Free Wish Upon a Wedding by Luann McLane Page A

Danger Zone
    E ager to get out of the cold, Sophia tugged open the door to River Row Pizza. The tantalizing scent of garlic, yeast, and marinara sauce nearly made her groan. Seriously, was there any cuisine in the world that smelled more enticing? But groaning would be embarrassing so she inhaled another delicious breath thinking that someone should create a River Row Pizza–scented candle. But then again the candle would make her crave pizza and pasta more that she already did, which was, well, a lot. And unlike her sister, Grace, Sophia failed to get the long legs and high metabolism gene from her mother.
    Having White Lace and Promises located just around the corner was going to make the hand-tossed crust a tough temptation to resist. Not only did they serve amazing Italian dishes, but the owner, Reese Marino, made mouthwatering desserts including Italian wedding cake, which was hands down her all-time favorite. Mercy . . .
    On tiptoe, Sophia glanced around for Avery but the packed dining room made it difficult to spot him.Although she’d been told that the restaurant had been there for only a few years, checkered cloth tablecloths and flickering candles gave the decor a cozy old-world atmosphere. If she didn’t know better she could be somewhere in Italy instead of Cricket Creek and the food here rivaled any Italian dishes she’d ever eaten, including in New York City’s Little Italy.
    After a week of nonstop paperwork, Sophia and Carrie Ann Spencer were the proud co-owners of White Lace and Promises so Sophia was in the mood to finally kick back and celebrate. Carrie Ann had been right. She’d stayed in Cricket Creek longer than she’d intended because she really didn’t want to leave, but didn’t have a challenging career choice until now. While all of this business moved a bit faster than she would have liked and she still had some jitters, the nerves were also a good feeling. So when Avery called and invited her to dinner she eagerly accepted. She was about to send him a text, since it looked as if the wait at the hostess stand was several patrons deep, but after another quick look around, Sophia spotted Avery’s dark curly head at a booth near the back of the cozy restaurant.
    Sophia felt a familiar warm tug of desire that made her want to fan her face despite having just come in from the cold, breezy weather. She stood there for a moment while gathering her composure. Now that she knew she was staying in Cricket Creek, Sophia was beginning to wonder if she should let Avery know that if he wanted to, they could go beyond friendship instead of just having her pretend to be into him. Although her spontaneous kisses on the patio at Sully’s had been fueled by a bit too much Love Potion Ale, she couldn’t stop thinking about kissing him again.
    But Sophia was still concerned that Avery wasn’t one hundred percent over his ex-fiancée, so maybe she shouldn’t go after another, much wanted kiss. On theother hand, maybe it was high time that Avery moved on for good—and another hot kiss might send him in that much needed direction. Well, a direction she needed, anyway.
    Sophia’s feet finally started moving and she made her way past the closely placed tables. Silverware clinked against dishes; patrons chatted and laughed while mood music softly played in the background. A beautiful wooden bar ran the length of the room to the left. Sophia noticed a few women with martini glasses and decided she could use one. Or two. This atmosphere actually reminded her of being in a pizza parlor in Brooklyn and then she remembered that owners Tony and Reese Marino had actually lived in Brooklyn before they came to Cricket Creek.
    Because he was frowning at his cell phone, Avery failed to see her approach. “Hey there,” Sophia said as she slid into the booth. When he looked up and saw her, Avery’s frown turned into a quick smile but she had to wonder