“Dante has arrived,” she says the moment she sees my face.
“Yes.”
“Worse than advertised?”
“Yes.”
Teresa’s mouth tightens. Evie notices.
“What did he do?” Evie asks.
“Nothing actionable,” I reply.
She rolls her eyes. “That’s a legal answer.”
“Yes.”
“Did he ask about me?”
“Yes.”
Her fingers tighten on the chair. “Did he say my name?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes move to mine. “What else?”
“Nothing.”
“Alessandro. What else?”
I look at Teresa. “Leave us.”
Teresa hesitates. A woman who has worked thirty years in this house and survived by never hesitating. Now she does.
Evie says, “Stay.”
I nod. Teresa stays.
Evie turns back to me. “What else?”
“He isn’t reformed,” I say, and Evie’s mouth twists. “No one’s shocked. He’s drinking and desperate.”
She exhales slowly. “Did he threaten me?”
“Not directly.”
She snorts. “Men are so proud of their grammar.”
“He implied.”
“Implied what?”
I say nothing. She studies me. Then her face changes. She understands enough.
“Ah,” she says.
Teresa looks between us. “What did he imply?”
