When I look up, Alicia is nodding, watching me with an understanding I’m not sure she should have at her age.
“Why do you ask?”
She lifts one shoulder. “Just wondering.”
I go back to assembling the sandwiches.
“Can I help, Mom?”
I smile and ask her to portion some of the artisanal chips into bowls. By the time we’re finishing up, Ethan and Conrad appear. Ethan kisses my cheek, and the two of them help carry the drinks and food outside.
After greeting the group and meeting the two girls I hadn’t met yet—Brittany and Mary, Dalila’s best friends—I excuse myself and go back inside, heading upstairs to my bedroom a moment later.
When I take my phone out of my bag, I see a missed call from Alexander, and two messages.
Alexander:I called but you didn’t answer. I’m guessing you’re tied up at your appointment.
Alexander:Please let me know when you’re home safe. I hope everything is all right.
My stomach twists hard, and for a few seconds I have no idea how to respond.
Me:Everything’s fine, please don’t worry. I’m home now, Ethan and Alicia have friends over, so I’m going to spend some time with them.
Me:Thank you for today. I promise I’ll do my best when I write about your company.
I set my phone on the bed and step into the closet.
When I face the mirror, my reflection stares back. Unsettled.
“What are you doing, Cecily? What are you doing...”
Chapter 13
Tu sei il mio sole
Alexander
I read her texts again. There’s nothing unusual in them, just a normal messages.
But I know better. There was something beneath the surface of her unexpected need to leave. At the time, I was too rattled by what almost happened... and by how abruptly the moment shattered the second Lillian walked in.
But when Cecilia said she needed to go, and especially the way she looked at Lillian when she offered to step out and give us privacy, it all clicked.
She doesn’t know me yet. Not all of me. She has no way of knowing that I would never get involved with my assistant, or with anyone tied to my professional world. If there’s one thing I learned early, it’s that you never mix business with pleasure.
But she doesn’t know that. And the man she spent years married to didn’t just blur those lines, he made a game out of them. And when he lost... he turned their entire family’s life into a nightmare.
I toss my phone onto the desk and turn my chair toward the glass wall. My eyes land on the exact spot where Cecilia stood just hours ago, her back pressed to the glass, her breath almost mingling with mine. I was so close to kissing her I could almost taste her.
I force myself to choose patience and give her the space she needs.
There was nothing remotely inappropriate about the way I interacted with Lillian; we’ve always been strictly professional. With time, Cecilia will see that.
And when she does... I hope it’s not too late for me.
Cecilia has been distant all week.
Always finding a reason not to take my calls, and never returning them. Our messages have been short, the longest one being her response about the files I sent her with the previous Santoro Marmo NY anniversary editions and the extra data she’d requested.
