“What time did they get back? I don’t want to start breakfast too early and have it go cold waiting for them to get up.”
The two men exchanged a glance and then Tybo said, “Yeah, I’d hold off on that then. They might not be up for a while yet. It sounded like they were up pretty late last night.”
“Oh.” Ildaria swung back to her door, and then remembered H.D. and peered down at him with resignation. “Right. You probably have to go outside.”
“I’ll take him,” Valerian said at once, moving toward her.
“Oh, no, it’s okay,” Ildaria began, but Valerian was already taking the dog from her. He was careful to keep his hands away from H.D.’s mouth, she noticed.
“It is either me or all three of us since we are to guard you,” he pointed out. “And I can use the fresh air.”
When she didn’t protest further, Valerian headed up the hall, H.D. tucked under his arm like a football. The fur ball had stopped barking, but she wouldn’t put it past him to pee all down Valerian’s side on the way downstairs. He could be a little bugger when he wanted.
Shaking her head, she glanced at Tybo. “Coffee? Tea? Cake?”
“Tea would go nicely with that cake you mentioned,” Tybo said with a grin. “I love cake.”
Ildaria smiled, pleased that at least someone would try her tres leches. She’d made it intending to feed it to G.G. and his parents when they returned last night. But they’d never returned. Someone should eat it.
“I’ll bring a slice and some tea for Valerian too,” she promised and slipped back into her apartment. She didn’t bother to close the door. She’d need both hands to carry the tea and cake back, and Tybo was guarding the door. Back in her kitchen, Ildaria set about making tea, but her mind was on G.G. Obviously, he’d found her sleeping and gone to stay at his place with his parents. From Tybo’s comment about it sounding like they’d been up late, she supposed he and Valerian had heard their muffled talking and laughter through the door to his apartment.
That was nice, she supposed. She knew G.G. and his parents were close, and they hadn’t seen each other for a while what with G.G. being here in Canada setting up the Night Club. So it had probably been nice for them to get to visit alone, and she didn’t begrudge them that. If Ildaria had been awake, she might even have suggested it. But she would have sent her cake with them too.
Her gaze slid to the refrigerator where her beautiful cake was waiting. She’d wanted to celebrate the end of her troubles, but she’d also wanted to make a new and better impression on his parents than the first one they’d had of her. She had been sure that returning to find her fully dressed with an apron on, and cake in hand was a better second first impression than her naked on their bambino on the floor.
Ah well, Ildaria thought, she had years to work at removing that image from their minds. Hopefully. If G.G. wasn’t in an accident, or didn’t have a sudden stroke or heart attack. Pushing that troubling thought determinedly from her mind, Ildaria sliced the cake, made a pot of tea, poured two cups and fixed them the way Tybo and Valerian had requested them last night, and then set everything on a tray and carried it out to the hall.
Valerian returned with H.D. just as Tybo was taking the tray from her, so Ildaria wished them buenos dias and carried H.D. back into her apartment. She took a moment to get his food out, set his bowl on the floor in the kitchen and then left him to eat as she headed for her bedroom and the bathroom beyond. She was still wearing her black skirt and white blouse from yesterday and was starting to feel grungy in them. A quick shower and change of clothes were in order.
Ten minutes later she was wrapped in a towel and headed into her room to find clothes, but stopped dead when she saw the man entering from the hall. He was tall, and well built, wearing a beautiful charcoal suit, dress shoes, and she saw the sparkle of a gold watch on his wrist. For one second Ildaria thought it was Juan, but then her gaze lifted to his bald head, and she changed her mind; one of his minions then.