Sabrina took a closer look, and sure enough, the top of his head was covered in the Lombardis' signature dark curls.
Sabrina looked back at Marie. “I’m still unclear on why he’s asleep on the floor of our storeroom between the refrigerator and the Rice Krispies!”
“He came over after he’d been up all night at your rescue, and he fell asleep.” She shrugged, as if this were a normal occurrence.
Sabrina was about to remind Marie that normal people did not sleep in storerooms, when she reflected on the many places she’d taken naps since taking over Maine Marine Rescue, and shut her mouth.
“Okay.” Sabrina muttered.
Now it was Marie’s turn to raise a brow. “Okay?”
“I’m currently wearing panties picked out by a man I met on Wednesday.” Sabrina shrugged. “So, okay.”
Marie stared at Sabrina for another moment and then chuckled. The chuckle slowly turned into uncontrollable giggles with an occasional snort.
“It’s going to be okay.” Sabrina smiled ruefully. “We’re both going to be okay.”
Marie continued to fall back into sleep deprived giggles intermittently for the rest of the hour.
The rest of the shift was quiet. Marie was closing the till, and Sabrina had just finished locking the doors when Dante walked out of the storeroom, a sleep flushed scowl on his face.
He walked up to Marie, as if Sabrina didn’t even exist, and rumbled a single word. “Coffee.”
“Take a seat. I’ll make a fresh pot.” Marie answered with a soft expression on her face.
Dante grunted in response, then sat directly on the coffee counter, right beside the space where Marie was beginning a fresh brew.
Sabrina cocked her head, unsure if she should be amused or concerned. Marie looked up, meeting Sabrina’s gaze, and smiled. “I’ll lock up.”
“That’s kind of you to offer, do you need anything before I go?” Sabrina asked, amusement starting to win over.
Marie bit her lip, shaking her head as her cheeks flushed with a tinge of pink.
Dante looked over, nodding her way. “Good to see you.”
Sabrina looked once more at Marie, still biting her lip as she started a pot of drip coffee. She looked like a dark haired pixie, next to the mountain of a man beside her. Marie looked up to meet Sabrina’s gaze once more with a reassuring smile.
“Call me if you need me.” Sabrina sing-songed as Marie made a playful shooing motion.
With a departing nod to Dante, Sabrina left Society. She walked by the rescue on her way home and peeked through the front windows of the building, peering into the main reception room. Walter and Travis were sitting on the couch, as Travis gestured wildly about something on his phone. Walter slowly sipped an IPA.
From where Sabrina stood, she could hear the muted chirps and chatters typical of the rescue. The familiar sounds reassured any worry, and with another fleeting, grateful look at her friends inside, she left to go to the beach.
That night, Cesare FaceTimed at 8:30. Sabrina was in bed, snuggled under the covers with a book borrowed from Marie.
“How was your day, tesoro?” He asked. His arctic blue eyes looked tired, and the faintest of creases lined his forehead. Hewas sitting in the back of the Town Car, as Monty drove them to the hotel.
“It was good. Work went well, and I went to the beach after.” She smiled.
“That is very good, Sabrina.” He nodded approvingly. “I am glad you took time to do something fun for yourself. Where did you go?”
Sabrina told him about shells she had collected and a bird feather she found. She asked him how his day had been and he grunted.
“It was full of boring things. Nothing as lovely as you.” Cesare answered, eyes tracing over her features with a yearning that made her heart warm.
He frowned regretfully. “We made plans, and I am very sorry, but I need to reschedule.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I received a call today about a client back in Philly. I need to go back. My flight leaves Wednesday afternoon.”
The words were a sucker punch to Sabrina’s stomach. She had finally let him in, and now he was going to leave. She never should have let him get so close.
