as usual. Aaron, all six-foot-four of him, became putty in Lola’s delicate hands.
“Someone said you leave on your cruise tomorrow. Who’s going to watch the deli?”
“Millie will run the front, Billy Barnes is cookin’, and Vinnie’s keeping an eye on the house.” She smiled and glanced at me.
Aaron settled at the work table with the coffee, sandwich, and soup Millie had just brought in. His chocolate brown eyes turned toward me. “It’s good of you to watch the house for Lola,” he said with a smile. “How’s your stolen car thing going?”
Lola wasn’t aware that Aaron was FBI and I had been sworn to secrecy. I made a face at him and sipped my tea.
“I suppose you heard that from Marcus, huh?” I asked.
Aaron smiled. “Uh huh.”
“It wasn’t my fault, it really wasn’t,” I explained. “The old biddy had a gun and would have shot me if I hadn’t given in. I get all the luck.”
“You were smart to give her what she wanted. It isn’t a good idea to fool with someone who is holding a gun on you.” His eyes darkened with concern, and he said, “At least you’re safe. That’s the only thing that counts. Does your family know?”
“Not unless it hit the news. I haven’t called them.”
“If you need a rental car, I can take you to get one tomorrow,” Aaron offered.
“Vinnie’s going to use my car until I get back, unless hers is found,” Lola butted in.
Surprised, I leaned against the wall and watched Lola’s eyes dart between Aaron and me for a second. What was this all about? Why didn’t she want me to rent from her uncle like I always did, I wondered.
“Sure, no problem,” Aaron said around a mouthful of Italian bread. My mouth watered at the sight of his sandwich. He grinned, and
I hurried into the back room and watched Lola scrub a sink that didn’t look dirty. Stainless steel appliances gleamed. The workbench, where chopping, slicing, and dicing took place, appeared immaculate. Impressed by the sparkling kitchen, I settled on a stool against the wall, out of the way. Lola glanced up, smiled, and said she’d be with me in a minute.
Voices from the front room caught my ear. I listened to Millie chuckle, a rarity at best, so I figured there had to be something special happening out there. I peered around the corner and watched Aaron’s smile widen while Millie reacted the only way any warm-blooded American woman would. She blushed when he accepted the mug of coffee from her and ordered a meatball sandwich with minestrone soup to go with it. I smiled. Aaron was a charmer, no doubt about it.
Kind and generous were terms I would also use to describe Aaron. Others would be tenacious, determined, and secretive. He is FBI and it’s usually the latter, rather than the former, that come to mind when thinking of the brute. He must have had good home training as a child, because his manners were impeccable. I could swear Aaron could get information from a rock. I often spilled my guts without him even trying to force me to do so. Sharp-creased trousers with a shirt and tie only Armani could have designed were his attire most of the time. Aaron always looked as though he just stepped off a GQ Magazine cover.
His dark-eyed glance turned toward the kitchen. I caught the full brunt of his smile. I returned the grin and motioned for him to join me. He nodded and told Millie he’d be in the back. She smiled as he walked away.
“Good evening, girls,” he said with a grin.
“Girls? We aren’t girls, but thanks anyway.” Both Lola and I are thirty-something.
“That’s true.” He chuckled. “What is this I hear about you two?” he asked as one eyebrow rose a tad.
Here we go. I opened my mouth as Lola jumped in.
“What did you hear, and where did you hear it?” She smiled the Julia smile. It worked as usual. Aaron, all six-foot-four of him, became putty in Lola’s delicate hands.
“Someone said you leave on your cruise tomorrow. Who’s going to watch the deli?”
“Millie will run the front, Billy Barnes is cookin’, and Vinnie’s keeping an eye on the house.” She smiled and glanced at me.
Aaron settled at the work table with the coffee, sandwich, and soup Millie had just brought in. His chocolate brown eyes turned toward me. “It’s good of you to watch the house for Lola,” he said with a smile. “How’s your stolen car thing going?”
Lola wasn’t aware that Aaron was FBI and I had been sworn to secrecy. I made a face at him and sipped my tea.
“I suppose you heard that from Marcus, huh?” I asked.
Aaron smiled. “Uh huh.”
“It wasn’t my fault, it really wasn’t,” I explained. “The old biddy had a gun and would have shot me if I hadn’t given in. I get all the luck.”
“You were smart to give her what she wanted. It isn’t a good idea to fool with someone who is holding a gun on you.” His eyes darkened with concern, and he said, “At least you’re safe. That’s the only thing that counts. Does your family know?”
“Not unless it hit the news. I haven’t called them.”
“If you need a rental car, I can take you to get one tomorrow,” Aaron offered.
“Vinnie’s going to use my car until I get back, unless hers is found,” Lola butted in.
Surprised, I leaned against the wall and watched Lola’s eyes dart between Aaron and me for a second. What was this all about? Why didn’t she want me to rent from her uncle like I always did, I wondered.
“Sure, no problem,” Aaron said around a mouthful of Italian bread. My mouth watered at the sight of his sandwich. He grinned, and
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