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“Sure,” he says softly before leaning in to brush his mouth across mine. “Eat. After we’re done, I’m going to give you a tour, then hop in the shower before I head back over to the hospital. I don’t want Diana alone when she comes out of surgery.”
“Why do you call her Diana?” I ask, picking up my sandwich, and he laughs.
“She’s always said she’s too young to be a grandmother and refused to allow any of us to call her Grandma. Once, Val did, and she made him suck on a bar of soap in front of us. None of us dared to test her again after that,” he explains, and I laugh.
“Where is your grandfather?”
“He passed away from a heart attack when I was sixteen.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be too sorry. Giorgio was an asshole who made Ricardo look like a saint.”
“That bad?”
“Worse,” he mumbles around a bite of his sandwich.
Feeling like I’ve gotten more than enough information out of him, I lean into his side and eat. When we’re done, I don’t make him take me on a tour of his house. Instead, I climb into the shower with him, then let him wrap me in one of his shirts before he kisses me goodbye and takes off, leaving me alone in his penthouse apartment in the sky.
20
ELORA
40.7128° N, 74.0060° W
I’ve never had much idle time—time to just sit around and do nothing. So, you’d think I’d relish in the ability to laze about, read a book, or maybe even just explore Roman’s house and dig through his drawers to see if I can find anything interesting.
But I don’t relish in the time alone to just be.
Instead, I pace the floor in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and watch the minutes tick by.
Pausing in front of the glass, I look out over the city with my stomach in knots.
“I should just go,” I whisper to no one but myself.
Regardless of the fact that spending any more time with his family sounds like torture, I should be there to make sure he’s okay. I should be there in case he needs me. Even if I have to sit in the waiting room alone, it’s better than sitting here. Before I’ve made up my mind, my feet are already carrying me past door after door until I reach his bedroom.
Even in here, there is a spectacular view of the city out the windows, and like the rest of the house, every inch is decorated in a way that I know someone was paid to pick each piece. Walking into his closet that is as large as the apartment I used to have back in Wyoming, I go to my bag that is still open on the floor from earlier.
Dropping to my knees, I dig through for something to wear, then strip off his shirt and get dressed right there. When I’m done, I carry his shirt back to the bedroom and leave it on the end of the bed so I can wear it later before I grab my purse and slip my feet into my sandals.
Going to the front door, even though Roman pointed out the private elevator just off the living room, I leave, shutting the door behind me and walking across the carpeted floor to the elevator. After I press the button, it seems to take forever for the doors to open up, and by the time they do, my body is filled with a nervous energy that makes my hands shake.
Pressing the button for the lobby, I watch the numbers go down one by one, then step out, feeling a sense of relief to be back where solid ground is beneath my feet.
“Elora,” Jess calls my name as I start to walk past the front desk. “Your packet is ready.”
“Oh, thanks for reminding me.” I accept the card she holds out.
“That’s your access card and ID to get into the building. Once everyone recognizes you, you won’t need to use it as often, but if anyone questions why you’re here, you just show them that.”
“Thank you, Jess.”
“Any time. Are you leaving?”
“I’m going over to join Roman at the….” I don’t finish. I don’t know what he wants people to know about his personal life. “I’m just meeting up with Roman.”
“Well, have a great evening. My shift ends in an hour, so if I don’t see you when you get back, I’ll see you around.”
