Once, when they’d just finished a book, she grabbed his hand. “Leo, I’m not going to be here to see you marry, but I will see you. Do you hear what I’m saying?”

“Don’t talk like that.” He’d shrugged away her hand in the way that teenagers do. “You’re going to make it through this.”

But they both knew she wouldn’t.

He didn’t care about marriage, Leo told himself. Life had shown him that loving someone was…painful. He liked keeping things light.

“Look at me, Leo.” His mom had curved her hand under his chin, forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Smile your beautiful smile. Don’t be sad. Be strong for your dad and sister. And for me. I’ll be watching.”

His mom herself had told him to keep smiling, to keep pushing through with as much optimism as possible. She’d understood how difficult it was going to be for all of them to lose her. She’d been trying to prepare him for the pain.

He knew now that nothing could prepare you for pain like that.

He still missed her, but he’d taken her words to heart. That was the way he attacked everything—with all he had, always looking on the brightest side. Even though, he had to admit, he’d lost his faith in some things, like magical happily ever afters. Life was too hard to expect those.

What was left was doing the best he could, for his dad and for Gia. And doing it with a smile on his face, for their sakes.

“It’s okay, Ma. I got this,” he told the mirror. “You’ll see.”

He silently vowed to himself—and to his mother in the mirror—that he’d do everything possible to save the restaurant. That was the whole point of this marriage, plain and simple. It was secret, would serve both of them, and had a bit of an illicit tinge. There was a name for that. A Sweetheart Deal.

Despite the romantic name, it was just…business.

He’d be so busy focusing on that that he wouldn’t have time for distractions like this darn attraction to Tessa. So he made the last firm tug on his tie, grabbed his suitcoat on impulse, because if you’re going all the way, you might as well go all the way, and left.

Fifteen minutes later, he was standing outside of the office of his best friend, Jack, who was the mayor…no Tessa in sight. Tessa, that stubborn woman, that perpetual needle in his side—who’d refused to let him pick her up. She wanted to do it her way, whatever that meant. He’d finally just said fine, so long as she showed up. On time.