I groaned and rolled onto my back. “Why are you calling me?”
“I need your help,” Antonio said quietly. “I need woman advice.”
That woke me up. My eighteen year old nephew was like me at that age. He was more interested in partying than anything serious.
“You? Need woman advice? What happened to love them and leave them?”
“I met someone… different.”
I sat up. “Different how?”
“Can we meet at Harbor Bay Mall? I’ll tell you everything.”
I groaned. “The mall? On a Saturday afternoon? Are you trying to torture me?”
“Come on, Uncle Joseph! I’m not coming to your penthouse where you’ve probably got some naked model waiting.”
“Fine,” I said. “Food court. One hour.”
An hour later, I was at Harbor Bay Mall. The food court was packed with teenagers, families, and tired fathers. I spotted Antonio at a table near the fountain. He was checking his phone nervously.
My nephew had inherited the Garcia good looks.Blonde hair, strong jaw, and confident posture from being part of the Nightbane Pack’s Alpha family. But today he looked nervous.
“Uncle Joseph! Over here!” Antonio called.
I joined my nephew at a table.
“So, who’s this girl that’s got you all twisted up?” I asked.
Antonio sighed. “She’s amazing. Smart, beautiful.She doesn’t know I exist. Well, she knows I exist, but only as the guy who throws parties and hangs out with the lacrosse team.”
“And the problem is…?”
“I don’t know how to get her to take me seriously! She thinks I’m just a rich party boy.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you?”
“I want to be more,” he said. His voice was sincere. “Mom’s always saying I need to grow up. Maybe she’s right.”
I was about to give some Garcia wisdom when a familiar figure was walking toward our place.
It was her. The woman from the shop who’d humiliated me with that sex toy for my mother. She looked even better than I remembered. She wore simple jeans and a burgundy top.
“Uncle Joseph? Hello?” Antonio waved his hand in front of my face.
“Sorry, kid.” I didn’t take my eyes off the woman. “I just spotted someone I need to have a conversation with.”
Antonio followed my gaze. “Whoa. She’s gorgeous.”
A plan formed in my mind. “Want to see how a real master works? Watch and learn.”
My nephew’s eyes widened. “No way. You’re going to hit on her? Right now?”
“Why not?”
Antonio studied her for a moment, then looked back at me with a smirk. “I bet you can’t get her number.”
“Excuse me?” I raised an eyebrow.
“You heard me.” His smirk grew wider. “She looks way too classy for your usual approach.”
Dean growled in my head. The pup is challenging us.
I felt my competitive nature kick in. “What are the stakes?”
“If you get her number, I’ll stop throwing those weekend parties Mom hates. And next time she starts lecturing you about settling down, I’ll defend you.”
Flora, my sister, was always talking about my bachelor lifestyle. Having Antonio as an ally would be helpful.
“And if I don’t?”
“You admit that your reputation as a ladies’ man is overblown, and you come to my lacrosse game wearing a World’s Okayest Uncle t-shirt.”
I extended my hand. “Deal.”
Antonio shook it and grinned. “This should be entertaining.”
I stood up and straightened my jacket. I made my way toward my target. She was at the counter ordering. I slid in beside her.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the woman who tried to send me to a grave via embarrassment.”
She turned. Recognition and then amusement flashed in her eyes. Up close, she was even more stunning. Deep blue eyes with flecks, full lips.
“If it isn’t Mr. Sex Toy,” she replied coolly. “How’s your mother enjoying her blessed gift?”
I felt heat rise in my cheeks.
“Unfortunately, it caused me permanent psychological damage.”
“Pity for you.” Her lips curved into a wicked smile.
The cashier cleared her throat. “Your total is $12.75, ma’am.”
Before the woman could reach for her wallet, I handed over a twenty. “I’m paying for the lady’s lunch.”
“I don’t need you to pay for me,” she protested.
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