A Weekend of Misbehaving - Carmen Falcone Page 0,53

to the side.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Her mother rushed to give Alice a hug, and he didn’t miss the dark circles under her eyes. “Sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Mom, don’t sweat it. How is she?”

“She’s good now. Resting. They’ll keep watching her, but they think the stomach pumping was successful.” Her mother turned to him. Her eyebrows shot up, and she fluffed her short hair. “Mr. Baldi? I thought you had business in Italy?”

“I just wanted to come and make sure everything was okay. I’ll have Rachel transferred to a suite, and a doctor I trust will see her in the morning to make sure she’s being well taken care of.”

Her mother blinked. “I—I don’t know what to say. Thank you. By the way, I’m Judy.” She stretched out her hand.

“Nice to meet you. Call me Lorenzo.” He gave her a quick, firm handshake and eyed the little girl. “Hi, Brenda.”

He had seen her a few times when Alice had brought her over to play with Cara. The two kids seemed to get along well, even though Brenda was younger than his daughter.

“Hi, Mr. Baldi.”

He ruffled the top of her head and flashed her the friendliest smile he could come up with. Poor girl. He saw confusion and sadness in her eyes. He knew what she was going through. She went back to playing with something on her tablet.

“Is she okay?” Alice whispered to her mom.

“She cried for a bit. Hospitals aren’t exactly fun for children. But her best friend’s mom offered to take her for a sleepover and will bring her to school tomorrow.”

“Good. She could use some distraction,” Alice said.

So could you. Alice had barely eaten anything during the flight, and she had been economical with her words, too. Even though he had been next to her the entire time, it was almost as if reality had hit them both in the face. They were back in the United States. They were back to their lives. No more fooling around.

Was this the type of life that she had to look forward to? Always dropping everything for her family and never achieving anything of her own? He cleared his throat. Sure, he was probably a selfish bastard for wanting her around to make his life easier, too. But at least in his plan, she would get something out of going to New York with him. Something for herself.

“Do you want me to get you anything to eat or drink?” he asked them.

Judy shook her head, and Alice said, “No thanks.”

“Alice, you haven’t eaten all day.”

A nurse walked up to them, holding a chart. “She’s ready to see you, if you’d like. One guest at a time, please.”

“Mom, can I?” Alice asked.

Judy gestured for her to go ahead. “Of course. I saw her not that long ago. Go ahead, honey.”

She followed the nurse, then stopped midway and glanced over her shoulder at him. It was a quick, unsure stare of someone who needed the kind of reassurance he wasn’t sure he could offer. He gave her a nod and mouthed, “I’ll be waiting.” They hadn’t talked about the logistics. Should he say good-bye and go back to his house? It’s not like she needed a ride home. At this point, there wasn’t anything else he could do. Her sister was stable and medicated.

“Thanks for bringing her,” Judy said.

“Of course.”

“She always says great things about you.”

He winked at her. “All lies.”

Finally, a smile formed on her face, and he could see the resemblance to Alice. The same high cheeks and kind eyes. “She’s a good liar.”

He jammed his hands in his pocket and stared at the floor. The understatement of the year. If she hadn’t been so good at it, she wouldn’t have convinced Viola that they were a couple. At least before Smythe came into play and spoiled it.

Before he wondered too much, Alice returned. The expression on her face had softened, even though the puffiness in her eyes hinted at recent tears.

“The nurse said Rachel will sleep through the night. God, what time is it?” She yawned. Italy was several hours ahead, and he was sure she’d feel jet lagged soon. “Tomorrow morning the psychiatric team will come for an assessment. She’ll be fine, Mom.”

A sigh of relief left Judy’s lips. Her shoulders sagged a notch. “Good. You should go home and sleep.”

“I can stay the night.”

“No. If it’s okay, I would rather you take Brenda to her friend’s now, for the sleepover. I can stay the night. But