tonight
was just special.
“So you’re teaching at the university level now,” Sal asked,
impressed.
“Not really teaching,” Izzy said, visibly embarrassed by the
sudden attention on her. “Elliot is the professor. I’m just assisting with a
few of his classes.”
“Oh, you do a lot more than assist.” Elliot smiled at her widely
then turned back to Sal and Romero, who could already feel the hair on the back
of his neck beginning to rise. “She’s amazing .”
Whatever the hell else the professor said after that was no
more than an annoying drone. If hearing another man—a man she worked side by
side with–call his wife amazing wasn’t enough to light Romero up, seeing his
beautiful Izzy blush over the compliment literally turned his stomach. Romero
had always loved seeing her blush. She knew this. But right now he couldn’t
think of a more exasperating sight. The moment his eyes met hers he knew she understood
because her timid smile went flat.
The only thing that forced him to keep his cool and not comment
was the subtle but very telling lift of her brow. Over the years, he’d gotten
to know every single little telltale sign of Izzy’s animated facial expressions.
This one was her don’t-you-dare look.
Breathing in real fucking deep, Romero lifted his beer and took
another swig. Logically, he knew she was right. This guy couldn’t be stupid
enough to come here and say anything inappropriate about his feelings for her
in front of her husband and family. Still, this only confirmed what Romero had already
known before she’d even started working. Through no fault of hers, this guy
would take to her the way Romero was certain most men did. How could they not?
Izzy was perfect.
After some very brief small talk and trying to not glare at the
guy going on and on about how great it was to work with his wife, Romero heard Izzy
ask Denver if she’d like to go hang out at the table with all the kids. Denver
looked up at her bashfully then at her dad. “Up to you,” Elliot said with a
shrug.
The little girl thought about it for a moment then nodded. “C’mon,”
Izzy said, holding out her hand with a sweet smile. “I’ll walk you over and
introduce you.”
Denver tugged at her dad’s hand, and he laughed, looking back at
Romero. “I’ll be back.”
Romero watched as all three walked off, his wife smiling brightly
at the man who’d showed up with flowers for her—a married woman. Who the fuck
does that?
Max fanned his hand in front of his nose. “Talk about loading up
on the stink juice. I thought Manny was bad.”
“I only do that when I don’t have time to shower,” Manny
protested.
Even as perturbed as Romero was still feeling, he didn’t want to
upset or embarrass Izzy. “Will you keep it down?” Romero said with a frown. “He’s
right there.”
“I am keeping it down,” Max said, whispering louder than some
people talk.
“And who names their kid Denver?” Manny added in an equally loud
whisper.
“Yeah, I think I’ll name my first born Chula Vista,” Max said
with a snort.
“Denver’s actually not that uncommon a name,” Sal informed them
with a chuckle.
Romero stopped listening to his uncles’ obnoxious comments
because he was busy watching Izzy and Elliot talking just off the side of the
kids’ table. Before Elliot’s “amazing” comment, Romero had already said he wasn’t
going to obsess about the guy. Now here he was doing just that. Izzy’s back was
turned to Romero, so he couldn’t see her expression, but the guy looked way too
interested in whatever it was she was saying. Romero knew he was probably just being
paranoid, but at one point it even looked as if whatever she’d said had wowed him
because his eyes opened wide and his mouth fell open. If Romero weren’t
mistaken, Elliot even seemed to catch himself because he glanced back at Romero
and quickly changed his expression.
“So that’s the boss Alex told me about, huh?” Sal asked with
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