Page 49 of I Am Sin
“How have I not met you before now?” I ask. “I interned at Teddy’s architecture firm.”
“I’m not one for parties,” Antonio says. “But my good cousin here convinced me to come to this one since Tracy and Bud were coming into town.”
“So you know Tracy and Bud too?”
“Oh, yeah. We all went to college together.”
“So much I don’t know.” I twirl a lock of my hair and give Antonio a slight smile.
Teddy looks at me and then at Antonio, and then back at me. “Something going on with you two?”
“Of course not,” I say, my cheeks warming.
But then Antonio looks at me, and I see the color of his eyes. They’re not brown as I originally thought, but greenish brown.
Hazel, like Dragon’s.
Except not anything like Dragon’s. I don’t see flecks of gold or…
Why am I thinking of Dragon Locke’s eyes?
“That’s too bad,” Antonio says. “I thought we were getting along pretty well.”
“Never say never, Dee.” Teddy turns at some pounding on the door. “I wonder who that can be.”
“Those are the pizzas I ordered,” I say.
Teddy raises an eyebrow. “Pizza?”
“Yeah.” I swirl the remaining wine in my glass. “I had a craving for pizza to go with this wine. I figured you’d be okay with it. I ordered enough for everybody.”
“Of course it’s okay, but you didn’t have to do that, Diana. I have more stuff in the fridge for another charcuterie platter.”
“Oh, Teds,” Antonio says, laughing. “We all love your charcuterie, but come on. There’s no substitute for pizza.”
Teddy chuckles lightheartedly as she goes to the door, grabs the pizzas, takes them into the kitchen, and sets them out on her small counter.
“Hey, everyone,” she yells over the music. “We got some pizza!”
The pot smokers descend like vultures, which I expected.
I manage to grab a piece of pepperoni for myself before it’s gone. Then I find an empty chair in the corner, sit down with what remains of my glass of wine, and take a bite of the pizza.
The creamy cheese and the spice of the pepperoni…so good. Then I take a sip of the wine.
Mmm, delicious with the tomato sauce. It must be made of an acidic grape. That’s what Dale says. A wine that has a high acidity goes well with food, especially tomatoes.
Whatever. All I know is it tastes damned good, and once I’m finished with my pizza and I’ve drunk the last of my wine, I go to pour another glass.
And who should be getting a glass himself? Antonio Carbone.
“The pizzas didn’t last long,” he says.
“I know.” I wave the stench of marijuana away from in front of me. “All the pot smoking. They all have the munchies. But I only wanted one piece of pepperoni, and I got it.”
He scratches the side of his head. “You paid for all those pizzas and only got one piece?”
I shrug.