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Tanner quips some smart comeback to my brother that includes the wordsjackandassin the background as Drew laughs.
Drew doesn’t sound concerned, so I shouldn’t be. It’s probably a misunderstanding. I hope it is. I can’t imagine Dad having an affair. Working for the police means his life is about right and wrong. But maybe I’m being naïve. Nothing’s black and white. There’re all shades of gray in-between.
I open my phone’s camera roll to select images to send to Mum. I include the photo of me and Logan at The Vatican. The one where I’m definitelynotsmiling. Mum will like it. I haven’t sent any with Logan to her. Plus, it’ll be evidence I haven’t murdered him yet.
I drop my phone onto the bed as there’s a soft knock on the door.
“Come in.” I sigh.
Logan’s lucky the call from Drew has sucked all the energy from me and left me feeling numb. Because otherwise I’m sure I could go for round two if he makes any smartass comments.
The door cracks open and something white is stuck through it, attached to a coat hanger.
Logan waves it like a truce flag.
“I thought your feet might be cold.” He steps inside, pulling the slipper from the coat hanger and handing it to me, along with the second one in his other hand. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t throw them at me this time.”
I take both from his hands and nod, my throat thick as I keep my eyes cast down. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Is that an apology?”
“It’s an acknowledgment of potentially un guest-like behavior,” I say.
“Then I accept. On the condition that you accept this as my acknowledgment of un host-like behavior.” He holds his phone out in front of me and I lift my head to look at it.
“Why are you showing me a red room? I don’t want to know about Walrus kinks.”
His lips curl into a gentle smile. “It’s the royal box at Teatro alla Scala. Sterling gave us tickets to see a show.”
“He did?” Despite Drew’s phone call, my stomach flutters as I give the phone screen my full attention. The red velvet seats are lined up facing the stage in the private viewing box beneath beautiful golden architraves.
“It’s a love story. Right up your street,” Logan adds.
I wait for him to comment about the audiobook again. But he’s silent.
My eyes flick to his face and back to the phone screen. “But that’s in Milan. We aren’t going back there.”
“We can if you want to. I can move some of the Rome meetings around, have some when we come back here after Milan. It’d mean extending our trip, though. Your call.” He slides his phone back into the black joggers he’s put on.
One day extra with Logan.
Before our fight, nothing could have persuaded me to consider it. But now? It’s like the release of all the shouting, combined with the complete dragging sensation in my gut from Drew’s phone call, has gotten me needing to cling to something positive. To escape the real world.
“Wouldyoulike to go?” I ask.
“Yes.” His eyes hold mine as he answers without hesitation.
I remain silent for a few beats.
“But we don’t have—"
“Okay.” I swallow. “Thank you. I’d like to go.”
“Great. I’ll make the arrangements. You okay?” Logan’s brow knots.
I’m not trying to kill him with a slipper, of course he thinks something’s wrong. The atmosphere is a world apart from an hour ago when we were yelling at each other. But suddenly, I’m exhausted. The emotion of the whole day is weighing on my shoulders, making my stomach sore and my heart heavy.
“Just tired.”
