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Holding my best friend tightly, I met Ty’s eyes and mouthed,thank you.
Ty gave me a curt nod, but a small smile hovered around his mouth as he left the room. And, as though that hadn’t been cute enough, I caught him looking back as he strode away.
The last thing I’d expected this morning was waking up to Ty in our bedroom, much less the fact that he’d set up a secret art studio for me and retrieved my belongings.
But bringing Sara to breakfast?
I still couldn’t believe she was here, chattering with Flora in Italian because Sara’s brain made her some kind of polyglot whiz, in addition to her other math and technical skills. Nor could I believe that Ty had told me that she could come over anytime. It made me feel valued and important to him in a deeper way and it showed me that he cared about my happiness and my friend.
After all, Ty had done all of this for me. I knew that he’d been so busy and distant the past month because he’d been working to ensure that I was safe from his enemies and we could have a future together.
And Sara being here, more than anything, told me in no uncertain terms that future was here.
Once we finished breakfast, Flora brought us to a cozy den on the first floor, leaving a tray of sweets and coffee then closing the door behind her.
Sara sat up and narrowed her eyes, crossing one leg over the other and then folding her arms. “Well?”
“Well, what?” I asked, unsure whether to laugh or tell her to cut back on the caffeine.
“Lia, what the hell?” Sara exploded. “You all but vanish on me, then that guy — Daniel…” Here she paused, and I thought I saw a rosy blush rise on her high, angled cheeks. “He pops up out of nowhere as I try to get into my apartment.”
“Did you punch him in the face?” I asked.
“I tried,” Sara groused. “He blocked me, laughed and then said you were fine — safe. He wouldn’t answer my questions but Daniel insisted that I not go to the cops and call him if anyone asked me about you.” She heaved a sigh. “Then he shows up again, asks for my help to pack up your apartment and says that if I do, I can see you. So, me, Daniel and a bunch of tough-looking Italian guys boxed up your stuff.” She threw up her hands. “And now I’m here with a million questions.”
I took a sip of coffee and curled up on the cream-colored couch, leaning on a pillow. “You comfy?” Sara raised an eyebrow at my question. “It’s a long story.”
And so, I told her everything that had happened after our last phone call when she’d helped me hack into the cop’s computer, or as much as I could tell her, trusting Sara to read between the lines. Daniel and Tyler had obviously seen that Sara was brilliant and loyal; that she could figure things out and keep her mouth shut.
Sara grabbed a pastry and shoved it in her mouth, chewing vigorously when I finished. I watched her, sensing her mind was going a mile a minute and said lightly, “That had to answer half your questions at least.”
“It did,” she said once she’d swallowed. “More than half. And I’m happy for you, Lia.” Sara’s eyes softened as she looked at me. “You seem more awake and vibrant than you ever have since your mom died. I don’t carewhoyou date, as long as he makes you happy.”
“But?” I prompted.
“But I’m worried about the cop mistaking you for your mother,” Sara said quietly. “I’m worried about how Marina is connected to this.” Her dark brows pulled together. “Her death made no sense.”
“She gave up,” I said in a sharp tone. “What is there to understand?”
Sara winced. “What if Ty was one of them, one of the criminals your mother had been after? Did you think of that?”
I said nothing, the nightmare flashing behind my eyes and the distorted memory of finding my mother working at the kitchen table, the folder with the name “Tyler” on it.
Sara mistook my silence for anger and seized my hand. “I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking. I’ve been so worried about you, Lia—” She broke off, and tears shone in her eyes. “I hate that you had to clean up your dad’s mess. Now you’re dealing with something related to your mom. It’s all so unfair.”
“Sara,” I said and squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m okay, I promise.”
“Yeah, well,” Sara sniffed and sat back, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin. “A big, gorgeous Italian hunk looking at me like that and I would be pretty damn okay too.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Lia
Iwinked at Sara. “You havenoidea.”
The two of us collapsed into laughter. After that, Sara changed subjects, asking me about the art studio and confessing that she’d helped Ty and Daniel figure out most of the supplies and furniture to buy. Then she started to harangue me about putting a portfolio together and figuring out where I wanted to go to school or, at the very least, letting her finally make me a website so I could sell my pieces.
My heart overflowed with love and warmth, and the hours melted away. All too soon, Daniel knocked on the door and swaggered in with a smile that I'd never seen before, his eyes locked on Sara. She gave him a cool nod in return but I noticed Sara twisting her hair and making a big show of hugging me, her voice rising in a nervous babble.
