Billionaire Novelist's Fiery Debutante by Nic Saint

chair again, and slapped his hand over his face. What did he ever do to deserve a mother like this?

CHAPTER 19

    There was an air of the mundane to Domani’s. Located nicely in between Chloe’s place and Josh’s posh mansion, it was just a pizza joint, for all intents and purposes. What the non-connoisseurs didn’t know, was that Ricki Domani made the best pizza for miles around, and locals had snacked on his delicious Italian cuisine for years.
    As she waited for her date to arrive, Chloe wondered if Josh was one of the people in the know, or if he was like most newcomers blissfully oblivious to this kind of secret the inner circle—the locals—treasured.
    She looked around as waiters hustled and bustled and carried hot steaming trays of pizza to the hungry crowd. Tuesday night was special. Two for the price of one, if you felt so inclined, with real Italian ice cream to top it off.
    She’d hesitated between a table outside—people watching was one of her favorite hobbies when not working on a novel—or inside, but had finally listened to common sense and opted for a table near the back of the room. Writers weren’t Hollywood movie stars by any stretch of the imagination, but Josh Poole was still one of Long Island’s celebrities and would probably be recognized by one of his autograph-hungry fans in next to no time.
    She wanted to have dinner with Josh, not with Joshua Poole, the famous writer, and didn’t mind concealing him from the general public.
    Ricki, who was a friend of hers, had passed by her table twice, asking with a worried frown if she really didn’t want to order yet, when Josh finally hove into view outside. He came walking up with long strides, wearing jeans and a polo shirt and disguising his handsome face behind sunglasses.
    He dashed inside like a summer storm, probably used to walking fast to waylay his fans, and spotted her without fault.
    “Sorry I’m late,” he began as he seated himself, his back conveniently to the other patrons. “My mother,” he added with a comical grimace.
    He didn’t say more and didn’t need to either. Chloe had had Josh’s mom on the phone for almost an hour before finally managing to ring off. During that time, the woman had repeatedly asked   about her intentions with her son, and Chloe, mortified, had merely stammered that they’d only known each other for a week.
    “Honey,” Josh’s mom had countered, “I barely knew Josh’s father for a day before I was carrying his child.”
    “There should be a law against mothers interfering with their offspring’s love life,” Josh voiced her very own thoughts. He shook his head. “I hear she talked you into lunch tomorrow?” He placed his hand on top of hers. “I besiege you, Chloe. Don’t do it. For the sake of all that’s good and holy, don’t go.”
    She laughed. “It’s all right. She seems like a nice person. Apart from her habit to keep harping on the same topic over and over again.”
    “That topic being me?”
    “Actually, our union, as she calls it.”
    “Our union?”
    “She wants to make sure I know all there is to know about you before I tie the knot. Her words.”
    “Oh boy. I fear the worst.” He gave her a knowing smile. “Family photos.”
    “That’s pretty bad.”
    He suddenly grew serious. “Look, Chloe. I had a great time with you on Eden Island.” He leaned forward, his tone growing soft and confidential. “In fact I had a wonderful time. I… I deeply care about you, but this is all very premature. I mean… Perhaps we should take the time to get to know each other a little better before my mother starts bombarding you with her fondest memories from my diaper days.”
    She nodded. He was right. It was early days. They should really take their time. “I agree. But somehow I found myself incapable of saying no.”
    “My mother can be very persistent. Even for me it’s hard to say no. Do you want me to cancel your lunch date for you?”
    “No, that’s all