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

Part 31

"This is a surprise." Luke said as he walked down the long corridor with a smile. 

Nadia turn, her lips just barely curved as she watched him approaching her. She was still in her scrubs, and her hair was pulled back away from her face revealing dark circles under her eyes. 

"You look like shit." He said, kissing her cheek. Her only reaction was to lightly elbow him in the side with a grunt. 

"And somehow you look amazing." She said, noting what a great mood he seemed to be in as he led her back towards the kitchen. 

"I was just having something to eat, join me?" He said, pulling her along. Nadia tried not to frown. She hated dropping by unannounced but Grace hadn't stopped texting her all day. 

"No. Sorry, I didn't mean to get you while you were eating... I'm actually not hungry." She said, as he took a seat at the kitchen counter and signaled for her to sit beside him. 

"You never are, that's why you look like that." He said, going to back to his food. Nadia frowned as she moved around, looking for a cup.

"What's wrong with how I look?" She asked as she poured out some water. 

"Where should I start?" he said with a smile. "It would be faster just to help you fix it."

"I don't need your help fixing anything." She said, looking up when he just seemed to be laughing. 

Nadia was caught off guard. It was true that she and Luke had been pretty close growing up. She'd spent a lot of time in this house, running around after him and Marco, they two pulling every type of prank they could on her.  She had several great summers in this house, but it had been a long time since then, they were grown now and Luke had lost that spark he'd had as a mischievous child.

She could still remember the exact day that everything changed. Luke was never the same. To say their friendship was strained was to say the least. It had been years since she saw him in such a good mood- she could count on her hand how many times she'd seen him smile, much less laugh. 

"What's so funny?" She finally mustered the courage to ask him. 

"Nothing, you just reminded me of someone." He said. "Someone equally irritating."

"Hey!" She said with a frown, "Rude."

But he just laughed, picking up his plate and moving around towards the sink.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I'm only joking." He said as he cleaned up- another thing that struck Nadia as strange. While Luke had always been a very neat and meticulous person, things like this... domestic work, had never been something he did. 

"I'm glad you're in a good mood." She said, "Any special reason?"

Luke leaned back against the counter, thinking it over slowly. On the one hand, this was his only cousin, his childhood friend- family- he knew he could trust her with pretty much anything. Right now, he could use some advice from a woman he could trust, especially one that like his own little Echo, liked to keep to herself. 

On the other hand, he wasn't an idiot. Nadia was also Grace's best friend and he wouldn't doubt that the pretty blonde might try to bully his cousin, who was too nice for her own good, into getting information on him. 

"Yes." He said with a grin, "But tell me, what do I owe this honor to?" 

Nadia sighed. She knew it, she knew Luke wouldn't be so dumb as to not realize that something was up. She had no idea how Grace was going to pull this off. 

"Actually, my parent's anniversary party. I just came by to see if you were coming." She said with the same grin. Grace had been the one to suggest it as a good excuse but Nadia had already considered it.