sitting on the table that whole time. He could have just grabbed them at any point, but that wasn’t the kind of man he was. I set my empty glass down on the coffee table.
“How about I get out of here so you can read them in private. I’m sorry that Shari and I read them.”
His chuckle was rueful. “I think in the grand scheme of things, you had every right to. I’m honestly a little nervous to read them myself, but I’d . . .” His voice choked with emotion, and he cleared his throat. “I’d like to hear about this daughter you mentioned. God, if I’d known about that, nothing on earth could have kept me away from Alice.” He sighed again, as if the world was crushing him. “Maybe it’s better this way, though. If I’d gone back, I’d have ended up in prison and I would have been such an embarrassment to her. Alice deserved better.”
“She loved you. You’ll see that when you read the letters.” I stood up, a little woozy from the whiskey, and Dmitri helped me into my coat. Then I hugged him tightly. I’d gone there thinking I’d find out he wasn’t the man I’d thought he was, but that isn’t what I discovered. Yes, he’d lied about his past, but the Dmitri I knew was still standing right there in front of me.
Chapter 24
I left Dmitri’s house, and even though the snow was getting thicker and wetter, I walked past my house and found myself standing outside the Palomino Pub. I couldn’t tell Leo what I’d learned about the jewel thief, but I still wanted to be near him. His presence somehow calmed me down, even as it electrified me in other ways. Having him at Gigi’s on Thanksgiving had turned out to be a mixed blessing. He fit in with my family and friends so seamlessly, it was as if he’d always been there. Been a part of us. But Lilly’s words about Tag kept nagging at me.
My sister had been so certain about her relationship with Tag last summer. Even in the face of insurmountable odds, she’d trusted her gut and followed her heart. She’d quit her job and moved her entire life just to be with the man she loved. But where was she now? Feeling confused and disillusioned, knowing that hearts were going to break because sometimes love just wasn’t enough. What if whatever Leo and I had—lust, infatuation, maybe the first stirrings of love, whatever it was—what if it turned out to be just not enough? He was never going to want to live on Wenniway Island. I was wasting my time and letting the tentacles of attraction wrap around me. Pretty soon, I’d be helpless and devoured.
But what a way to go.
After Thanksgiving dinner, we’d all played cards and then charades. We drank a little too much, ate some pie, and laughed until I thought my stomach couldn’t take it anymore. It was fun. Pure and simple, it was just . . . fun, and I’d had far too little fun in my life. I was always all about the teaching, and being responsible, and challenging myself to be a better version of Brooke Callaghan today than I was yesterday. It was exhausting, but worse than that, it was boring. It was so fucking boring. I was so boring, but I didn’t feel that way with Leo. He made me feel excited. And exciting. He made me laugh and he made me want to try new things. He made me want to open up to the possibility that sometimes you need to jump, even if you don’t know where you’ll land.
We’d spent the entire weekend together, talking, giggling, exploring each other’s turn-ons like a couple of college kids with their first lover. Leo, I discovered, was an expert ear nibbler and had a ticklish spot on either side of his waist. He discovered that under no circumstances should he ever touch my feet without warning me first, and that I had a habit of mumbling in my sleep. Since my dreams had been full of him, I hoped I hadn’t said anything too embarrassing. He assured me I had not.
I pushed open the Palomino Pub door and walked inside. It was busy tonight, the wet weather having made everyone eager to be inside. Judge Murphy, Father O’Reilly, and Monty Price were playing darts in the corner. My sister’s construction crew was occupying a big table