AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Right away.” She nods and rushes around, taking out a plate and bread, then asks, “Do you want something specific?”
“It’s for Rosa. Just make them how she usually likes them. Thank you.”
The maid busies herself preparing the food, but I notice her throwing looks my way every couple of seconds. When she’s done, she brings over a plate with two sandwiches and a napkin, offering these to me.
“Ham. With extra cheese.”
“Thank you, Grace. Good night.”
Her eyes widen at hearing me say her name, but she quickly composes herself. “Good night, Mrs. Rossi.”
I carry the sandwiches to the third floor, walk down the hallway, and knock on Rosa’s door.
“I’m not here!” comes from the other side.
I roll my eyes. It’s like I’m listening to my sister. Andrea gets extremely cranky when something is not going her way. I grab the knob with my free hand and open the door. Rosa is lying on her stomach across the bed, fully engrossed in whatever’s happening on the phone set in front of her.
When she sees me standing in the doorway, she springs up, staring at me. “What are you doing in my room? Get out or...” Her eyes land on the plate in my hands. “No mayo?”
“No mayo.” I approach the bed, place the plate next to her, and turn to leave.
“How did you meet my dad?”
I stop. “He jumped into the pool and saved my life.”
“You’re lying.”
“Nope,” I call over my shoulder. “Ask him yourself if you want.”
“He really saved your life?”
I smile inwardly and turn around. “Want to hear about it?”
“Yes!” she exclaims, her eyes wide. “Tell me.”
I plop down on the small sofa in the corner of the room and lean back. “I was a little bit younger than you. It was my sixth birthday party. All of us kids were running around the garden playing. One of my shoelaces was untied, and when I kneeled to tie it right next to the pool, my friend’s cousin ran by me and pushed me into it.”
“You fell into a pool?”
“Yup.”
“And Dad saved you?”
“Jumped right in, clothes and all. The pool wasn’t deep, but I was little and could have drowned.”
“Wow,” she says, then tilts her head, regarding me. “Is that why you married him? Because he saved your life?”
I laugh. “No. I married him because my grandfather and your father agreed that it would be for the best. It’s how things sometimes work.”
“So, you don’t love him?”
Do I? To truly love someone, I would need to love the person the way they wholly are, the best and the worst about them. I’ve been in love with the idea of Luca since I can remember, and I’ve been obsessing over him for the last few years like a crazy woman. Is that love? Or just a crush? I’ve never felt anything similar for another man, that’s for sure.
“I like him.” I nod.
“I heard Tiyana’s sister say my dad is hot. What does that mean?”
I blink, slightly confused about how to explain. Rosa is only seven, even if her attitude screams preteen at times. “It means he looks nice.”
