“I see you did your homework.” He straightened his cuffs. “Which is to be expected from someone who graduated first in their class at Georgetown.”
“You’d think my education had something to do with it, but you’d be wrong. My college roommate is a master sleuth and can dig up anything on anyone. In fact, she’s so adept that she makes my baby brother look like an amateur. Which is clearly an overstatement, but you get the idea.”
“Impressive.”
“When we were in school, I saw a cute guy online and couldn’t figure out his name to save my life. All I had was his photo and the city he lived in. Within fifteen minutes, Myra sent me a google earth image of his first childhood home. When I found myself crushing on another fellow and only knew his major and graduation year, she again struck gold. Within an hour, she emailed his arrest record. Which surprisingly included bestiality.”
“Maybe I should hire Myra. Do you know where she is now?”
Tancy waved her hand. “The genius lives in New Jersey and teaches kindergarten. I doubt you could talk her into crossing to the dark side. Though she would be invaluable since she kept me from making a massive mistake. I’d met a guy on Spring break and only knew his name and country of origin.”
“Let me guess, he turned out to be a prince of a small but impressive country.”
“Sadly, no. Myra discovered his real name, the international tax fraud scheme he masterminded, and his alias social media accounts. Needless to say, things fizzled after that.”
“No doubt.” He brushed an invisible piece of lint off his jacket. “I bet Myra had a good time when she dug into facts about me.”
“The phrase,stay away,was repeated several times.” She narrowed her gaze. “So, what brings you to town? Are you hoping to run into Faith?”
He made a show of looking around. “Have you seen her?”
She rolled her eyes. “Is there anything more amusing than a mobster playing dumb?”
“I can think of one or two things.”
“The mocking tone makes you less attractive.”
“Imagine my surprise.”
She gave him a fake smile. “So, why do you want to get in touch with my bestie?”
“I was hoping to make an appointment.” He shifted his weight. “As you so aptly pointed out, the family’s reputation could use a little rehabilitation.”
“Interesting.” She tucked her hand into the pocket of her dress. “And you thought hanging out in front of her door would make that possible?”
“It certainly won’t make it impossible.”
“True.” Laughing, she stepped back. “I’ll mention that I saw you the next time we chat.”
“And when do you think that will be?”
“Have a good afternoon Mr. Moretti.” She strode away and immediately texted Faith, letting her know a smitten mobster was shadowing her office door. Counting slowly to five, she wasn’t surprised when she received a shocked face emoji. Then a request for a picture. Sighing, she stomped back. “Alex!”
The mobster stopped before opening his car door. “Si, bella?”
She took a quick picture and then sent it to Faith. “Have a good day, mobster.”
A breathtaking smile lit up his face, and she laughed, knowing that something was going to happen between her best friend and the too handsome man. God willing, it didn’t include an extradition request.
“Tancy.”
She turned, saw Wanda waving, and headed in her direction. “Did you get some new t-shirts?”
“No, but I was wondering if you had any candidates lined up yet. I texted you my list and never heard back.”
“I haven’t had a chance, and to be honest, I’m not qualified to take on a matchmaking gig.” She heard the purr of an Italian engine and watched Alex slowly cruise away. “Let me talk to Hayle and see if she’s got any silver foxes. She’s the professional, and I wouldn’t want to step on her toes.”
“Alright.” Wanda adjusted two long silver chains and let out a sigh. “Maybe the romance thing is best left on the back burner. My online business is going crazy, and I should focus on that.”