Page 17 of Pay the Piper

Maybe the guys are right. What I need is a little inspiration to take the edge off. The princess thing might be exactly what I need to keep me from doing something crazy like kidnapping Abby and tying her up in my cave like an evil dragon. Instead, I’ll be the knight rescuing the princess. My princess. Mine.

Chapter 9

My second kid’s day in the library isn’t shaping up to be any less chaotic than the first. Why can’t Ellie volunteer on a super chill, quiet day? If I’m going to be cutting my work days here to accommodate Misha, I would much prefer them to be calm shifts. But nonetheless, I have a job to do.

The clock chimes right before a stampede of ten-year-olds make their way to the table of refreshments I’ve set out following their class. It’s the last group of the day, and I’m impatiently waiting for everyone to clear out so I can make more progress on my mission. Last week went better than I could have ever imagined. Exchanging numbers alone would have exceeded my expectations, but to get access to an in like Misha was striking gold.

I doubt I’ll experience that same level of luck today, but even so, I’m excited to see Ellie. We’ve texted back and forth a bit, but nothing past book memes and library jokes. Enough to know that she’s planning to stay late and help clean up while I give her a full report of Misha’s training. It won’t be a very long report, but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? If Ellie wants to stay and chat, I’m here for it.

By the time the last kid leaves, I’ve already cleaned up most of the mess from the pizza and chips. Thank goodness for disposable tablecloths. I’m vacuuming the crumbs, lost in my own little world, when Ellie finally makes her appearance.

“Eeep!” I scream, losing my balance and nearly falling to the floor. “Christ, Ellie, I didn’t hear you with this thing going.”

“I’m sorry! I tried to go super slow so I wouldn’t scare you.”

“That just made you look even creepier from the corner of my eye!”

“Sorry.” Ellie grimaces, then joins me in a fit of giggles.

I quickly put the vacuum away and join her as she shelves books. There are more on Thursdays since it’s harder to find free time throughout the day, but I made a point to save as many as possible for closing to give us more time to chat.

“So tell me all about your practice with Misha.”

I take a book and turn away to shelve it, allowing myself to smile at the thought of my new “student.” From a skills perspective, the sessions have been pretty horrible, but he’s a hard worker. “We’re just starting, so it’s hard to say…”

Ellie snorts a chuckle. “That bad, huh?”

“Uhh…well, yeah. How can someone be so strong and agile off the ice and such a newborn rhinoceros on it? But he’s trying. We’re going to practice three days a week from now on, so I think he’ll get the hang of it.”

“Hey, you don’t have to defend his skills to me. I’m sure I’m even worse on ice. I tried for years and didn’t make a bit of progress.”

Fuck, I hope I’m a good enough teacher to at least get him on the ice. I would feel terrible if he didn’t get any better. I’ve seen it happen before, but I never had a student walk away without significant improvement. “I’ll have more to report next week. We’ve only had two practices, and it’s mostly been drills for me to gauge his starting point.”

“I’m sure he will do splendidly. Poor Teddy is going to be sad when he can’t make fun of him for not being able to skate anymore.”

“Oh, are they close?”

Ellie smiles. “Of course they are! Almost like brothers, really.”

Damn, this whole Mafia life intrigues me. I wouldn’t necessarily expect Ellie to be hard, but Misha seems so gentle and kind. I’m the first to admit he’s forced me to revisit my prejudices. With his size, tattoos, and scars, I would usually keep my head down around men like him. My brain may know he’s involved in nefarious activities, but my soul knows he would never hurt me. I knew from the first time we met, when he was checking me so thoroughly for injury, that I was safe in his arms. Stop daydreaming about your hunky skating student and get your eyes back on the prize.

It takes an hour to shelve the rest of the books, and Ellie and I spend every minute chatting. I haven’t giggled this much in years, and I’m actually sad to be done with one of my least favorite tasks.

Locking up, I open my mouth to say goodbye, but Ellie beats me to it.

“Why don’t you come to dinner tonight at my parents’ house? We get together every Thursday. Teddy can’t make it tonight, so there’ll be an empty seat. And my nonna would love to meet you!”

She’s bubbling with excitement, and if I didn’t have an ulterior motive, I’d still accept her invitation. As it stands, this is the perfect way to get closer to the Santoris. A family dinner with everyone is almost too perfect, but I’ll count my blessings.

I don’t skip a beat answering her, and any twinge of guilt at my deception is snuffed out immediately as Conor’s face flashes across my subconscious.

“Absolutely!”

An adorable elderly lady greets us, giving Ellie a giant hug before turning to me.

I hold out my hand to introduce myself, but she beats me to it, pulling me into a hug instead.

“You must be Abby! Ellie let me know you would be replacing our Teddy tonight!” She pulls back with a big grin on her face. “You can call me Nonna.”