She Left Her Cheating Fiancé, Then Met the Mafia Boss Who Wanted Her novel · Chapter 19 of 24

Chapter 19: The Morning Line

At seven on Saturday morning the line outside the bakery ran to the corner.

I stood behind the counter in my apron with the guarantor page folded in my pocket.

The old man with the cane had pressed it into my hand at the steakhouse door.

He had said nothing at all.

My boss slid a tray of croissants into the case and looked at me over her glasses.

"Is he coming?"

"He said seven."

"Then he's late." She picked up the long wooden peel we used for the ovens and propped it by the register. "I'll be here."

"You don't have to."

"I've been waiting two years to use this on him."

Across Orchard Street a black car stood at the curb.

Dominic sat in the back, with the window down.

I held up one finger.

He nodded once and stayed where he was.

Ethan came in at ten past.

He had shaved. He had put on the good suit, pressed, and he held a bunch of white roses with the paper still on.

The line parted for him without being asked.

He walked to the middle of the floor, and he went down on one knee.

"Ari," he said, loud enough for everyone. "I'm sorry."

Nobody said a word.

The espresso machine hissed.

"I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I was weak. I want to say it to your face so everyone here knows I'm not hiding."

"Get up," I said.

"I'll stay down until you forgive me."

"Then you'll be there a while."

I took the page out of my pocket.

I unfolded it and held it up where the line could see it.

"Do you know what this is?" I said, to the room and not to him. "Six months ago my fiancé put this in front of me in our kitchen and told me to sign for a deposit."

"Ari."

"It says I'm responsible for every dollar he owed a man who lends money to people who can't pay it back. It says in kind." I kept my voice even. "He owed two hundred and forty thousand dollars. He paid it with me."

A woman at the front of the line put her hand over her mouth.

"He promised me to the man he owed. He gave the video to his best man to play at our engagement party so I'd storm out alone, and the man he owed would be waiting at the corner."

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