"Thank you." Her voice comes out softer. "And thank you, Vittoria. For spending time with Lily. She had a wonderful time."
"Are you kidding? I had a wonderful time." Vittoria grins. "This one knows all the words to 'How Far I'll Go.' We're basically best friends now."
Lily beams. "Tori does the Maui voice really good!"
"High praise," I say dryly.
Kristen's mouth twitches. Almost a smile. Then she hoists Lily higher and heads for the stairs. "Say goodnight, Lily."
"Goodnight, Tori! Goodnight, Mister Nico!"
I watch them disappear down the hallway. Listen to their footsteps fade. The front door opens and closes.
Silence.
Then Vittoria opens her mouth.
"Don't," I warn.
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"Good."
"Nothing at all."
"Excellent."
"Except—"
"Vittoria."
"—that was very interesting." She leans against the wall, arms crossed, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. "The whole brooding-against-the-wall thing. Very dramatic. Very... intense."
"If you talk, you'll regret it."
"Talk about what?" She bats her eyelashes. "The fact that my emotionally constipated brother was practically pressed up against the pretty housekeeper? In a hallway? Looking like he wanted to either kiss her or interrogate her? Possibly both?"
My jaw tightens. "I was asking her a question."
"Mmm. Is that what we're calling it now?" She pushes off the wall and circles me like a shark scenting blood. "Because in my eyes, it looked a lot like you were doing that thing. You know. The thing."
"I don't have a thing."
"You absolutely have a thing. The whole 'I'm going to crowd your personal space and stare at you until you confess your deepest secrets' thing. You've been doing it since you were fifteen."
"That's called interrogation. It's a skill."
"Sure." She nods sagely. "A skill you use on suspected enemies and women you're attracted to."
I take a step toward her. "Vittoria."
She doesn't flinch. Never has. "Yes, dear brother?"
"Drop it."
"I'm just making an observation."
"Make it somewhere else."
