His enquiry snapping Peyton out of her inertia, she folded her arms. ‘I wasn’texpectinganybody.’
Didn’t he know it was etiquette to call before you dropped in on someone?
A big grin told Peyton he was unconcerned byetiquette. ‘You have paint on your face.’
Impatiently, Peyton wiped at her face, annoyed that she cared what she looked like around this man. ‘How do you know where I live?’ she asked, going on the defensive.
‘Alessandro.’
Of course… Peyton made a mental note to call Nat to tell her husband not to give out her address to Italian lotharios. Although she had ignored a few calls earlier which probably had been Nat.
Noticing the tightening of her lips, Valentino rushed to explain. ‘Don’t be cross with them. I told them I wanted to meet McKenzie before the surgery tomorrow.’
McKenzie chose that moment to appear, grabbing hold of Peyton’s leg with her paint-smeared fingers and shyly looking up – all the way up – at Valentino. Peyton shifted to shield her daughter a little.
He smiled. ‘Here she is.’
Placing a bag Peyton hadn’t noticed on the ground, he crouched to get on her level, still dwarfing McKenzie’s diminutive frame. ‘Hello.’
A lump formed in Peyton’s throat as she watched him sign the word as well.
McKenzie’s eyes, framed by blonde ringlets, widened for a moment before she shyly signed her greeting back.
‘I’m Valentino,’ he said, his finger spelling his name.
She was too young to understand what the letters spelled but McKenzie knew how to sign her own name, the rapid movement of her tiny fingers clawing at Peyton’s heart as they always did. Had she known her daughter would be deaf, she’d have chosen a shorter name.
‘Hello, McKenzie.’ Valentino continued to sign and speak. ‘I’m very pleased to meet you. You have paint on your nose.’
Peyton watched as McKenzie, shy by nature, actually grinned at Valentino as he gently swiped at it with his finger. Forgoodness’ sake – she was three years old! Did the man have to charm every female he came into contact with?
Peyton drew her daughter closer, her hand firm on McKenzie’s shoulder. ‘Do you usually make house calls?’
Valentino grinned one last time at McKenzie before rising to his full height. ‘No.’
‘Then why are you here? You could meet my daughter tomorrow morning.’
‘I wanted to see you were okay. After Friday.’ He grabbed the bag and pulled out a bottle of wine and a brown paper bag. ‘I brought a peace offering.’
Peyton knew Valentino felt bad about having to say no to her; they didn’t have to rehash it. And seriously, with tomorrow looming larger and larger, did he really think she could relax over a glass of wine with him?
‘There was no need,’ she said stiffly. ‘I’m fine.’
Maddeningly, he just grinned before crouching once more. ‘What do you say, McKenzie?’ he signed. ‘Can I come in?’
Her traitorous daughter smiled and nodded enthusiastically, holding out her multicoloured hand. Valentino took the offering as he rose, his gaze meeting Peyton’s, daring her to contradict.
Peyton narrowed her eyes at him. ‘That was low.’
Completely unrepentant, he smiled as he took a step forward and, temporarily bested, Peyton fell quickly back to allow him to enter. ‘I brought food,’ he said as he brushed past. Peyton opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t hungry, but he continued on. ‘I’ve found the most amazing delicatessen near where I’m staying.’
He glanced at McKenzie and signed, ‘Where is the kitchen?’
Peyton stared as her quiet, introverted little girl pointed and then happily led Valentino where he wanted to go. What was even happening now? It was a few moments before she registered the drift of Valentino’s chatter coming from the otherroom and the fact she was still standing like a powered-down robot in the hallway, staring after them.
Sighing, she wondered how long it would take to get him out.
By the time she’d reached the kitchen, Valentino had seated McKenzie on the bench beside him, poured two glasses of wine and was supervising as her daughter distributed a variety of olives into little bowls. Absently she noticed that Valentino had had the good sense to wash the paint off McKenzie’s hands first.
