"What the hell was I thinking, bringing a child high on sugar cereal to a busy shopping mall? Not my most brilliant move ever." Marina Carzelli carried the large, heavy, blue plastic container through the mall with an extra-large caramel, "double the espresso," macchiato balanced on top. Her eyes never left the strawberry blonde head of the eight-year-old tearing down the mall at mach five. A meter of pink, shiny fabric was fastened like a cape around her neck, and her little body spun as if she was doing a dance routine of some sort.
The mall was busy, and despite it being a good thing for business, it was difficult to keep a close eye on Felicia, the twirling wonder. Marina followed her daughter through the crowd as Felicia spun close to the waterfall pools near the large, and fairly busy, food court.
"Felicia, stop it, please. I don't want to lose you in all these people. Now, get away from there."
This is what my life has become? Chasing an overly energetic child down a mall, while I strain my arms on a crate I should have gotten a dolly for, and pine for a coffee I can smell, but not drink. I should have slept in.
She stepped closer to her daughter while the child glanced to the edge of the shallow wet pool, then smiled at Marina with the face of an angel. "I just wanted a close look." She raised a leg behind her while throwing her arms forward. "Look, I'm a well dressed superhero." Marina moved closer to the water when Felcia started to lose her balance.
"Nonna is going to meet us at Mommy's store and take you for the day and a sleepover. Can we just get there? This crate of stock is heavy."
"Whoa!" Felicia looked even wobblier.
Marina's heart slammed into her throat. She waited for her energetic child to land in the foot-deep water.
Straightening to an upright position, her daughter grinned like the devil. "Just kidding, Mom." She twirled like a ballerina.
My ma promised she would be here within the hour to pick her up.
Marina turned to follow her daughter, and smelled the aroma of her coffee. It was a little hard to drink with full hands. The heel of her trendy shoe found a wet spot from the splash of the fountain, sending her into a slide. She ineptly over compensated for balance with a twist of her hips and tried in an ungraceful manner to avoid a collision with one of the many shoppers. Her shoe ran out of glide and her body came to a halt. The sudden stop jerked the container upward, giving it airtime as Marina's ass hit the cool tile floor of the mall with force. Her latest designs landed a foot away at the feet of three well-dressed men in suits. The one in the middle tripped over the crate, did a hurdle of sorts, and landed on his ass on the mall floor as well. The caramel, "double the espresso," macchiato came down from its much further height and landed lid off over the man.
"Uh-oh." Felicia's sound of amused shock registered from somewhere ahead.
The most amazing blue eyes stared at Marina through coffee drips. Lifting the designer tie, now marinated in coffee, he inhaled it and let it fall back against him as he wiped the undoubtedly now lukewarm liquid from his face.
He was unhappy and gorgeous. Slowly pulling herself up, she shook her head, then walked over to the man on the ground.
I can't believe I did this--talk about ungraceful maneuvers. One apology and I'm gone.
"I'm very sorry. I slipped on some of the water," she told him with a grimace as he stood and wiped droplets of coffee from his face with the tie.
A tall, blond man appeared in front of Marina and stood between her and the coffee soaked hunk. "Well, you should be sorry. I haven't figured out if you're just a klutz, or if you're desperate to get him to notice you."
"What?" Blinking, she shook her head. "Come again?"
Another man, identical to the first with the exception of tie color, stood next to his twin. "Some women will do just about anything. You sure went about it the wrong way if you were trying to impress him, Brown Eyes. Remember one important thing, it doesn't matter how long your blonde hair is; you have to get past my brother and me to get to him."
The dark-haired man stepped from around the other. "Kyle, Trey, that's enough."
He did not just call me "Brown Eyes."
"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get my stock to my store." She sidestepped around Kyle and Trey and scooped up the container.
"Can I help you with the crate?" A sexy baritone asked, and she turned. Looking into his eyes, she shook her head. "No, thank you." She paused, glanced to make sure Felicia was still in sight, and looked back at him. "I should ask if you're okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Sorry again," she apologized to him, picked up her crate of stock, turned and walked up to her still drop-jawed daughter a couple steps away. "Come on..."
"Are you just going to walk away?" asked by either Trey or Kyle. Marina turned around. The day has to get better.
"Are you trying to ruin his life, or just humiliate him in a public place?"
"Kyle, enough, just let it be. I'm fine." He cast her an apologetic look. "You'd better get going."
"I--"
"I can handle them," he assured with a smile that kicked up the speed of her heart.
He is gorgeous and sweet. "Thank you."
Marina shook her head and walked down the mall with her daughter at her side. The twins, Kyle and Trey had made zero sense.
What was up with all the you-have-to-get-through-us stuff? Were they delusional? Maybe. The good-looking guy, after all, was just a man.
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