Free Catering to the Italian Playboy by Tamelia Tumlin Page A

to bronze statue holding a trident. “He is master of the sea controlling all elements of water. Neptune has power over all other water gods. He guides ships, causes waves and can even create an earthquake.”
    “Sounds like a powerful man – or god rather. I just hope he doesn’t want to create any earthquakes anytime soon.” Good Lord, did he have to stand so close. His warm breath fanned her temple and a quiver tickled her stomach.
    “He’s powerful now, but his childhood was very traumatic.” A shadow passed across Max’s face and his chin tightened. “In Greek mythology Neptune’s father, Cronus, feared he would be overthrown by one of his children so he imprisoned all of his offspring in Tartarus, the Olympian underworld. Only Zeus and Neptune escaped their fate when their mother, Rhea, secretly hid them in other parts of the world. Particularly what is now Greece. They were raised by other Greek gods and later freed their imprisoned siblings. Then, after a decade long war, they defeated Cronus and the other Titans.”
    “That’s amazing! You sure know your mythology,” Sophie enthused. She’d never cared much for history herself, but listening to Max talk about Greek lore with such fervor and excitement, she almost wished she’d paid more attention to her teachers in school. She’d been more interested in sports. Especially softball.
    Max shrugged. “I’ve always enjoyed history and I took several mythology courses in college as electives. I find it fascinating.”
    Sophie looked at the statue and shook her head. “Makes me feel kinda sorry for Neptune, though. I can’t imagine how any parent could give their child away like that.” Sophie swallowed the lump in her throat. Her own father might not have been there for her growing up, but he’d never thrown her away like an old shoe either.
    “It happens.” Max inhaled sharply. His brows furrowed as a rush of emotions fluttered across his hard features. Then his eyes shuttered. “More often than you think.”
    “At least it ended well for Neptune. He was reunited with his siblings and overcame his traumatic childhood.”
    Max stiffened beside her. “Yes. He’s one of the lucky ones.”
    Sophie frowned. Why did he sound so defensive? It was just a myth, for Pete’s sake.
    Noting her puzzled expression, Max relaxed then offered her a half-smile. “Like I said. I’m a history buff and most European countries have tons of history. Italy has these types of fountains all over and each one has an interesting story behind it. You should go sometime. I think you would enjoy it.”
    “Maybe I’ll try to visit one day,” Sophie said thoughtfully, then shot him a cheeky grin. “When I get back to catering for actual money that is and can save up.”
    He chuckled. “I’m sure after tonight that won’t be a problem. There will be plenty of important clients here and most all of them host parties at one time or another. They’ll be beating your door down for your business.”
    “I hope so.” Sophie’s expression turned serious. “I have to make A Touch of Spice a success. I can’t fail. Not with this.”
    “You really enjoy what you do, don’t you?” Max studied her with hooded eyes. “That’s important in the success of any business.”
    “I love cooking and catering, of course, but it’s more than that.” Sophie bit back a wave of sadness. “Catering was my mom’s dream. It’s the one thing she always wanted to do but never had the guts to try. I want to do this for her.”
    “Why didn’t she?”
    Sophie sucked in a razored breath. “My father wouldn’t let her. He thought she was better suited hosting his many shindigs instead of having a life of her own.” Her voice hardened. “He owns Westbrook Advertising so the entertainment industry is a big part of his life. He runs in the same circles as the Hollywood elite.”
    “You don’t sound pleased.”
    Sophie shifted her weight to her left foot. “He wasn’t exactly what