“It’s okay,” she said, trying to wave it off as if the loss of her beloved stuffie wasn’t really a big deal.
But inside, it was crushing her.
She hoped he was okay. Maybe someone who would take care of him would find him. He deserved a good home.
“You let us worry about him,” Matteo continued. “Right now, I think you need to eat.”
But food wasn’t Annika’s biggest concern at the moment. Suddenly, standing inside the nice home, she was acutely aware of the fact that she hadn’t bathed in days. She’d been able to shower at one of the missions earlier in the week. But the soap and water had long worn off. Hopefully she didn’t smell too bad.
Her clothes were dirty and tattered, too. Gosh, she probably looked so pathetic! Were these nice people going to grow tired of her stench and kick her out tonight? She couldn’t blame them if they did.
She hated asking for help. But if she was going to hang around, she didn’t want to offend them with her dirtiness. And a nice house like this deserved better than some grimy girl sitting on the fancy furniture.
“Actually, Sir, would it be okay if I took a shower first? If it’s not too much trouble. I can clean the bathroom when I’m done.”
Matteo took her hands in his and looked deeply into her eyes. “Sweetpea, of course you can. You don’t even have to ask. But forget about cleaning the bathroom. You don’t have to do that.”
“Thank you, Sir, but it’s the least I can do for your kindness.”
He shook his head. “Come on. I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
It was just her and Matteo as they walked out of the kitchen, to the staircase, and to the second floor. But for some reason, she wasn’t nervous to be alone with him.
She couldn’t explain it.
Normally she found herself a tad skittish in the presence of men she didn’t know. Time on the streets could easily do that to a young lady.
But things were different with Matteo. Her soul felt at ease.
“This is your room,” he told her as he stepped inside one of the open doors in the center of the long hallway. “My room is right across the hall. So if you need anything, I’m close.”
Annika suppressed a giggle. Now probably wasn’t the time to make innuendos.
Actually, it would probably never be the time. He didn’t want a girl like her.
She could sure think of a few things she needed, though. Things a big, strong, sexy man like Matteo could give her.
Mmm. Yummy…
She felt slightly guilty for even thinking of such things. Matteo was being incredibly kind to her. There was no sense in reading more into the situation than it was.
You’re just a charity case, Annika. He doesn’t want the gross street urchin.
Silencing the voice inside her head, she concentrated on what her host was asking her.
“Do you want a shower or bath?”
She thought for a moment and then said, “Both sound lovely. But I probably need to shower. I, uh, got a lot of dirt and junk on me.” She dipped her head, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
“Oh, then you could shower before you bathe. That would give us time to take care of some stuff downstairs. Like prepping dinner.”
She looked up at him. “You wouldn’t mind me doing both?”
He smiled. “Honey, I don’t mind you doinganything. You treat this as your home. Because that’s what it is now.”
What did he mean by that? Surely he wasn’t implying she could just live there indefinitely. She would never take advantage of his kindness in such a way.
