She handled them in a kind and lovely way. She seemed too good to be true.
I pulled back and went downstairs. Elia waited for me in front of my car to get further instructions. Remembering last night and this morning, a hint of reluctance filled me when I thought about my arrangement with Elia, but it wasn’t enough to make me abandon the matter. Giulia had done nothing to deserve this, but I needed certainty before her loveliness had me wrapped around her finger and made me blind to a hurtful truth.
My kids wouldn’t survive a repeat performance of their mother’s demise.
My chest ached thinking of Cassio’s morning encounter with Daniele. I could tell that Cassio hurt because of his son’s reaction to him. I needed to help somehow, but first I needed to figure out why Daniele acted the way he did. For some reason, I couldn’t imagine that Cassio had hurt his son in any way. Cassio was certainly capable of the most depraved acts imaginable. The rumors of his business practices had reached even my ears in Baltimore, but the way he looked at his children, it was clear he loved them. No, it was something else between them. I had a feeling it had something to do with Gaia, which was a problem because Cassio refused to talk about her. Daniele didn’t speak at all, and I wasn’t sure if it was wise to mention his mother around him. I made my way into the kitchen with Simona in my arms and Daniele tiptoeing after me. His face was tear-stained because he couldn’t find his tablet. I’d seen it up on the shelf in his room, but decided not to give it to him. He needed to learn to be without that thing. It wasn’t healthy how fixated he was on technology.
Sybil was already making waffles. The kitchen smelled of vanilla and warm dough.
Elia and Domenico weren’t there yet, but I knew they were somewhere in the house or Cassio wouldn’t have left. Loulou slipped under the table, probably hoping for a repeat performance, but sweets definitely weren’t good for a dog. I approached Sybil as Daniele knelt in front of the table to watch Loulou. “Let her come to you, Daniele. She’s shy. Eventually, she’ll come. Give her time, okay?”
He nodded absentmindedly, but didn’t move otherwise.
“Can you cook some bacon as well?”
“For the dog?” Sybil guessed.
“I don’t want to force him to eat. Not when he doesn’t trust me yet. This is the only way he’ll have breakfast.”
She nodded. She still didn’t look as if she approved, but she took bacon from the fridge.
“Thank you.”
Elia soon joined us, but Domenico stayed away. To my surprise, he sat down beside me. Like yesterday, his smile was quick, his eye contact a bit too intimate, and his arm brushed mine twice “by accident.”
I wasn’t the only one who noticed because Sybil sent him a sharp look.
I ignored it, unsure what else to do. My plan to get Daniele to eat worked like it had yesterday. Loulou got a tiny piece of bacon for every bite of waffle and banana that Daniele ate. It was a win-win situation as far as I was concerned, and Loulou definitely agreed.
“I thought we could all go for a walk together, so Loulou gets to see something new?” I said to Daniele. His nod was quick and his obvious excitement kindled my own.
“That sounds good. The weather is nice and it’s not too cold. I know a nice park not too far away,” Elia said.
“Great.” I got up. “Why don’t you go ahead and prepare everything while I have a word with Sybil.”
Elia glanced between Sybil and me before he rose and left.
Taking the dishes to the sink where Sybil was scrubbing the pan, I said, “You worked here from day one of Cassio’s marriage to Gaia, right?” I said in a low voice so the children wouldn’t hear me. I didn’t know it for a fact, but the look on Sybil’s face confirmed my assumption.
“I did.”
She avoided my eyes by putting the dishes into the dishwasher.
“How was she?”
My parents had met her at official functions, of course. She’d been a lady, always perfectly styled, but that didn’t mean anything. Outward appearances and what went on behind closed doors were two very different things. “I only worked for her. I didn’t know her.”
I gave her a disbelieving look. “How can you work for someone for years and not know them?”
Sybil closed the dishwasher then busied herself with wiping the counters. “She kept her distance. She never had breakfast in the kitchen. She preferred me to get my tasks done as quickly as possible so I could leave.” She shook her head. “If you want to know more, you’ll have to talk to the master. But I don’t think you should.”
With Simona strapped to my front and Daniele in his buggy, we strolled through the park toward a fenced-in dog area. Domenico kept his distance, pretending he was a casual walker, but Elia stayed at my side. For an outsider, it looked as if we were a couple. Elia definitely played that card, considering how close he walked beside me. Loulou dashed off the moment I unleashed her and soon chased around with other dogs.
“Must be strange,” Elia began, sitting down beside me on the bench. “To live in a foreign city with a man you hardly know.”
Daniele followed the playing dogs with his eyes. That fascinated look usually only managed to appear on his face when he stared at the screen. Simona, too, watched with big eyes.
“I’ve been prepared for that kind of life since I was a little girl. The rules in our world have been the same for a long time.”
“They are, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to stick to them.”
I turned to Elia. The way he looked at me, like he wanted to see what it would take to get a rise out of me, raised my protective walls. “Do you make a habit of breaking the rules?”
He smiled as if he was going to tell me a secret. “It can be freeing.”
He was flirting with me. Loulou yelped then squeaked. My head jerked around. A bigger dog was trying to mount her. “Can you help her?”
Elia didn’t hesitate. He jumped up and jogged toward the two dogs. The owner of the other dog, a young man with glasses and a hipster beard did the same. They managed to separate the dogs. To my surprise, they began to chat.
Elia smiled the same smile he’d given me all day, but this was less expectant, less challenging. It was naturally flirtatious, one he didn’t have to force. The hipster guy laughed, still holding his small bulldog by the collar. Elia grinned, but then he noticed my gaze and his demeanor shifted. He said something else then hurried back to me with Loulou on his arm.
I searched his face. For a moment, back there, he’d looked like I’d caught him. Maybe Elia was breaking the rules, but not in a way he’d insinuated to me. Now it made sense why Cassio had chosen such an attractive man to guard me. Elia wasn’t a danger in his eyes. I could probably parade around naked all day and Elia wouldn’t care in the slightest.
We returned home much earlier than planned because Simona had a never-ending crying fit. She wouldn’t let me calm her no matter what I did. Daniele, too, got cranky because of it, but Loulou’s presence prevented his meltdown at least. When I finally managed to have Simona settle down for a nap after what felt like hours, I felt drained. I’d considered calling Cassio to ask for his help because unlike Daniele, Simona quieted as soon as her dad was close. Now I was glad that I managed without calling him.
I didn’t want him to think I couldn’t handle the situation. My clothes were drenched with sweat when I sank down on the sofa minutes after Simona had fallen asleep. Daniele sat on the floor, his tablet on his lap. I’d given in and returned it to him. If he also had started wailing like Simona, I would have started crying too.
Elia came toward me, carrying two cups. “You look like you need a coffee.”
“I need a drink and a shower.” Despite my lack of experience with alcohol, I suddenly got why people craved a drink after days like this.
He laughed then handed me the cup. “Coffee is a start, don’t you think?”
He sat down beside me, again closer than was appropriate. This time it didn’t bother me because now I knew the truth. I took a sip of the black coffee. Usually I drank mine with milk and sugar, but this felt good now. I regarded Elia openly, not even bothering to hide my attention. He wore a tight white shirt that accentuated his muscles and a black gun holster over it. I wondered if he was good with weapons, if that was at least part of the reason why Cassio had chosen him—or maybe his presence was only as a trap.
Cassio had set Elia up to do this. I had no doubt about it. Cassio was jealous. He had admitted it himself, and Faro and Mansueto had confirmed it too. I hadn’t expected him to be jealous enough to trick me like that, though. It infuriated me, but beyond that, it made me really sad. If Cassio trusted me this little, we had a long way to go for this marriage to work.
I set the cup down on the table then faced Elia. I leaned closer, gauging his reaction. “I’ve been asking myself a question…”
His eyes shifted to caution, but the smile remained plastered on his face
“Does Cassio know?” I murmured.
His smile became less honest. “Know what?”
“That you like men.”
For an instant, Elia’s expression slipped before he could control it again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”