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“Hola, chica!” A bubbly voice pulls me from my inner musings. Blanca pops her head into Nico’s office where I sit in his oversized desk.
“Morning, Blanca.”
She whirls around the already impeccable room with a duster, shaking her hips as she goes. I’m actually thankful for the company. This is the second day Nico has been gone from sunup to sunset, and it’s kind of embarrassing how much I miss him. Giuseppe is a permanent fixture at the door, but he doesn’t talk much, and Marco has locked himself up in his bedroom with the box of envelopes Dante gifted Nico. I thought my Rossi twin had taken it badly until I saw what this revelation was doing to Marco. Not that I knew him well but based on everything I’d heard from Nico about the easy-go-lucky, eternal flirt and fun guy, he was not acting like himself at all.
Lifting my gaze from the computer screen, I turn my attention to our housekeeper-slash-actress. “How was your audition yesterday?”
She pops out her earbud and shuffles over, dark eyes brimming with contagious excitement. “It went ah-mazing!” She sings the final word in a high-pitched tune. “I already got a call back this morning.”
“That’s incredible!”
“It’s an off-Broadway number, but it’s a big part. This could be my lucky break, Miss Maisy. If all goes well, this may just be the last you see of me and my duster.” She flutters the fluffy white feathers an inch from my nose, and a giggle tumbles out.
“Well, I’ll certainly miss you, but you were definitely made for greater things, Blanca.”
“Gracias, chica.” She blows a kiss my way as I finally pry myself away from the computer and head to the kitchen.
I need a coffee and a snack. Then back to work. With all the excitement about my new charity, I haven’t exactly been the most dedicated Palestra employee. I’m lucky my boss is such a sweetheart. If all goes well with the foundation, I’ll be saying goodbye to my assistant gig before long. A twinge of disappointment squirms its way across my chest. That job at Palestra was the first step in my life without Jasper. It had given me hope when I’d been drowning in pity and self-doubt. And the eye candy wasn’t bad either.
Heated memories of my first glance at a bare-chested Nico Rossi spring to the forefront of my mind. Yup, we were completely inevitable. Speaking of my hot Italian, it’s time for my hourly check in. I reach into my back pocket for my phone, but my fingers come up empty. Dang it, I must have left it on Nico’s desk. Whirling around, I scamper back down the hall to his office.
Turning the corner, the click-clack of nails on a keyboard slow my pace. I tiptoe toward the door and peer around the opening. Blanca hovers over Nico’s computer, her eyes intent on the screen. What the…?
Inching closer, I try to make out what’s on the screen, but the angle is off, and I can’t see a thing. Why would she be on Nico’s computer? I take another step, but I ram my big toe against the baseboard and let out a squeal.
Blanca whirls toward me, her dark eyes wide. She clicks the mouse, and whatever she was looking at is gone.
“What are you doing?” I finally ask after bouncing on one foot like a moron as I cradle my injured toe.
She yanks out her phone from her pocket and flashes it in my direction. “No service and I was trying to check my email to see if the director sent me the audition script. Sorry, I hope you don’t mind.”
My brows furrow as I regard her, but that beaming smile sets the alarm bells at ease. Of course that’s all it is. I’ve clearly been spending too much time in the dark, twisted world of the mafia. Now I’m getting paranoid too.
“Sure, no problem.”
She dashes out the room as I march toward Nico’s desk and find my cell next to the mouse. “There you are.” I sneak a quick peek at the screen and a message from Nico brings a cheesy smile to my face.
Nico: Miss you.
I type out a quick reply before pocketing the phone and turning for the door. But before I do, the screensaver pops up on Nico’s computer, a picture of me while asleep. It was taken in my bedroom, and I’m fairly certain it was during his stalking days judging by the dark room. It should freak me out, but it only floods my chest in warmth. Even back then, he was already looking out for me.
The image fades, and the password and login prompts pop onto the screen. Wait a second… Nico had given me his login to use his computer, but how had Blanca gotten on? Had I forgotten to log out before I left?
“Miss Maisy!” Giuseppe’s gruff bark sends my thoughts scattering. “You have a visitor.”
Tossing the thoughts aside for now, I resolve to mention it to Nico later. The last thing I want is him distracted while he’s out there hunting Jasper. Hurrying down the corridor, I find a scowling Giuseppe by the door.
“Who is it?”
“A Miss Rose Valentino is downstairs asking to see you.”
“Oh, yes! Send her up.” Only two days and Rose and I are back to texting on the regular. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed her until the messages started streaming in. She had a yoga class this afternoon and had promised to stop by on her way home. I’d been so absorbed by my work I’d nearly forgotten.
The shuffle of approaching footsteps spins my head down the hall. Marco trudges closer still wearing his pajamas and that box of letters firmly pressed to his chest. He’s been a walking zombie for two whole days.
“Morning,” he mutters as he passes and continues onto the kitchen.
“It’s almost two in the afternoon,” I reply.
