Page 43 of The Fall Affair

As we passed through the living room, Matteo picked up a baseball cap from the couch. He opened the coat closet and hung it on a hook. I couldn’t help noticing the neat stack of wool caps in every pattern lining the top shelf.

“Are those all winter hats?”

He nodded. “The older women in da village make them for me when I help them sometimes. They don’t like taking a handout, and I won’t let them pay me, so hats and scarves are their currency.”

I leaned in for a closer look and realized the stacks were a few rows deep. “How many do you have in there?”

He shrugged. “Maybe a hundred.”

I laughed. “You’ve helped a hundred old knitting ladies?”

“I also have a large stock of frozen casseroles in da freezer.”

“What do you do for all those people?”

“Lift, cut trees down…whatever they need.” He shut the closet door.

“You’re a regular AARP angel.”

“AARP?”

“Oh. Maybe that’s an American thing.”

Matteo pulled open the front door, and the scent of smoke drifted in before we even stepped outside. “Do you smell that?”

“I hope it is not another brushfire. They’ve been flaring up lately.”

We walked toward my grandmother’s property, and as soon as the house came into sight, I stopped short. “Oh my God! The smell! It’s coming from Nonna’s house!”

Black smoke billowed from the upstairs kitchen window. Matteo immediately took off running, and I trailed behind. “I don’t see any flames,” he yelled. “I’m going in. Stay out here.”

“No! We should call the fire department!”

“This isn’t New York City. They don’t come very fast.” He yanked open the front door and rushed in. I followed, but with more hesitation. Downstairs, there was no sign of flames. In fact, there wasn’t even that much smoke on the first floor. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I yelled up the stairs, “Matteo, are you okay?”

My heart raced as I waited for him to respond. Eventually, he came to the top of the stairs with his shirt off, covering his mouth. “Stay down there. Everything is fine.”

“Okay.”

Five minutes later, he came back down. I was holding the front door open to air out the smell. “What happened?”

“Did you forget something in da oven?”

“No, I didn’t have…” My eyes widened. “Oh my God! I made two pies. I left the second one baking in the oven when I went next door to bring you the one I made you.”

“It’s charred and caused a bunch of smoke, but there’s no damage. Except for maybe da pan. I opened all the windows, and it’s already starting to air out. It should be fine in a few minutes except for the lingering odor.”

“I can’t believe I did that!” I shook my head. “I guess there’s a reason I don’t cook.”

“Maybe I should get you a pair of knitting needles so you can make me another hat, yes?”

I chuckled. Now that the crisis was over, I realized Matteo still had his shirt off. My eyes found the carved six-pack on his abdomen before tracing the V a little lower. I must’ve done it a bit more conspicuously than I thought because when I looked up, Matteo raised a brow.

“What? You’re the one who took off your shirt.”

Matteo laughed and stepped closer. He laid his hands on my shoulders and kissed my forehead. “Thank you for dinner.”

“Thank you for running into a potentially burning building for me.”