Page 104 of Harbor

“No, I’m good,” he said, crossing his arms.

Yeah, she figured.

Lucia almost laughed, but managed to hold it back. “Then we have nothing else to say here. Daddy and the rest of them are upstairs.”

Her brother still didn’t move from the entryway.

“So that’s it for us, then? You’re going to go back to California in a couple of weeks, and you won’t even bother with me at all while you’re here? Nothing at all?”

“Don’t take it personally, John. It’s all of them, not just you.”

There.

Let him take that however he wanted to take it. She didn’t know how else to make it clear to John. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything else. He was quick to leave her alone which was what she thought she wanted the most.

Maybe that was her problem …

Maybe she found comfort in loneliness now.

Who knew?

Not her.

Lucia wasn’t sure how long she sat alone in the living room before she felt yet another presence in the entryway. Long enough for the reality show to change to something else she wasn’t interested in, of course. Story of her life, lately.

She didn’t even bother to turn and see who was in the entryway this time. She figured they would get the hint that she wasn’t up for conversation if she kept ignoring them, but apparently she hoped for too much. This time, the voice was enough to instantly make her angry.

Hell, even with John it had taken a few minutes of conversation before she was ready to kill him with nothing more than her words. Not this time.

“Your brother mentioned that you weren’t very … welcoming to him,” her father said quietly.

Lucia sucked in a long inhale, and let it out slowly. “Maybe that should be a warning for you as well, Daddy. If you haven’t gotten the hint since I came home for this break, I’m not interested in spending time with you, him, or … well, anyone, really. Not really sorry about it, either.”

Lucian made a noise under his breath. “I was hoping that you might allow me to extend an olive branch, of sorts.”

She didn’t know what in the hell he was talking about, or what on earth he could offer her next to Renzo—impossible now—that might bring a bit of peace between them. God knew her lines were clearly drawn in the sand where her father was concerned. She wasn’t even trying to hide it. The fact that he continued to ignore them sounded like a problem he had to deal with. She wasn’t changing how she felt about him any time soon.

“Would you like an olive branch?” her father asked.

“Honestly, Daddy, I don’t care what you do.”

Let him make what he wanted of that statement.

Lucian sighed. “All right, Lucia. I tried … not that it changes what I planned to do, anyway.” She peered at him from the side, but he wasn’t even looking at her, then. “Rose and Diego Zulla. I have their contacts after pulling some information. I thought you may like to have it. Perhaps visit them, even, while you’re home. If you’re—”

“Yes,” Lucia said instantly.

She couldn’t even pretend to be disinterested in that.

She wondered about Diego all the time. She didn’t know Rose’s number to call her—her contact had always just been labeled as Rose in Renzo’s phone. Lucia tried looking for the girl’s number, but found nothing. Like it had been changed to private after the whole Renzo ordeal. She bet the damn reporters got ahold of it, and wouldn’t stop calling Rose for a comment. Not to mention, from the articles Lucia found, Rose had been the one to fight and win custody of Diego after he’d been placed in foster care.

Lucian smiled faintly as his gaze turned back on Lucia. He nodded once, and turned to leave her alone once more. Over his shoulder, he said, “I will get you the info, and make sure you have a vehicle to take with you when you’re ready to go visit them. Oh, and Lucia?”

“Yeah?”

“This olive branch isn’t meant to be an attempt to earn back your forgiveness. And it is not meant to be an apology from me. You’re not ready to give me anything, and you’re not willing to hear my apologies just yet. I know that—whether you believe it or not, I understand, too. Just so you’re aware. I love you, vita mia.”

That was another problem.