His Complete Polar Opposite

by Theresa Paolo

  While Enzo wanted to believe there was life after death, he didn’t want to think his beloved grandmother lived her entire life only to die and become a hotdog bun stealing seagull. Enzo rested his hand on his grandfather’s. His hand that once seemed so big to Enzo now appeared small and worn down by years of hard work.

  “I know you miss her,” Enzo said.

  He nodded. “Every day.”

  “Me too.” Grandma was the backbone of the family. She’d helped hold everyone together after Mom died and Dad went to jail. Losing her was hard, possibly even harder than losing his mom, because he didn’t have her there to comfort him.

  After she passed, Enzo felt this responsibility to step in and take care of the family. Everyone had stepped up; Ella left college and came home, even though Enzo insisted she shouldn’t. But Enzo had felt the weight on his shoulders, and that weight had been with him ever since.

  “I think she’s still with us,” Enzo said. “But I don’t think she’s the seagull.”

  “I know. I was talking crazy. I just don’t understand why that bird comes back every single day.”

  “He’s hungry.”

  “He’s stolen enough buns to feed him and an entire army of birds. He ain’t hungry. He’s greedy! He’s going to put me in the poor house.”

  Since Enzo was the one who did the books, he knew damn well that a few missing packs of buns would not affect their bottom line. They’d been posting in the green as far back as the books went. Diavolo could steal an entire shipment of buns and they would still be okay.

  “I know!” Vinny’s hand flung in the air. “I’ll build a trap.”

  Oh boy. “And what are you going to do when you catch him?”

  “I haven’t thought that far ahead. Maybe drive him to the next town over and drop him off at someone else’s restaurant.”

  “I think that’s a terrible idea.”

  “I don’t hear you coming up with anything better.”

  Enzo’d had though. He told Chris and the rest of the staff to keep the buns in the pantry until they were to be used. He put a screen door in, but for whatever reason, they kept opening the door anyway. He even went as far as to put an owl decoy up in hopes that it would scare Diavolo off. Diavolo showed what he thought of that idea by shitting on it.

  “I’ll get back to you,” Enzo said. “Either way, we’ll figure it out.”

  Enzo glanced at the time and realized it was much later than he expected. He opened the door and put the drink specials board out front. It was a great way to get people in. After a drink or two, their appetite would kick in and they’d order a lobster roll, too, and the more lobster rolls they sold, the better. Keeping the business in the green was Enzo’s biggest priority.

  Back behind the bar, Enzo stocked the glasses and filled the condiment caddy with sliced limes and lemons, maraschino cherries, and olives.

  The first customers came to the door, and before Enzo could welcome them, Vinny slid off his barstool and met them at the door. Vinny greeted them with an oversized smile, and Enzo watched his grandfather in his element, because when he was around customers, the sadness in his eyes vanished, and the man Enzo had known his whole existence came back to life. The old man spoke and made the customers laugh as he motioned toward the tables inside and the ones outside to get their opinion.

  One day Enzo would be doing this on his own. It was something he hated to think about, but he couldn’t deny reality. People lived and they died, and there was nothing that could be done to change that.

  With Ella and Marco moving on to bigger and better things in their own lives, and Tony who was never invested in the business to begin with, the restaurant would be compromised of hired help unless by some miracle Enzo met someone and continued the tradition with his children.

  For some strange reason, he imagined a little blonde-haired girl that looked exactly like Cami, and a boy with dark hair and blue eyes like his own sitting at one of the tables, filling salt and pepper shakers and arguing over who was better at it.

  Chapter 6

  Cami had tacos on the mind all day, and she was so ready for Taco Tuesday. Nothing could beat scarfing Mexican food and washing it down with margaritas while hanging out with her two best friends. It was the one night where she allowed her brain to turn off and just have fun. The margaritas definitely helped.

  She parked her car in Krissy’s driveway and headed to the front door, taking in the beautiful flowers that Krissy had worked so painstakingly hard on keeping alive. She had a real knack for gardening, something Cami definitely did not have. Cami couldn’t even keep a ficus alive, and according to her mom, they were impossible to kill. She proved her wrong. Twice.

  Ever since Krissy redid her kitchen, she’d been happily volunteering her place for their weekly get-together. Cami didn’t mind in the least, since she wouldn’t have to rush home from work to clean her house so her friends wouldn’t witness the complete disaster that was her living room.

  She prided herself on having everything together, but lately it was getting harder and harder to keep up. She used to thrive off of a jampacked schedule, feel the adrenaline pumping through her body as she added more to her list, but now, she was tired.

  Running full steam ahead for so long was catching up to her. She’d never admit it, though. Admitting it would be like admitting failure, and that was not acceptable. She gave her cheeks a pat, to wake herself up, wishing she’d doubled up on the espresso.

  She knocked once to give Krissy a heads up, then let herself in. The mouth-watering aroma of cumin and chili powder greeted her, causing her stomach to growl. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten. Between the rush of customers, receiving the shipment, and speaking to Allison about designs, she’d completely lost track of time.

  “I’m here,” Cami announced. She moved through the house to the kitchen, hoping Krissy had something ready to eat.

  Krissy’s head popped up from the counter, a smile on her face. Her black rimmed glasses that sat just beneath thick brown bangs, slid down her nose. She used her palm to push them back into place.

  “Good, you can make the margaritas,” Krissy said.

  Cami snatched the bottle of tequila off the counter. “It’s lovely to see you, too.”

  “I just saw you this morning,” Krissy said. Which was true, since Krissy stopped in to grab a cup of tea at the coffee shop right before Allison showed up. “Now get to making.”

  Cami laughed and dug out the margarita machine Krissy had bought on a whim. It was the greatest purchase she had ever made, in Cami’s opinion.

  “How’d the meeting go?” Krissy asked.

  “Oh!” Cami fished out her cell phone. “Allison had some really great designs. I’ve narrowed it down to two and I wanted to get yours and Ella’s opinion.” She brought up the pictures and held the phone out to Krissy. Krissy wiped her hands on her skirt and took the phone. She swiped back and forth looking at both designs, lips pursed.

  “Just pick one.”

  “I like them both,” Krissy said, and Cami sighed.

  “If you had to pick just one.”

  Krissy’s head tilted as she swiped back and forth. “If I had to pick.” She tapped a finger on her chin and Cami was about to grab the phone and say forget it when Krissy handed her the phone back. “The second one.”

  “Thank you.” Cami dropped her phone on the counter and went back to making margaritas. “How was work?” she asked.

  Krissy owned Scoops, the local ice cream shop that was shaped like a cup of vanilla soft serve. Getting a picture with the odd shaped building had people driving from all over.

  “I had a three-year-old pitch a fit when she dropped her cone.”

  Cami snatched a sliver of avocado that Krissy was slicing. “Why didn’t you just give her another one?” she asked and popped the avocado in her mouth.

  “I did, but she wanted the one on the ground.”

  “And you wonder why I don’t want kids,” Cami s
aid.

  “But they’re so cute.”

  “If you like drooling, whining, time-sucking things, then sure.”

  “Things, Cami? Seriously?”

  Cami shrugged. Whatever that maternal instinct was that woman spoke about, Cami didn’t seem to possess it. Having children was never a priority for her, and she didn’t think that would change. She barely had time for herself, let alone time to grow and nurture a human.

  “I can’t wait for the day you meet that special someone and the part of your brain with compassion finally clicks on.”

  “Hey! I have compassion. Just because I’m not a fan of children doesn’t mean I’m a bad person.”

  “Doesn’t mean you’re a good person either.” Krissy winked at her. “Just saying,” she sing-songed.

  For a guy to be able to flip the switch, he’d have to be more than special; he’d have to be pretty damn amazing. She had no idea why she immediately thought of Enzo. Or why the thought didn’t scare her, but instead, caused a warm fuzzy feeling to rush through her.

  Enzo would make a great father and Cami was surprised he didn’t already have kids. Maybe he was waiting to meet that special someone. An unexpected stab of jealousy attacked her at the thought of Enzo happy and in love with someone else.

  She had no idea what that was about. Enzo was Enzo and while she didn’t need to go off and have babies with him, she wouldn’t mind a roll between the sheets with him. What the hell was she thinking? This was Enzo, Ella’s older, overprotective, overbearing, older brother. Mr. Old Man Buzzkill himself. It didn’t matter how good looking he was. If his reserved personality was anything to go by, he’d be boring in bed.

  Or maybe, he’d be the total opposite. Maybe Enzo Moretti had a bit of a freaky side and would know a million and one ways to make her cry out his name.

  The thought caused her skin to heat, and she took a massive gulp of her freshly poured margarita before pouring a glass for Krissy. She put her glass down and glanced around the counter, needing a distraction from the X-rated thoughts running through her mind.

  She began to check everything off. The avocados were sliced, the tomatoes were diced and Krissy was currently shredding cheese. “Did you preheat the oven?” Cami asked.

  Krissy glared at her. “You seriously ask me that every Tuesday.”

  “Well, did you?”

  “Yes!” Krissy picked up Cami’s margarita glass and shoved it at her. “Go drink over there.” She shooed Cami away with a gesture of her hand.

  Cami stuck her nose up, spun on her heel, and sauntered over to the table. “Suit yourself.” Cami took a sip of her margarita, trying to drink away thoughts of Enzo stripping her naked, but the visions were more delicious than the drink.

  The front door opened and closed. Ella’s voice floated through the house. “Sorry I’m late,” she said as she rushed into the kitchen, her brown hair bouncing in its ponytail. “Aubrey couldn’t make it. She said definitely next time.” Aubrey was Ella’s soon to be sister-in-law. Once she and Marco set a date, she’d easily fit into their trio, making it a quartet. Ella dropped her bag and took a deep breath. “What’d I miss?”

  “Only Cami asking me if I preheated the oven,” Krissy said, and Ella laughed.

  “So basically, a typical Taco Tuesday so far.”

  “Yup!” Krissy declared.

  “What took you so long?” Cami asked. “Having a quickie with Lucas?” Her mind was currently in the gutter, and she’d be happy if at least one of them was getting lucky.

  “I wish,” Ella said. “I was picking out more paint colors for Enzo’s place.”

  Cami ignored the flutter in her stomach from hearing Enzo’s name. “Enzo still driving you nuts, huh? I surely thought he’d ease up after I told him he was being a pain in the ass.”

  “You did?” Ella exclaimed.

  “The other day he told me he was preparing you to deal with difficult customers. I called bullshit.”

  “I wonder if that’s why he’s giving me more control over the decisions. He’s actually letting me pick the paint color without him. He did give me rules, no purple or pink, but other than that I have free reign.”

  “Well, hallelujah,” Cami said. “It’s about time he eases up and lets you actually use your God given talent.”

  Ella was a master at interior decorating and had helped Cami when she first moved into her town house. Along with Krissy’s eclectic kitchen that perfectly captured her personality, and the soft subtle tones for Cami’s place, Ella knew exactly what she was doing, and Cami was thrilled Enzo was finally going to let her show that off. She was also oddly proud of him for stepping back from the decision process.

  “That’s what took me so long, though. He’s trusting me so I want to make sure I get it right, you know?”

  If Ella would just get the confidence to embrace it. Though, Cami understood self-doubt better than anyone. She might not have worn it on her sleeve like Ella, but it dwelled deep inside her. She was just good at keeping it hidden.

  “I don’t understand,” Krissy said. “Enzo agreed to let you redo the place. So why is he being a pain in the ass about it?”

  “He can’t help himself,” Cami said. “It’s what he does.”

  Ella laughed. “In other words, he’s exactly like you.”

  Cami’s eyebrows curved inward. Cami was downright bubbly compared to Enzo. He could be aloof at times, or at least came across as such with his brooding and dominating superiority in the way he carried himself. It was probably confidence, most likely, but it was also a deterrent to people who didn’t know him. Cami was the total opposite. She always had a smile on her face and welcomed unsolicited conversations.

  “We are nothing alike.”

  “No,” Krissy said. “I have to agree with Ella on this one. You’re both control freaks, workaholics, and unfairly tall.”

  “What does being tall have to do with anything?” Cami asked.

  “I’m just pointing out the injustice to the fact that you two have so much height while the rest of us don’t.”

  “You not being allowed on rides at the carnival is not my fault,” Cami joked. Ella stared at the two of them, instead of laughing like she usually did. Cami gave her a curious glance. “What?”

  Ella’s brown eyes grew sad, a somber look pulling down the edges of her mouth. “I’m going to miss this when I’m in California.”

  “Aww, El.” Krissy put the taco shells in the preheated oven, came around the counter, and wrapped her arms around Ella. “We’re going to miss this, too.”

  “It’s only a few months,” Cami said, and Krissy turned her eyes to her, head tilted in a disapproving way. “Not that I won’t miss you, too. Of course we’re going to miss you.” She honestly didn’t want to think about Ella leaving. The three of them had been best friends since grade school, and the longest they had gone without seeing each other was when Ella went away for college. Still, she’d come home for visits at least once a month.

  California was different. She would be there for a couple months this time and who knew how long after that, and if Cami thought about it, she would cry.

  “California is going to be epic for you. You’ll get to swim in Malibu, hike up to where the Hollywood sign is, walk Rodeo Drive… I’m actually jealous of how much fun you’re going to have, seeing new places, meeting Lucas’ friends.” Selfishly it was the thing that scared Cami the most. What if Ella fell in love with California and decided she wanted to live there permanently? Cami wanted her best friend to be happy, but she also didn’t want to lose her to the Golden State with its Redwood trees and Pacific Ocean.

  “Then you should come visit me.”

  “I can’t,” Cami said without a second thought. “I can’t leave the shop.”

  Krissy sighed. “Let’s face it,” she said. “Cami might not have a ring on her finger or even a man in her life, but she’s married.”

  Cami took a sip of her margarita. “Like you should talk. Between Scoops a
nd your soap business, you work just as much as I do.”

  Krissy started making soap as a hobby, but it had grown into a full-blown business. Her product now sat in several of Willow Cove’s boutiques as well as being sold online on her website.

  “I have employees at Scoops so I can take time off, and as far as the soap, I could walk away for a week and the world wouldn’t implode.”

  “You wouldn’t take off even to come see me?” Ella flashed a massive smile, all white teeth and enthusiasm.

  “When you smile at me like that, definitely not.”

  Ella gave her a playful shove to her shoulder, and she clung to her glass. “Hey now, don’t go spilling my margarita.”

  “I bet you’d take time off for a margarita,” Ella said.

  Cami took a healthy sip and grinned. “You’re probably right.”

  The idea of taking time away from her shop terrified her, but her whole life it had always been the three of them against the world. Just because the world now extended outside of Willow Cove, didn’t mean she could abandon her friend now. After all, Ella would do it for her. Maybe she would take a trip to California.

  “Well, I’m not leaving yet,” Ella said. “And I have to go shopping for a coffee table for Enzo’s apartment. Who wants to come?”

  “I have to wash my hair,” Krissy said, and Cami barked out a laugh.

  “Do people actually use that as an excuse?” Cami asked “And what moron actually believes it?”

  “I don’t think anyone actually believes it,” Krissy said. “It’s just a nice way of saying you’d rather not.”

  “Then just say that.”

  Krissy patted her shoulder. “Not everyone is as blunt as you.”

  “Krissy’s out,” Ella said. “So what do you say, Cami? Please? You already said you’d come to look at décor.”

  “Why not?” she said. “Just let me know when and I’ll figure it out.”

  “Friday night after you close shop?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  The timer on the stove buzzed, and Krissy grabbed an oven mitt. “Dinner is served.” She placed the baking sheet on the stovetop.