Chapter 87

Leo turned all that frustration into an appetite. After days of seriously cutting back to lose weight, he finally gave in. He devoured the entire serving of ravioli and wiped his mouth, mumbling, "Uncle Sebastian, what are you doing here?" Mallory looked at him, too. "Yeah, what brings you here?" "What, do you own this place? I can't show up if I want to?" Sebastian frowned, his sharp features focused on picking out bits of cilantro and dried shrimp from the plate with his cutlery. When his gaze dipped slightly, he caught a glimpse of Valeria's legs out of the corner of his eye. She was wearing black jeans. Even with layers for winter, her legs were still long, straight, and slender. His eyes slowly traveled upward until they locked with hers—clear, calm eyes that didn't waver. She wasn't wearing makeup, not even lipstick. The last bit of color from dinner had faded from her lips. A small mole on the bridge of her nose gave her face a mischievous charm, something vibrant and effort