An Echo in the Mafia (Echo Reid, Reid Family Book #1)

Part 38

Oh boy.

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"Come on, be honest... you came down here hoping you'd run into me." Luke said as Echo rolled her eyes at him for the hundredth time. 

"I already told you, Baby needs his shots." Echo said, pointing to the bag where the pup was now silently sleeping. 

"I love how you take care of him." He said softly, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and leaning in, "I'd like you to let me take care of you."

Echo tried not to shiver but she failed, leaving Luke with a giant, smug smile.

"I need to get going, I don't want to run into anyone I know." Echo said and Luke sighed. 

"Don't worry, it's the middle of the day. Your family is probably upstairs working away to ensure the family fortune remains intact." He teased, not wanting her to go. It had been too much luck that she'd come into the city the same day he'd had a meeting. "Why don't you have lunch with me?"

"I don't know, I still have to get back and finish a manual I've been working on." Echo said with a sigh. She really had been neglecting her work lately. Her editor had called her only this morning to ask about the manual she'd been promising for weeks. 

"A couple of hours won't do any harm." He insisted. 

"I really shouldn't. I'm pretty lucky to have this job, what'll I do if they fire me? There's not a whole lot of work from home jobs for technical writers... they're not that easily available." She said with a frown. 

"They are if you know the right people." He said, "I could make a couple of calls."

"Absolutely not." She said, "I'm serious. Don't you dare." 

"Fine, fine. If you insist..." He said, "but you really don't need to worry about that type of thing. Even if you didn't have your family's security, You have me now. I'm happy to see to all your needs."

She stared at him for a moment, eyes narrowed. 

"A part of me wants to be offended by the notion, another part of me is telling me to let it go... and a super teeny tiny part of me is telling me to say thank you." Echo replied. 

"You're welcome." He said with a grin and Echo sighed. There was absolutely no getting through to this man. "So...lunch?"

"Fine." She said, trying not to chuckle. This man was incorrigible. "But let's go before someone sees us."

"Your father." He said and she nodded. 

"Yeah, like him." She agreed.

"No, I mean... your father is coming this way." He replied, pointing across the street. Echo's head snapped up and she caught sight of her father, exiting the building. 

"Shit." She said, panicking. 

"Relax, it's not a big deal." He said, taking her arm and pulling her into the nearest shop. "We'll just wait until he's gone. 

"Right..." She muttered, nodding in agreement but she clenched her hands together nervously, especially as she watched him heading straight towards them. 

"Lord, he's coming here." She said, realizing they were in the sandwich shop across the office. 

"Are you sure? There's several restaurants around here..." Luke said, glancing out the window as he watched Michael waiting at the crosswalk. 

"Yes, he loves this place." She said, looking around the crowded shop, It was rather small and there weren't many tables.  

"So he sees us, not a big deal... we can just say..." Luke began but Echo quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him across the room.