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Was I forgetting who Giancarlo was all because I liked him? I shook my head. “No, that doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
I jumped, nearly forgetting that I wasn’t in the house anymore. My face heated. “Sorry, nothing.”
The older man stared at me before moving away. I was losing my shit if I was talking to myself in public. I blew out a breath and waited to cross the road.
There was a small diner, and I made my way inside. Food was the last thing on my mind, but my stomach growled and cramped in protest. I was pretty certain it would start eating my spine if I didn’t put something in it soon.
“Hi, hun! Table for one?”
The thought of eating alone made me shake my head. “Do you have to-go?”
She nodded and handed over the menu. “You can sit at the counter over there and put your order in.”
“Thank you.” I took my seat and glanced over the menu.
Giancarlo knew exactly what I wanted. Thinking about him only brought back the memory of hearing someone cry for help. I was back at square one. I groaned as I laid the menu down. A woman sauntered over to me, a pen and paper in hand.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Um, yes.” I hadn’t looked enough, but she was already here. I didn’t want her to feel as if she’d wasted her time.
“I will have blueberry pancakes with bananas. Bacon, extra crispy. Eggs over easy. Oh, and orange juice.”
“We’re out of bananas. Will strawberries work?”
I didn’t like strawberries, but they weren’t the worst fruit. “Yes, that’s fine.”
“Anything else?”
At the last second, I decided to get Giancarlo something to eat. “Can I get the steak and eggs with sourdough bread? Egg sunny side up. With a side of biscuits and gravy. Extra gravy, please.” I’d make Giancarlo’s coffee at home.
“Coming right up.”
My stomach twisted in knots, and I could practically imagine Giacalro’s dark gaze boring into me. “Wait, actually...”
The waitress turned around, a smile still on her face as she waited for me to finish.
“Is it possible not to add the strawberries?”
“Oh, no problem. I’ll take it off now.” She scratched it off on the paper.
I’d done it. I spoke up for myself. Blowing out a heavy sigh of relief, a small smile tugged at my lips. My first instinct was to tell Giancarlo, but I quickly remembered the phone call and shoved the thought to the side.Not yet. I need a little more time.I fished in my pocket for the cash Giancarlo had left me. It was way more than I’d ever had.
I nodded, paid, and made sure to leave a tip as I waited for my food. Although it was busy, they had my order out in less than thirty minutes.
“Thank you.”
She smiled at me. “Have a good day.”
I waved on my way to the exit and took out my phone. I’d walked aimlessly before, but I would need a map to get home.
Phone and food in hand, I headed back toward the house. I still wasn’t sure how I would face Giancarlo after what I’d heard.Do I bring it up to him or pretend like I never heard anything?My stomach knotted further. What if I brought it up, and he got angry with me? My steps faltered. I didn’t want Giancarlo to be angry with me. There was always the possibility that he’d kill me, but I couldn’t picture it even after everything. Giancarlo killing me sounded like an improbability, like seeing a unicorn or werewolf. More likely, he’d just be upset. Why did it feel like that would be worse than death?
I swiped on the phone Giancarlo had bought me, and my finger hovered over his name. I wanted to ask him what I should do. What I should think.
“This shouldn’t be so hard.” I clicked back on the map and glanced up to make sure I was going the right way. The world moved in a blur as I was yanked off the sidewalk and dragged into the damp shadows of the alley. A shout clogged the back of my throat and stayed there as I stared back into familiar eyes.
