Could I follow him one night? The idea had crossed my mind more than once. I pictured myself slipping out of the house, trailing behind him at a safe distance, but I knew it would be impossible to leave without one of his watchdogs noticing.
Max always had someone watching me, yet I had no one watching him. Why was it that I couldn’t step out of line, but he could?
The more I thought about it, the more desperate I became for answers. Maybe I could find another way—something less risky but just as effective. Or maybe I could confront Max directly, look him in the eye and demand honesty. But how could I trust his answers? If he was lying, would I even be able to tell?
Doubts swirled around me, leaving me even more confused than I was before.
CHAPTER 36
ROSALIE
TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE WEDDING ...
Icouldn’t help but wonder how much Dimitri was getting paid. It was a curious thought that kept nagging at me, especially considering what he was doing—or rather, what he wasn’t doing.
The man just sat there on the couch all day long. He was completely absorbed in scrolling through the channels on the TV, and rather than using my time productively, I found myself sitting beside him.
My initial intention was to get some wedding planning done and send a few things to Daisy, maybe even read a book, but Dimitri’s mindless channel-surfing pulled me in.
Five o’clock had come and gone in what felt like the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, it was seven o’clock. Time was nothing but grains of sand slipping through my fingers.
Max had told me he’d be home for dinner by eight—a plan we’d made as he couldn’t meet me for breakfast this morning.
“Can you help me cook dinner?” I asked Dimitri as I sprung up from the couch, searching for a distraction. “A nice one, for Max. He’ll be home soon.”
Dimitri looked at me strangely, like the idea of him cooking was a foreign concept. His beard was large, almost comically so,making his slim facial features seem out of proportion. “Doesn’t Max have someone for that? I think her name is Bianca or something.”
“Well, she’s not here, is she?”
Dimitri groaned, glancing down at his phone to check the time. “Nah, probably not.”
“Okay,” I said, my voice light. “Then can you help me?”
“Oh,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I can’t cook, but if you need anything else, you let me know.”
My eyes rolled almost involuntarily. His attitude was starting to grate on my nerves. “Can you chop some onions or boil some noodles?” I asked, hoping for just alittlebit of assistance.
Dimitri shook his head, darting his eyes around the room. “Onions make me cry, and the steam from the pot gives me a headache,” he muttered.
I stood there wondering if the man could do anything at all. He was utterly useless. It was as if he were looking for every excuse he could find not to join me. His reluctance seemed almost personal. Why was it such an insufferable thought to him to spend time with me?
Taking a deep breath, I decided to do it without him.
I gathered the ingredients, set the pot on the stove, and began chopping onions alone. The persistent sound of the knife against the cutting board seemed to annoy Dimitri. I could see it in the way his eyes twitched with every chop.
Good.
I chopped some more.
Then he got off the couch and walked into the kitchen. “I swear, we’d better finish this before Max gets here. I don’t need to hear it from him.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the realization. Dimitri didn’t want to cook dinnerforMax. The thought was amusing—Maxcoming home to find Dimitri in the kitchen cooking his dinner. The image was so far out of character for him.
“I gotta be honest with you, I think Max would get a laugh out of this,” I said, imagining his reaction.
“I’d never hear the end of it.”
To my surprise, Dimitri helped more than I thought he would. He diced the tomatoes, stirred the sauce, and even managed to cook the pasta without fussing about the steam. It was almost ...fun? I started to see him as someone I could laugh with. He spoke about his wife, Anya, almost every time he opened his mouth. He loved his family and took so much pride in talking about them, especially his daughters.
