When we get back downstairs, we’re met by the two of them coming in from the opposite side of the vast entrance hall.
“I see you made it okay,” says Dario. He’s pulled on a black tanktop and has a hand resting on the boy’s shoulder. I nod in silence, eyes moving from father to son. In the back of my mind is a question that has been nagging me since that first night in the penthouse. He has a family. Where is his wife? Would he bring me here with her around?
“You remember Dani?” he asks. I nod again.
“Hello, Dani,” I say to the child with a smile. “I see your head’s healed up well.” I glance at the pink puckered line that is all that remains of the nasty gash.
“Sister Lovie!” the boy says, his face lighting up. He glances at his father, who inclines his head, before scampering over to me and taking my hand. “Papá said there was a surprise coming today. You must be it!”
I’m gobsmacked. “Um…sure.” I look at his father.
“Come through,” Dario says, nodding toward the area I’d seen earlier. We head down the hallway to the lounge beside the rose garden. The fragrance of flowers is rich and heady. When I sink onto one of the wide, white sofas, Dario flops into one across from me, an arm stretched along the back. Dani has settled beside me, dark eyes bright and curious.
“I’m so glad you came to visit, Sister Lovie,” the boy says. “I wanted to tell you that Noah doesn’t bother me anymore. He left the school!”
“Is that so?” I say. Doesn’t surprise me, somehow.
“Are you staying long? Will you have dinner with us?” He looks at his father, then back at me. I have no idea what to say. I’m just a little unsettled by how pleased he is to see me. I only met the boy once. Is he that starved for female attention?
“Sister Lovie is going to stay with us, Dani,” Dario says. The boy’s mouth drops open.
“Really?” He bounces in his seat slightly. “For how long?”
“As long as you want,” Dario says. He looks at me. I’m speechless again. Is this what he wants from me? To look after his son? But where’s the mother? It’s a question I’m afraid to ask right now. “Sister Lovie is going to be your new friend.”
“Like Ana?” Dani asks.
“Yes. But better,” Dario says. “Sister Lovie will never go away.” His eyes are hard on me. I gulp.Never?
Dani has now bounced out of his seat. His childlike enthusiasm doesn’t seem to require any further explanation about what I’m doing here. He’s simply latched onto me without question. So lonely…it’s something I understand.
“Then I have to show you around!” he says, his voice filled with delight.
“Good idea, Dani,” his father says, standing. “I have to go out with Zio Mateo this evening. Cook will prepare your dinner, but I’ll be home in time to tuck you in.”
Dani is nodding eagerly, tugging me to my feet. As he pulls me past his father, I feel a touch on my arm.
“I will see you later,” he says, almost too low for me to hear.
“Don’t lock your door.”
Chapter 4
Nikki Love
Daniele Caraldi is a really cute kid, and he’s taken great pleasure in showing me around his home.
The family house is vast and sprawling. Rooms are impressive but designed for comfort. By any standards, Dani is a privileged child. He has a bedroom suite most boys could only dream of, a playroom with every conceivable game and toy, a basketball court, a playground, and the swimming pool I saw him in earlier. And despite the many servants, he’s alone here.
I’ve let his chatter flow over me all night. His school, his friends, his favorite toys. I’ve carefully avoided any probing questions, despite desperately wanting to know more about what my new life will entail.
I’m a mess of nerves.
I know that tonight, his father is coming for me.
By the time I head to my room at 8.30 p.m. I’m pretty sure I’m about to throw up. I shower and wash my hair, then sit at the dressing table that lines one wall of my dressing room.
I have a freaking dressing room!
