Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Effie swallowed the mouthful of risotto. She cleared her throat and took a sip of wine. “I thought he was arrogant and didn’t belong in my diner,” she stated honestly. “But he kept coming back. Kind of like a stray cat. Finally, I took pity on him.”
Nonna laughed loudly, Vi and Aldo chuckled, and I grinned. I loved it when she was lippy.
“She loved me right away, Nonna. I could tell.”
Nonna rolled her eyes. “Ego. Such a male thing.”
Now Effie laughed. “He has a big one.”
I bent close to her ear. “Are we talking about my ego now, Little Tiger?”
She blushed and pushed me away. I chuckled and picked up my wine. Nonna beamed.
After we ate, Effie and Vi went for a walk, and I helped Nonna in the kitchen getting dessert and coffees.
“She is a delight,” Nonna mused.
“She makes him different,” Aldo added.
I scowled at him, and Nonna smacked my arm. “He is right.”
“You can go join your wife now,” I instructed. “Make sure Vi isn’t giving Effie instructions on how to be more like her. She is already too mouthy.”
Aldo laughed, carrying the tray outside, leaving Nonna and me to wait for the coffee.
“He is right,” she repeated. “You are different with her.”
I shrugged, knowing she was right but not wanting to admit it.
“You care.”
I nodded, refusing to discuss it.
“Is she in my suite?” Nonna asked, a twinkle in her eye.
I met her gaze. “No.”
“Ah.”
“She was hurt. I needed to watch over her.”
“And now?” she challenged.
I sighed. “I like her with me,” I admitted.
“I want to see more of her. More of you. I know you are busy, but you need to live outside work.”
“I’ll try, Nonna.”
“You can send her to me to visit. She and Vi will keep me young.”
“I will.”
“She is good for you.”
I sighed. “Too good for me.”
“No. Just good. I like her.” She smiled and slipped her hand into her pocket. She pulled out a small box and tucked it into mine. “You might need this.”
I knew what it was without looking. “Nonna,” I chastised.
She shook her head. “Put it away, then. But trust me, I know what I see.”
And she left me.
We drove back to the hotel, the afternoon sun high. Effie was quiet but more relaxed. It had all gone well. Nonna liked her. Approved. Aldo saw Effie was fine. Vi was Vi. Amusing, disrespectful, and full of laughter. It was easy to see Aldo was crazy for her.
Effie liked Nonna. They had talked gardens and cooking. Nonna told her how much she loved the bagels I had brought her. She made Effie promise to come and teach her how to make them. She, in turn, promised to show Effie how to make the risotto.
It all went well, yet I was tense. Uneasy. It felt as if my nerves were on the outside of my body. Exposed. I didn’t like it.
At the hotel, we parked and headed upstairs, Effie’s expression turning sadder. In the suite, I looked at her, unsure.
“What is it?” I asked, sounding a little curt.
“How can you leave all that beauty and come here to these four walls? The sun and the breeze, the peacefulness of your estate,” she wondered. “That lovely house.”
I shrugged off my jacket and leaned against the desk. “I have responsibilities. The hotel. The casino.”
“Don’t you have people to handle all that?”
“Your point?”
“You seem to be missing out on so much life.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nonna was no doubt filling your head with her words.”
“She worries about you.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“She wants you to be happy.”
I crossed my arms, studying her, suddenly annoyed.
“I am perfectly content with my life. Should I remind you today was simply an act to let Nonna think we were a couple? We’re not, Effie, really. We have a relationship, but that is different. I am not looking to change my life. I am especially not looking to give up my hotels or businesses and settle down. I have zero desire for a wife or children.”
I saw the look of hurt that crossed her face. But she squared her shoulders.
“What are we exactly, Roman?”
“I am your protector. Your lover.”
“You forgot jailer.”
I laughed, the sound unamused. “Your jailer is keeping you safe. You have everything you need. Everything you ask for.”
“I didn’t ask for this.”
“Neither did I.”
She swallowed. “I thought you cared. You said—”
My anger was beginning to grow. Her questions came too close to the ones I was asking myself. I pushed off the desk, cutting her off and grabbing my jacket, shrugging it on. “This is me caring, Effie. If I didn’t, you’d be dead by now. Or wishing you were. Try to show some gratitude. I asked you to pretend to be more today. You did a good job. We both did. Let’s end the acting now.”
“That’s all it was?”