Read Online Can't Let Go - A Contemporary BWWM Romance by Shayla Harris - Free Book Online

I just hoped we weren’t going to do a lot of walking.

 
    I
put the flowers in a vase and returned to Kevin, who hadn’t left his spot by
the front door. His hands were resting casually in the pockets of his black
dress slacks. He looked so sweet just standing there waiting for me.

 
    “Ready?”
I said with a huge smile on my face. I didn’t mean to act so excited, but I
could hardly contain myself.

 
    Outside,
his car was parked right by the front door. It was a black Crown Victoria with
tinted windows.

 
    “On
call this weekend again?” I asked. It was clearly his work car.

 
    “Yeah,”
he said. “Fingers crossed we don’t get interrupted tonight.”

 
    His
car smelled like a million different things, stale food, leather and cologne
among them. I couldn’t put my finger on one singular scent to save my life. It
was obvious that he pretty much lived in the thing.

 
    As
we rumbled along from stoplight to stoplight, we finally landed at a quaint
little Italian place on the south side of town.

 
    “I
rarely come out here,” I said as he found a parking spot. “I always forget
about all the little restaurants over this way.”

 
    “Have
you ever been to Lessandro’s?” he asked.

 
    “Nope,
never.”

 
    “Oh, my gosh ,” he said as he rubbed his stomach. “It’s
amazing. You’ll love it. I’m drooling now just thinking about their
breadsticks.”

 
    The
hostess seated us at a quiet little table by the front window. It was definitely
a casual place that didn’t require a stunning, low cut
dress—or diamond earrings, for that matter—but it was nice.

 
    “Kevin!”
an older, balding Italian man yelled from the back of the restaurant. “Haven’t
seen you in a while.”

 
    His
accent was authentic Italian, and Kevin stood up to hug him. The old man cupped
Kevin’s face and kissed each cheek. It was adorable.

 
    “Who’s
this bella you got here, eh?” he
asked as he smiled at me.

 
    “This
is Rashida,” he said. “Rashida, this is Giuseppe. This is his place.”

 
    “Nice
to meet you,” I said as I extended my hand.

 
    Giuseppe
pulled me to a standing position and wrapped his meaty arms around me, giving
me a bear hug. He was one of the most genuine strangers I’d ever met.

 
    “What
are we having tonight, eh?” Giuseppe asked.

 
    “Let’s
start with the calamari,” Bennett said as he turned to me. “You like calamari?”

 
    I
nodded. I hated calamari, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. I could choke
down a few bites if I had to.

 
    “I’ll
take the classic lasagna,” he continued.

 
    “Mwah,”
Giuseppe said as he kissed is fingers. “Excellent choice. Mama will be happy.”

 
    “May
I please have the chicken parmesan ?” I asked. “With
grilled zucchini on the side?”

 
    “Yes, bella ,” he said as he took our menus
and walked away.

 
    “See
what I mean about this place?” he said. “Not only is the food incredible, but the service. You can’t get this kind of service
anywhere else in town.”

 
    “They
treat you like family,” I replied. “That’s a good way to keep your customers
coming back.”

 
    Giuseppe
dropped off a warm basket filled to the top with fresh, buttery garlic bread.

 
    “Oh,
Rashida,” Kevin said as the steam rolled off the top of the bread. “You’ve got
to try these.”

 
    I
reached in and grabbed a slice of bread, nearly burning my fingers, and placed
it on my bread plate.

 
    “I
better let it cool a bit,” I said. He’d already begun noshing on a slice, burnt
tongue be damned.

 
    Our
food came out in record time, most likely because of Kevin’s apparent VIP
status, and we went to town. Giuseppe even gave us a bottle of white wine to
share, on the house.

 
    Two
glasses later I was starting to feel a little bit of a buzz, and I could tell I
was losing a bit of self-control.

 
    “Were
you at Haiku last Saturday?” I blurted. I