Free Boyfriend for Hire by Gail Chianese Page B

smile that said he’d rather be with his Brit than dealing with family drama.
    She gave him a huge hug, crushing her brother. “I’m so happy for you, Matty.” Sitting back, she looked him over carefully. The guy didn’t have a tense muscle in his body, no stress lines, no dark circles. He positively glowed. “See, that’s what I want. When the time is right. I want a guy who makes me glow.”
    “Well, baby sis, the way I hear it, Mom has found Mr. Perfect for you. His name is Ivan. And that drama scene bought you some time, because I heard her and Alex talking. Mom’s not going to stop nagging you until you agree to go out with him.”
    “Ivan, as in ‘the Terrible’?”
    “Uh-huh. Have to admit, my mind went straight to Russian Mafia.”
    He was joking. Right? Her mom wouldn’t set her up with some gangster dude, would she? Dios . This was her mother they were talking about. The woman wore three-inch-thick rose-colored glasses and refused to believe the world had changed in the last fifty years.
    Tawny knew too that there would be no getting out of the date, not after her earlier blunder.
    Maybe he’d be like Ilya from Christine Feehan’s Sea Haven series. Now that was one sexy Russian mob hit man.
    Ivan and Tawny.
    Tawny and Ivan.
    Nope, she just didn’t see it.

Chapter Six
    T here had to be at least twenty bucks’ worth of coins at the bottom of the fountain, and for the life of her, Tawny couldn’t figure out why anyone would waste their hard-earned cash on a superstition. Granted, not all of the coins came from one person, and most people only threw in one, or two at the most. Still, what a waste.
    “What would you wish for? You know, if you believed in miracles.”
    She turned around to greet Cherry. “The usual—win the lottery, be swept away by a knight on a white horse, that the pound of fudge I ate won’t make the scale go up.”
    Cherry linked arms with her and smiled. “Who’s to say it can’t happen, well, except for the fudge part. Mine came true.” Cherry looked around the crowded Piazza di Amore, changing the subject before Tawny could present the logical reasons her so-called wish came true. “So, what’s new?”
    They made their way around the crowded plaza, weaving in and out of shoppers, diners, and tourists. “I got an invitation to the Finding Mr. Right cast reunion party.”
    “You turned down the last one. Are you going to go this time?”
    “It’s tempting, except it’s in September and there’s a certain best friend’s wedding I’m planning. So no, maybe next time. Although if they could guarantee Graham would be there, I’d ditch you in a heartbeat.”
    “Ooh, isn’t he the former basketball player?”
    “Yep. That man is six feet of pure deliciousness. But word has it he’s taking a break.” She couldn’t blame him; after her last boyfriend, she wasn’t in a big hurry to find another. Plus, she needed to find a job. ASAP.
    Cherry sidestepped to miss getting run over by a sugared-up toddler and looked around, shaking her head. “Now, tell me, what are we doing here? I mean, I love the piazza, but it’s crazy crowded.”
    “I’m going on a coffee date at Pastiche. You are going to act as my wingman, woman, whatever and come rescue me in seven minutes.” If only she could skip this farce altogether.
    Cherry snagged an empty table at Vendi’s Café and pointed to the seat next to her. “Explain this to me. Why are you going on a date you obviously don’t want to be on?”
    Tawny sat with a deep sigh. She didn’t blame her friend for being confused, as she rarely caved from parental pressure. “My dad found out—not from me—about my job. Then I opened my mouth and accidentally insulted his and my mom’s home. Sooo, to make up for the comment and make my mom happy, I agreed to meet this guy Ivan.”
    “Who names their kid Ivan?” Cherry’s face scrunched up. “He’s not Russian Mafia, is he?”
    A laugh escaped, the first one in days. “I