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Ugo’s face dropped, and Wyatt lowered his phone.
Present Day
Ugo tipped the bellman as the last of our luggage was removed from the room and packed away in his trunk.
“I’m gonna check out. Are you good here?” Ugo, who had been hovering since I told him my plan, looked worried.
“I’m fine.” I forced a smile and pulled my mascara from my makeup bag. “I’ll be down in a few minutes. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
“All right.”
I turned back to the mirror and leaned forward, brushing the small black wand over my eyelashes. It was nice to see a little color back in my cheeks.
Just take it one day at a time.
The door opened, and I closed my eyes and lowered my head. Ugo was wonderful, but he was like a hovering mother hen. Between him and Wyatt, I could barely take a breath without them wondering what was wrong.
“I know you’re worried about me and my idea, but I got this.”
“Do you really?” His voice made my eyes pop open, and I whirled to find a vibrating Elio glaring at me from the doorway. His normal attire of a pressed shirt, tie, and jacket was not even close to what he wore right now. He looked disheveled, his shirt was partially unbuttoned, and his face was furious.
“We need to talk.” He held up the letter I’d written and looked fit to kill. “Now!”
No.
“What the hell are you doing here, Elio!” I couldn’t do this now.
* * *
A half an hour later, I took a deep breath and let anger pour off my body, completely ignoring those around me as I pushed away from the elevator wall and stepped out into the lobby, leaving those on the elevator glad to see us exit. Elio, whose knuckles were bloody from punching the wall upstairs, turned to glare at me. We both stood our ground in the lobby. We glared our loathing for one another, then without a single word, we flew off in opposite directions.
Ugo appeared in a flash and looked me over then took my makeup bag from my clenched fingers.
“Ah?”
“Don’t,” I warned him. “It’s not worth it.”
“Was that Elio?” Wyatt said his name, and I felt my stomach heave. “Sienna, what did he say?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“Come on, Si. You were up there for almost thirty minutes.”
“He wanted closure, Wyatt.” I laughed darkly, not caring who heard me. “And I gave him some.”
“Did you at least tell him about what Mariano did? How he was working with Nonna Greta?”
“No.” I spoke quietly in case Elio was still within hearing range. The last thing he needed right now was to go flying off the deep end. There were bigger issues to deal with.
“Why not?”
“Mariano’s day is coming. I don’t want the attention or a verbal lashing for not telling him sooner.”
“Sienna, I really think—”
“Wyatt, just drop it, okay? I’m not part of that anymore.” I whirled and handed the front clerk a small, padded envelope. “Could you please make sure this goes out in today’s mail?”
“Sure thing.”
