AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wish I could snap a picture of Dante’s face right now. It’s exactly what I was hoping his reaction would be. His dark eyebrows are hidden somewhere in his hairline, and his eyes are wide as dinner plates as he stares at me. A mixture of disbelief, panic, and what-the-fuck energy pours from him, and I can only hold in my laughter for so long.
“Oh my god, I’m kidding!” I say before breaking down into laughter. Dante’s eyes narrow into suspicious little slits, which only makes me laugh harder. “I would never kill a rabbit.”
Dante opens his mouth, but I hold my hand up, stopping him. He looks equally as taken aback by that action as he was by my naked moonlight dance, and I won’t lie, I love it.
“Kidding again,” I tell him with a smile. “I’m not into crystals and don’t dance naked, in the moonlight or otherwise.”
He mutters something that sounds like, “Too bad.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
I stare at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he said. Dante gives nothing away, so I drop it for now.
“It’s almost seven, so I need to get up to the main house and start on breakfast and morning meds. Are you ready?”
Dante stares out the window at the main house, a look of unbearable vulnerability cracking his usually rough exterior. I have no idea what happened between him and his father, but I’m having a hard time reconciling the harsh, clipped man from the texts we’ve shared over the months with the lost man standing in front of me.
He looks so fragile, and I have the urge to hug him. I don’t, of course. His head might explode.
I do, however, loop my arm in his, catching him off guard. Something tells me this man isn’t often surprised by people, and I’m honored to be among the few.
Dante grows rigid, peering down at me with confusion and shock.
I shine my brightest smile at him and tug him toward the door. “Come on, Mr. Santarossa. The only way out is through.”
“That’s not true,” he counters as I drag him outside. “There are many ways out of a situation without going through it. You look at available resources, possible hurdles, and desired outcomes.”
“Mm-hm. Well, it seems you’ve tried all that when it comes to your father, yet here you are.” I give him a pointed look, and I swear to God, he pouts. It’s freaking adorable and makes me want to pinch his cheeks. I don’t, for fear he might snap my fingers off. “Let’s try things my way today.”
“Why do I feel like those are famous last words?” he mutters, eyeing me up and down.
I shrug and smile, trying to keep up the positive energy. “I guess we’ll find out.”
We make it into the house, and I get some water going in the electric kettle for Raul’s morning tea and oatmeal. Gathering a mug and bowl, I set them on the counter and pull out a packet of English Breakfast tea, along with the container of steel-cut oats.
Next, I grab the locked box of pills on the counter and dial in the code. One by one, I pull out the various medications. Some for pain, others to regulate the input and output of certain organs, and a few to counteract the side effects of all the other meds.
I notice Dante has barely moved, so I look over my shoulder at him and see him standing in the corner, looking completely out of place. He shuffles his weight from side to side, then crosses his arms before uncrossing them and shoving them in his pockets. Anxiety radiating off him, and I’m sure if I could take a peek behind that steel wall he has around his heart, I’d see it hammering away out of fear.
“That’s a lot of pills,” Dante says, his words tinged with guilt.
“I’ve had clients who take more,” I say with a shrug. Truthfully, it is a lot because Raul is in bad shape. I seem to be the only one around here not in denial about that. Still, I don’t want to pile on when Dante is clearly having a rough day. “Come on,” I encourage, waving him over. “You can go ahead and make the coffee.”
This earns me another puzzled and slightly offended look from the enigmatic Dante.
I laugh at how shocked he is.“Sorry, but I had to see what you’d do if I gave you an order. You did not disappoint.”
Dante furrows his brow, but I’m sure I see the corner of his lip twitch. That’s almost a quarter of a smile. I’m determined to get him to show me his full smile one of these days.
“Should my father be drinking coffee with all of that?” He nods toward the cup of pills sitting on the counter.
“The coffee is for you,” I say as I pour the boiling water from the kettle into the mug of tea and the bowl of oatmeal. “You clearly need it.”
Before Dante can reply, I place everything on a tray and set it on the dining room table in front of Raul’s chair as I hear theclick-click-dragsound of the walker coming down the hall. A moment later, Raul enters the kitchen, giving me as much of a smile as he ever does. Then his gaze falls on Dante, and he scowls.
Good lord, this is going to be a pain in the ass.
