Page 43 of The Taste of Deceit

I start stacking plates.

Daddy stands, stretching his back.

“Sweet girl.”

I look up.

“Come help me feed the chickens.”

I grin.

“Okay.”

Daddy looks across the table at Luca.

“You mind giving Adele a hand with the dishes?”

Luca doesn’t hesitate.

“Of course, sir.”

Mama waves him off.

“Oh, honey, you don’t have to.”

He smiles.

“I’d like to.”

Daddy gives him a single nod.

“Appreciate it.”

I catch Luca’s eye as Daddy heads for the mudroom.

“I’ll be back.”

“Go,” Luca says with a smile. “I’ll survive.”

Daddy and I head toward the chicken coop, the gravel crunching beneath our boots. Halfway there, he slips an arm around my shoulders.

“Luca seems like a good man.”

I turn my head and look up at him.

His eyes stay on the path ahead.

“He listens more than he talks.” Daddy steps over a patch of mud before continuing. “He’s respectful without trying too hard. Doesn’t seem interested in proving anything.”

I watch him for another step.

“And the way he looks after you…” He shakes his head once. “Most men don’t even realize they’re doing those little things.”

My gaze drops to the ground in front of us.

Daddy reaches for the gate.

“I like him.”