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“It’s our pleasure,” she said. “Carter said you were uncomfortable staying alone.” She was in denim jeans and a black blouse, her thin figure noticeable in the way her clothes fit her. She had fair skin like snow, looking much different from her son. With painted red lips and mocha-colored eyes, she didn’t look Italian, but she was definitely beautiful. I saw Carmen in her expression.
“Yeah, that house is just so big, and I get paranoid sometimes…” I didn’t want to elaborate since I couldn’t tell her the truth. “When Carter’s there, I feel safe. He’s the kind of man that can handle himself. But alone…I feel powerless.”
“Do you know how to use a gun?” she asked bluntly.
I’d never fired one in my life. “Actually, no.”
“Let me show you tomorrow. You’re welcome to stay here whenever you want, but learning to handle a gun might give you peace of mind. I know Carter has guns around the house, so if you ever need one, you’ll be prepared.” She didn’t dismiss my fears as ridiculous and offered a solution to the problem.
I shouldn’t be surprised that she’d made such an offer. I shouldn’t be surprised that she knew how to handle a gun. If she was married to Cane, it only made sense. They seemed to be a powerful family, gauging from my short interaction with Griffin. “Yeah, that would be great.”
She nodded. “I’ll let you freshen up before dinner. We take it in the dining room.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
After she left, I pulled out the phone Carter gave me and searched through it. His name was stored in the contacts, along with every other member in his family, even people I’d never met. I had his family tree right at my fingertips.
I joined them downstairs twenty minutes later.
Cane pulled out the chair for me before I sat down. Then he took the seat beside his wife and poured me a glass of wine. “Anything else we can get you, Mia?”
“No, thank you.” I ate my dinner, enjoying Carter’s mother’s cooking as much as she’d enjoyed mine. It was quiet for a while, since we didn’t know each other very well.
His mother kept looking at me, staring at my expression like she was searching for something. “How do you like working for my son?”
“Carter is great,” I said honestly. “He’s been very good to me.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” she said. “When he told us he was moving back to Tuscany, I could hardly believe it. It was such a change, and then he brought you along too. It seems like my son is growing up, changing his priorities without even realizing it.”
It was difficult to lie to someone’s face, especially when you were sitting in their house, eating the meal they prepared for you. I was tempted to come clean, to tell his mother the truth. But since this wasn’t my lie to tell, it would be wrong. I kept my mouth shut. “I started working for him in Milan. After Conway moved here, Carter told me how much he missed him, along with everyone else. I think that had a lot to do with it.” No, it was all because of me. I asked him to save me—and he did.
“That makes me very happy,” she said. “Cane and I have been so lucky with our children. They’re both amazing in their own ways. Having both of them so close is a blessing. I have a few friends who have had kids who’ve moved away…and it’s so heartbreaking to hear. We’ve been very fortunate.”
“Yes, the Barsettis are nothing short of wonderful.” Carter battled with the darkness he possessed, but he never allowed it to pull him under. He had extreme kindness in his blood, and even his darker moments were nothing close to evil. It actually made me like him more.
After dinner, I sat in the living room and watched TV with them. They sat together on the couch, his hand resting on her thigh. They continued to enjoy their wine, still happy and in love.
When it got late, I said goodnight and retreated to my room. The phone was on the bed where I’d left it, and I looked at the screen to see if Carter had called or texted. But the phone was blank. I shouldn’t expect anything from him, not when he didn’t owe me anything. He was a man I was sleeping with and nothing more. I shouldn’t worry about him the way a woman worried over her husband. It was the first time we’d ever been apart, and I missed him immediately. I’d been sleeping by his side for a long time now. Would I be able to sleep in this large bed alone?
I pulled my shirt over my head and unclasped my bra, my back to the door. I brought one of Carter’s t-shirts to sleep in, knowing his parents wouldn’t see me in my sleepwear. It was the most comfortable thing to wear, much better than pajamas.
