Since I have no defense against that, I surrender the point to her.
Vinnie shakes her head at us both before a yawn escapes. “As much as I’ve enjoyed this conversation, I’m going to retire to my rooms now.” She smiles up at me.
Maya jumps to her feet. “Thank you for cooking.”
“It’s a pleasure when it’s enjoyed so thoroughly. I hope you enjoy your stay atTenuta delle Ombre.” Squeezing Maya’s outstretched hand, she turns to me to lift her cheek for my kiss. “You have the dishes?”
“Of course, Zia. Sleep well.”
“You too. See you in the morning.” After she departs from the kitchen, a silence falls between Maya and I that isn’t quite comfortable but isn’t as hostile as it was when she first arrived. It’s a relief, but it’s nowhere near enough. Because it’s her. It’s Maya.
I gather plates, stacking them on top of one another as she plays with her fork. Making a trip over to the sink and compost pile, I handle the dirty mess before returning for the stemmed glassware. That’s when Maya drops her fork and her polite mask. She glares at me accusingly. “Okay, Walsh. Explain.”
“Explain what?”
“This—this kindness. You never reached out. Not once. It’s been four months since that night, and here you are, treating me like nothing’s wrong between us.”
I’m about to open my mouth to apologize when her lips tremble and she tacks on, “But before you do, I want to know about your part in that night.”
Shit.
9
SLANT ROUTE: RECEIVER RUNS A DIAGONAL ROUTE ACROSS THE FIELD.
“As excited as I was to explore the Piedmont region usingTenuta delle Ombreas my home base, I won’t be able to stay here with Bryce hovering between us like a ghost.” I state firmly. “I can’t look at you and not think of him. You’re his friend.”
Troy’s fingers clench around the stem of the glass he’d just picked up so tightly, I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter in hisfingers. I suppose he is too because he places it back down on the table and pushes it just out of reach before replying, “That’s the very last thing I want.”
“What?”
“For you to look at me and think of him. He’s a piece of trash, Maya.”
Shock renders me momentarily speechless. Then I stutter, “But…but you were friends! Teammates! He always said there was nothing above the bro code!”
His head shakes back and forth. “That’s what Bryce liked to tell himself. I was his mentor when he first joined the Lightning.”
My blood freezes at his words. “You mean you’re the one who showed him how?—”
Troy cuts me off. “I taught him nothing.” His dark eyes bore into mine. “I’m not saying the guys were saints, but…Jesus, Maya. When I was on the team, personal business was just that. Personal. How and who a player was having sex with sure as hell wasn’t discussed by the side of a fire pit.”
I whisper, “Then what happened?”
He shoves his fingers through his dark hair. “Two things.”
“Which were?”
“Most of the older Lightning team was either replaced or traded—including myself.”
I wince in recollection of the career-ending injury Troy sustained the second year Bryce played for the Lightning. “Right.”
He sits back down on the stool before admitting, “But it was the second that changed the dynamic of the team to what it is today.”
“And that was?”
“Bryce.” Troy says nothing else. Instead, he just holds my gaze, waiting for me to bring the picture into focus.
I do so fairly quickly. “He assumed a bigger role as a mentor when he became starting quarterback.”
