She giggled. “I’ll tap my ear as a signal.”
I laughed at her teasing. “Noticed all the tapping did you?”
“It must be difficult not being able to hear in one ear.” She huffed. “Maybe you’re right. He might have been nervous.”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Then I snapped my fingers. “Damn, I used all the cream this morning.” I changed lanes and pulled into the grocery store. “God forbid I send you to work without coffee in your system.” I shook my head and looked sorrowful. “Poor little children. They’d be traumatized.” I was joking, but not really. Raven needed two cups of coffee to be human in the morning.
She laughed, knowing it was true. Once she got to school, she had another cup or two. She loved the stuff as much as I did, perhaps even more.
“Maybe we could get a snack,” she mused.
“You didn’t eat much dinner.”
“It’s a nice place, but the food wasn’t to my taste. Far too many ingredients I couldn’t pronounce.”
It had been as eclectic as the reviews stated. A little pretentious, much like the man who chose the restaurant and exclaimed the food perfection. I hooked my arm around her waist, and we headed inside. “Okay, let’s get some cream and a snack.”
Raven perused the deli counter, pursing her lips at the pile of chicken wings. I nudged her. “Go on, then. Get them.” As she spoke with the clerk, I heard my name being called, and I looked over, a smile breaking out on my face. I hurried toward the woman, laughing as she flung herself into my arms, hugging me tight.
“Hey, stranger,” she huffed out as I set her on her feet. “Come to my place, eat me out of house and home, fall asleep, then not call me for days? Weeks, even? Seriously,” Sofia admonished me.
I laughed. “You were away and, since coming back, working double shifts.” I cuffed her under the chin. “Troublemaker.”
“I heard there’s another reason,” she teased, looking over my shoulder. “And there she is, looking a little upset, I think.”
I turned, seeing Raven staring, looking confused. She was distraught, her tells working overtime. Her teeth were buried in her bottom lip. Her toes tapped an uneven rhythm in her sandals. She smoothed her hair away from her face, approaching slowly as I waved her over.
“Oh boy, you need to make an introduction and fast,” Sofia muttered.
I glanced between her and Raven, then I stepped away from Sofia, astonished.
Was Raven jealous? Thinking of what Sofia had said and how I had hugged her, I realized she was. I tried not to laugh.
She came close enough I could pull her to my side. She was tense. But before I could speak, she squared her shoulders. “Hi. I’m Raven. And you are…?” She let the question trail off, lifting one eyebrow. Her countenance was serious, and her tone held no friendliness.
Sofia chuckled. “Damien’s cousin, Sofia.”
Raven jerked a little, all the tension leaving her body. “Oh, of course! Sofia, it’s so nice to meet you,” she enthused, her sudden change of mood making me hold in my amusement. Raven held out her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“And I you,” Sofia said, her own amusement evident. “Not from this lug, though. He seems to have forgotten I exist.”
“That’s my fault,” Raven insisted. “Entirely. And Egan. I know he’s been extra busy because of me. He is such a great guy. So handsome and charming. Talented. He cheats at cards, though.”
For a second, Sofia was taken aback, then she smiled. “I agree to all those things. Especially the cheating at cards. Backgammon too.” She narrowed her eyes. “Sounds like he has a fan in you. It seems mutual.”
Raven waved her hand. “Oh, I think he’s great. He likes me because I tell him stuff straight. He is crazy for you, though. Totally gaga. I mean—”
I cut her off, pressing a finger to her mouth. “I think Sofia knows, baby.”
She pursed her lips against my finger. “Oh. Right,” she mumbled. But she kept talking. “You should give him a chance.”
For a moment, Sofia stared, then she began to laugh. “I like her, Damien. You should keep her.”
“I plan to.”
“We should do lunch one day,” Raven said. “Just us girls.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll pop upstairs, and we’ll figure out a day.”