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But things were different now. I was starting to see the possibility of a future with this man. I just had to find a way to be able to trust him. I needed to try and move past everything that had happened between us previously.
I picked up the garlic I needed and hurried back to the pay counter at the front of the store.
After paying and on our way back to the car, Camillo spotted a pet store and pointed it out to me. “Come on, Cate, let’s get something for the dog.”
I was puzzled. Camillo wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of Mr. Fluffy, and I didn’t see him as the sort of guy that would buy gifts for a dog. But I followed him into the pet store and watched him while he looked through the dog toys for something Mr. F might like.
Later when we started to make dinner, as expected, Juliana offered to help. “Hey guys, what are you cooking? I can help.”
“No, Juliana, that’s alright,” said Camillo quickly. “Mr. F looks like he wants to go for a walk.’
“He’s already been for both his walks today.”
“Yeah, but you know it was so hot earlier. It’s probably better to take him out at this sort of time, what with his big fur coat. I think he’s finding this heat a bit much. He’s not used to it.”
“Do you really think so?” Juliana frowned slightly as she considered what Camillo had said.
“Yeah, I do. Also, I got him this new toy today.” He pulled out what we had bought earlier. It was a frisbee decorated with pictures of bones. “I thought you and him might like to play with it together. And now that it’s a bit cooler, he can have a really good run around.”
“Have you poisoned it or something?” asked Juliana suspiciously.
“No, of course it’s not poisoned. Can’t a guy just do something nice for once? Look...” Camillo went to the door and threw the frisbee. Mr. Fluffy started barking and ran off to retrieve it. He picked it up in his mouth and ran back to us, wagging his tail madly and barking for Camillo to throw it again.
“Hey, that’s a really cool toy. He loves it,” exclaimed Juliana.
“Yeah, I knew he would. I’m pretty good with dogs, you know.”
I looked at Camillo, trying not to show my bewilderment at his sudden transformation intothe dog whisperer.
Juliana took the frisbee from Mr. F’s mouth. “Maybe you’re right. It probably is a better time to take him for a walk when it’s a bit cooler. And now that he’s seen that frisbee, he’s not going to leave me alone until we have a good play with it. Are you sure you don’t need any help with dinner?”
“Yes, we’re fine,” Camillo said emphatically. “You go and play with Mr. F and we’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”
“Okay and thanks for the gift, Camillo.” Camillo looked surprised at the hug Juliana gave him.
She went out into the gardens with Mr. Fluffy, and I felt slightly bad about misleading her, but it was probably better than hurting her feelings by telling her that she was a lousy cook.
“Let’s get started on Nonna’s meatballs. She’ll be impressed I’m trying to cook for my husband.”
“They do say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” grinned Camillo.
“Yes, but I’m not trying to get anywhere near Alessio’s heart. That is, if he even has one.”
Camillo stared at me intently but said nothing. Even though he looked like a thug, I realized that he was probably more perceptive than I had given him credit for.
I got started on making the meatballs. “What do you need me to do?” asked Camillo, looking at the rest of the ingredients.
“What can you do?”
“I’ve never cooked anything in my life.”
“How can you get to the age of eighteen and never have cooked anything?”
“Alessio and Marco do all the cooking and if I want a snack, I always manage to sweet-talk Debi or Danio into making it for me.”
“You’ve got them all wrapped around your little finger.”
“Hey, I’m a pretty likable guy, haven’t you noticed?”
