Page 54 of Angel

“Both of us?”

Her head bobbed eagerly.

“But who… How...”

Sophia’s hand tightened on mine. “It doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t do any good to ask questions. That can get you into trouble. Let’s just celebrate what we have.”

She hugged me tight. I buried my face in her shoulder, relieved beyond belief. “This is crazy!”

“I know!” She let me go. “Get up. I’m taking you out to dinner. We have to celebrate the best birthday we’ve ever had.”

“Okay,” I chuckled, wiping away the tears of relief.

“Happy birthday, by the way.”

“The same to you.”

She grinned and hurried from my room.

No.That was the first thought I had when our taxi pulled up to our favorite Italian restaurant—where I kissed Angelo for the first time.

“This place?”

Sophia shrugged. “It’s one of the best in the city. I’m treating you anyway.”

My fingers curled around my clutch. My first date with Angelo started off here and ended up at that place I liked to call an alternative dance club. I thought back to the night we ended up going back to my place.

Was Sophia deliberately trying to bring up bad feelings?

The place did have killer steak. I had to give it that.

“All right,” I grumbled, climbing out onto the sidewalk. “At least we won’t be in that private room.”

Sophia gave her name for the reservation and the hostess showed us to a square table near the front, where we got a view of the street. She took away one table setting, leaving three.

“Oh.” I frowned. “Excuse me! You forgot...”

“No she didn’t,” Sophia quickly said, taking her linen napkin and laying it in her lap.

“Huh?”

She fingered the roses in the middle of the table. “I invited someone.”

“You did? Who?”

“Angelo.”

“Angelo?”

Soph shrugged, like inviting Angelo was the most casual thing in the world. “We talked on the phone today. Right after I got off my plane. I thought about it a lot… About those things that I said to you about him. I was too hard on him. I don’t think he meant to hurt you, Paige.”

I angrily crossed both my arms and legs. “Even if he didn’t mean to keep such a big secret from me, there are other things. His family’s involvement in Mom and Dad’s death, for one...”

“No,” she fiercely said. “The Salvatore’s had nothing to do with that.”

“What about Angelo’s chasing tail? You told me yourself that he’s a ladies’ man.”

“Yeah, well, that’s something else. He’s definitely not perfect.” She sighed. “But since you like him, I figured I might as well try to get along with him. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one to break him of that habit.”