Page 85 of The Fall Affair

His eyes flickered to the shirt and back to me. “Keep it anyway.”

“Okay.”

I laid my palms on his chest. “Thank you for dinner last night.”

“Anytime.”

I pushed to my toes and brushed a soft kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you…soon.”

***

Not one single customer.

I wasn’t actually surprised since Matteo was right—no shops were open on Sunday around here. But the quiet of the day made escaping my thoughts pretty much impossible.

Why didn’t I just go with him to his family’s for dinner? I’d already agreed to date him, and we’d slept together. I picked up the broom and started sweeping the shop, trying to prove I had a valid reason. But after ten minutes of pushing the broom around, my pile on the floor amounted to little more than a piece of lint. Wiping down the already sparkling counters didn’t give my excuse any more legitimacy, and by the time I was done polishing all the gleaming silver, I couldn’t even pretend to myself anymore. My shoulders slumped.

I’m afraid.

Not afraid of meeting his family, or the food, or making small talk. I was terrified of Matteo, of the way he made me feel. Even now, my heart picked up speed as I thought of him. Meeting his family was the natural progression in our relationship. Heck, I’d already met his sister. But it screamed serious.

I took a deep breath and admitted something to myself that I’d known for a while: I was falling for Matteo. And I was pretty sure he was falling for me.

That last thought caused a fresh wave of guilt. Matteo had done so much for me—the manual labor, the errands, teaching me to ride the Vespa, taking the trip to Positano. And even more than those things, there were all the little ways he’d tried to make me feel safe, wanted, seen, and heard. In return, he’d asked so little of me. And that’s what I’d given him—so little.

Damn it. I’m such an idiot.

I put down the roll of paper towels, no longer having the energy to keep up the farce of cleaning, and something caught my eye on the counter: the letter from Nonna. I remembered what she’d written about a safe.

Behind the counter, I lifted the area rug. Sure enough, there was a loose tile, just like she’d described. I grabbed a screwdriver from the closet to pry it out, and underneath I found the safe. When I opened it, on top was a neat stack of euros, more than I would need to refurnish the whole house. But it was what I found underneath that made me smile.

A small glass jar of silver glitter with a note that read: Sprinkle liberally when afraid.

I shook my head, smiling despite myself. Leave it to Nonna to turn something so simple into the reminder I needed now more than ever.

I tossed the cash back in the safe, spun the dial to lock it, and didn’t bother putting the tile back before running to the door. Maybe Matteo hadn’t left yet. It was only three thirty, and I wasn’t even sure how long of a drive it was to his parents’ house.

A lump formed in my throat as I ran across the lawn to his driveway and found his truck gone. Not allowing myself another excuse today, I ran back into the shop, grabbed my phone, and dialed Matteo’s number. He didn’t answer. Not the second time I tried either. Determination still pulsed through my veins, so on impulse, I decided to call someone else instead.

Chapter 28

Matteo

“ALLEGRA? WHAT YOU doing here?”

She was the last person I’d expected to find standing out front when I opened the door to my parents’ house.

“I…wanted to come.” She smoothed her hands over her dress and scratched her neck, a nervous habit I was starting to recognize. “I hope you don’t mind that I showed up unannounced. I tried to call, but you didn’t answer.”

“Not at all.” I smiled. “I’m happy to see you. But how did you know where to go?”

The door swung open wider behind me, and my sister wedged herself between us. She pulled Allegra into a hug. “You made it.” Luciana gave me a smug look. “You’re welcome, little brother.”

I shook my head. The one hundred twenty seconds she’d spent in this world before I arrived were the longest two minutes of my life.

“Come on.” Luciana tugged Allegra’s hand. “Everyone’s out back.”

I would’ve liked a few minutes alone with Allegra before she was thrown to the wolves, but there was no stopping my sister. She looped her arm with Allegra’s and led her through the house, voices growing louder as we headed toward the back door. I followed and almost walked into Allegra as she stopped short at the threshold.