Page 38 of Tailored for You

Which reminded me that I had been here for three days and still hadn’t called her or Minnie to let them know what was going on. It was Monday night. Harper didn’t go to school today because I was too anxious to have her out of my sight, but she has to go tomorrow. The problem was I didn’t know if I had her uniform or how I’d get her there. We were far from the train, and I hated taking buses.

Hands caged me to the counter on either side. I gripped the edge as his front pressed against my back, folding over until his chin rested against my shoulder.

My heart leaped into a sprint in my chest. I stared at Enzo’s face in the window’s reflection. My thoughts fragmented. I was doing something, wasn’t I? There were questions I needed to ask him, but...what were they?

I wasn’t used to being touched in a flirty way like this. It was flirting, right? Was I reading this wrong, and was this simply how men offered comfort? Or maybe it was how Enzo did comfort?

For so long, he was this impenetrable wall. Pretty to look at, radiating danger that made people want to give him a wide berth.

Yet, here he was, bringing presents home for my daughter, promising me safety and asking nothing in return. He constantly offered comfort, always finding moments to touch me, and I didn’t know what to make of it. I knew I wanted it to mean he liked me and wanted me close, but what if I was wrong?

I was so scared to be wrong.

We stayed like that for a second? Hours? A week? I had no concept of time when he was so close.

“After dinner,” he said into my ear, his breath skating against my neck, “we’re going to talk.”

I nodded as Enzo moved away from me, leaving me cold and anxious for the rest of dinner.

He was going to ask us to leave. I knew our time in the bubble was going to pop.

We had to leave at some point, right? Enzo had a life to live, deals to do in the dark, women to...I didn’t want to think of what he did with other women.

We were taking up his valuable time and invading his space. That wasn’t right. I understood the idea of being chivalrous, but there was a point when it needed to end.

Minnie or Martina might help until I can find a new place and sell the studio. Being away from it solidified that there was no way I could sleep there again.

I looked over, and Harper was whispering something into Enzo’s ear. He listened intently, brows furrowed. He turned and whispered back, and she giggled.

I started clearing the plates, needing to move. The faster we had our conversation, the faster I could start planning.

“Let’s get ready for bed. We need to wake up a little earlier for school tomorrow since we’re farther away,” Enzo said, grabbing his plate and following me to the sink.

“Okay. I’m going to find my baby dolls and get them ready for bed,” Harper said, jumping down from her chair and racing out of the room.

The room was silent without Harper’s constant chatter. It weighed on my shoulders.

“You had something you wanted to discuss,” I said, wiping my hands with a towel.

Enzo walked to the French doors that led to the backyard, opened them, and gestured for me to follow.

Right. We shouldn’t have this conversation where Harper can hear us.

I followed behind him, walking the short distance from the house, past the glass hothouse, to the shed at the back.

The backyard was enormous—the result of combining three lots into one.

When we walked out, there was a large stone patio with chairs, a long glass table, and a big umbrella. There was a large patch of green grass beyond the stone that ran to the back, ending in a solid wooden fence. The yard was flanked by a greenhouse on one side and a big shed on the other.

We went down the path that led to the shed. Enzo opened the door, flicked on the light, and held his hand out for me to enter first.

Whatever I had assumed was in there, it wasn’t this.

Multiple mannequins, the high-quality kind that I had been putting off buying, lined the far side of the room. Two large tables, one a cutting table and the other a sewing table, were at the center. The other side had open shelves for fabric. In the corner, three mirrors surrounded an elevated dais.

The big bay windows were open; fresh, salty air filled the room.

I rubbed my eyes. Everything was still there. I took a tentative step inside.