Then the other door opened.
Ezio got in. Deep blue shirt today, no tie, top button undone. Hair neater than usual, silver strands at his temples catching the window light. He settled, bringing a whiff of tobacco, arm brushing mine—that patch of skin heated instantly. I shifted away, pretending to fix Leo's seatbelt.
"Hello, sir." Leo leaned forward, peering past me, all formal.
"Hey, Leo, call me Ezio." He turned, looking at him, lips quirking up. "Ready?"
"Ready!" Leo held up Giraffe. "Juliet said she'd show me her rabbit!"
"She's been waiting." He said it to Leo, but his eyes met mine in the rearview.
I looked away quickly.
Car pulled out. Leo pressed to the window, watching streets blur by, asking "Are we there yet?" nonstop. Ezio sat beside me, arm on the console, close to my hand. I didn't move. Neither did he. But I felt his gaze, heavy on my cheek, burning.
"You look beautiful today." His voice low, just for me.
My fingers tightened on my skirt. "Thanks."
"But it's just an accessory, Olivia. You're more radiant than the world's priciest gem."
His voice deep and magnetic, my ears heated.
I forced myself not to look, turned to the window, faking interest in the scenery. His profile reflected in the glass—brow arch, nose line, faint scar on his chin. He watched the road, but his lips quirked.
Leo started singing a French kids' song beside me. Tune wrecked, but he belted it seriously, enunciating every word. Ezio glanced at him.
"What's he singing?"
"A French nursery rhyme," I said, "about a little duck looking for its mom."
"Cute."
The ambiguous tone made my heart skip, annoying me. I decided to ignore him the rest of the way.
Streets turned to tree shade, shade to iron gates. Gates opened, car rolled in. The house loomed—gray-white stone, deep bronze doors, just like I remembered. But different. New flowers in the beds, white and thick, swaying lightly in the breeze. Lawn trimmed neat, sun hitting it green and shiny.
Car stopped. Driver opened the door. Leo hopped out, craning up at the house, mouth an O.
"So big," he said.
I got out too, shot Ezio a look. "You didn't say it was here."
He shrugged. "This is home, too."
I knew better than to argue.
Juliet burst from the door in a pink dress, hair in pigtails, clutching her plush rabbit. She spotted Leo, squealed, ran over, and grabbed his hand.
"You're here! You brought Giraffe! What's its name?"
"Giraffe," Leo said.
"Just Giraffe?"
"Yeah."
"Then my rabbit's named Rabbit." Juliet held it up. "They're best friends!"
