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It never worked. Not for long, at least. “I don’t know,” I say.
We sit, sipping our drinks, looking out over the Adriatic Sea, both lost in thoughts about our past. The sun warms our skin. The sound of the waves lazily lapping the surf soothes us. In this moment, all seems right with the world.
Rowan taps me on the shoulder. “You’ve got a call.”
I stand from the chair, brushing sand from my shorts. “Excuse me a moment.”
“Take your time!” Paisley gives me a smile from underneath her big sunglasses, then goes back to lounging.
Sand shifts under my feet as we make our way from the shore to the grassy area above. “Who is it?”
Rowan pins me with a pointed look. “Giovanni Russo. He wants to talk to you.”
At the sound of Gio’s name, a ripple of guilt tears through me. I was just lying on the beach, ogling his girl in her bikini, not to mention all the other things we’ve done. “What about?”
“I don’t know, boss, but you two are getting awful close. You think he won’t catch that when we show up in Italy in, what? A week?”
“Ten days,” I say. But who’s counting? Certainly not me, the number cruncher. But this mathematical equation feels a lot more personal.
How many days left with Paisley?
My crusty burnt exterior fully devoured by her, I am now what’s left: soft, squishy marshmallow insides. “Doesn’t matter. The moment we land, he’s her problem. Not mine.”
“Problem?” Rowan gives me the side-eye. “She doesn’t seem like too much of a problem to me. She’s really sweet. What twenty-one-year-old girl books a trip for her security team to go home and hang out with their bros instead of thinking about herself?”
“You know what I mean,” I growl.
Rowan stops me, grabbing my shoulder. “But she’s not his problem when we land. We’ll still be running security for her. You’re still going to have to watch her, but it will be from a distance.” He tightens his grip on my shoulder. “Watching her. With him. Are you going to be able to handle that?”
The full reality of what I’ve done, of what I’m going to have to do, sets in.
“I’ll have to. Won’t I?”
twenty-seven
Paisley
While Sav works, I spend the rest of my day researching, making tons of phone calls, and doing my own legal investigations. Of course, I call Lindy. She used to be an investigative journalist. That’s kinda how she found the family. She helps me out. There are a few pitfalls, as expected, a few dead ends, sure, but in the end I’m happy with what I’ve come up with.
Sav and I are going to have dinner, the two of us, on the terrace of my room overlooking the ocean. I can’t wait to share the information I’ve found with him. I take extra care to get ready. Sitting in front of the mirror, I see the glow in my cheeks from the sun and choose to forego the foundation and blush.
I wear a pale blue gown with a deep V and high slit, pairing it with silver hoop earrings and bangles. There’s a breeze coming in from the open glass doors of the balcony, so I opt for a light cardigan to go over the dress. I want to choose heels, but my dove-gray UGG boots are calling to me from where they’ve been unpacked for me in the closet.
“This will be cute,” I convince myself, choosing comfort over fashion. I slip my chilly feet into the sheepskin-lined boots and take in my reflection in the mirror. I look like I’m sleepwalking in a ballgown, but I’m warm and cozy. With the girls and a little leg on display, I doubt he’ll complain. “Perfect.”
I wish I was wearing a necklace, but I couldn’t find one that suited me. I need something to fiddle with. I play with the bangles at my wrist.
I’m…nervous.
Why? I’ve never been nervous around him before. I mean, unless you count when he’s putting body parts inside me for the first time. Even then, though…
I didn’t feel like this.
Tiny wings of butterflies dance in my belly, the anticipation of seeing him, having him alone, dining alone…
What will he wear? Will he use some of the light cologne I’ve come to notice when he’s around? And what will happen afterward? Will we…
“God, I sound like a kid!” I can’t spend another moment looking at my reflection. Turning on my thick boot sole, I face away from the mirror. I go out onto the balcony.
