Page 13 of Sicilian Savior

We spent the next twenty minutes eating food, with Knox moaning over each bite. Our conversation stayed casual, and it felt so good to sit with someone and just talk and laugh again. It made me realize how lonely I’d been. It’d been so long I was surprised I could still carry on a casual conversation. But Knox made it easy. He was funny, funnier than I’d imagined someone who looked like him could be. And with every minute that passed, the tension that hadn’t left my body in a year started to seep out of me.

“And you were in the military, I’m guessing?” I asked as I set my plate off to the side and leaned back on my hands.

“Yep. I was an Army Ranger.”

“And after that? I’m still wondering how you’re retired at such a young age.”

The softness in him disappeared for just a split second, but long enough I noticed it. It caused my defenses to snap back into place.

“Uh, contract work.”

“Contract work?” I asked, furrowing my brow. “What does that mean?”

“Just government stuff. Nothing special. And what about you? You haven’t lived in Mountain Springs long, huh? Where are you from?”

Now it was my turn to freeze a little. I had a backstory ready, of course, but I’d never been a good liar before I was forced to for survival. Lying always set me on edge.

“Oh, just here and there,” I answered nonchalantly. “Nothing really exciting in my past. I just started making lotions and products in my home, and soon people started asking to buy them. So, I decided to start my own store.”

“But why did you move to Mountain Springs?”

“Just wanted a change, and I saw a storefront for rent here, so I went for it. Nothing too exciting. You finished?” I asked as I stood, hoping my change of subject worked and he wouldn’t press on.

“Yes. Unless I eat the plate, there isn’t anything left on there.” He chuckled.

“I’m so glad you liked it.”

“It may have been the best meal I’ve ever had. I’m going to be finding a lot of stuff around here to fix so I can keep eating your food. I don’t know how some people can cook like that. I practically burn water.”

I took his plate, glad it seemed to be working. “Did you get enough? There’s more if you’re still hungry.”

Knox blew out a breath and patted his flat abs. “My pants button is gonna pop if I have any more. But thank you.”

As I walked to the kitchen with the plates, he stood up and stretched. I caught just a glimpse of his stomach muscles when his white t-shirt lifted and noticed the black tattoo circling his belly button. And I also noticed his abs. They looked even better than I’d envisioned after seeing him in that wet t-shirt the other day. Saliva started filling my mouth, and not because I was still hungry.

“I’ve gotta use the bathroom. This way?” he pointed down the hall, and I nodded.

After I scraped off the dishes, I heard the toilet flush. A few moments later, Knox called my name. I set the dishes in the sink and went down the hallway.

“You’ve got some serious water damage on these walls,” he said, pointing to the dark spots crawling along my hallway. “I’m worried about mold.”

“Mold?”

“Yeah. That shit can do a lot of damage to your health if you don’t treat it. See this?” He kept moving down my hallway past my bedroom. “This could be a serious problem. I’m gonna get a test kit and check it out. You don’t want to mess around with mold.”

“Thanks, Knox. I never would have known that.”

As he continued looking around the hallway, he stopped when he reached the last door at the end. His brow furrowed when he looked inside, and he turned to me.

“Do you have a kid?” he asked, pointing into the room.

My heart stalled in my chest at the words.

He looked at me, brow furrowed, and I struggled to find the words. All I had to say is that the place came furnished, but I couldn’t make my mouth move. I couldn’t speak as the pain that weighed on me every minute of every day crushed me into the ground. I swallowed over the lump in my throat, trying once again to act blasé.

But I failed. The pain overcame my ability to adapt and lie. Like a steel rod, the agony speared me where I stood.

“Lucia?” he asked, noticing my tragic expression. “Are you okay?”