bitch?”
“I haven’t met her and thank God for it. I don’t need to be in the middle of that fly trap.” He changes the subject. “Before I forget, I missed a call from Jenny, but she left me a message to check on you. I haven’t had time to call her back, so the minute you text her, expect her to call you instead. You okay with that?”
“Of course,” I say, “Why wouldn’t I be? I loved her when I met her, and I owe her a thank you.”
“Good. Just making sure. I won’t call her back right now then. Can you tell her that I’m headed to my meeting now?”
“Yes, of course,” I say again, the idea that I’m passing messages to his family speaking of just how real this thing with me and Kace has become. “I’ll text her right after we hang up,” I add.
“Perfect.” He hesitates. “And, Aria?”
My heart flutters with the expectation that pause has obviously, but intentionally, created. “Yes, Kace?”
“Save me a cookie.”
I laugh. “I don’t make any promises. There are only a dozen or less now, actually.”
He laughs, too, and we say a short goodbye. I sip my coffee, the warmth of the liquid, and that intimate exchange with Kace, warming me. I’ve never in my life been a real couple with anyone, but that has changed. We’re together, me and Kace. We’re not just together, he’s a light in the suffocating darkness of years on the run.
I steal a bite of another cookie and then text Jenny: Kace is headed into a meeting. This is Aria. I’m eating cookies for breakfast. I’m on the mend and need the gym for sure! Thank you for the wonderful soup, bread, and cookies. Message sent, I glance at the clock that now reads nine AM. Eager to get to work, I exit my apartment and head downstairs, but I make it to the last step and freeze with a shiver of unease. A second later, my nostrils flare with a sweet scent, something floral, almost like perfume. I ease further into the hallway leading to mine and Gio’s offices. “Hello?” I call out.
The creak of wood, of an old building settling, is the only reply. I inhale and the scent is lighter now. Maybe it’s not even real. Maybe it’s my imagination? A bit tentatively, I walk to my office door and peek inside, to find it peaceful. Turning toward Gio’s office, the thundering of my pulse is instant, and for no good reason. I actually tiptoe in that direction, glance around the entryway, and then with sharp disappointment, discover that he’s not here.
I knew he wasn’t here, I chide myself. Like he’d just show up after all this time, and get to work, without saying a word to me.
Shifting back into the hallway, I inhale, and the smell is gone, which has me really doubting myself and this silly unease. Regardless, I need to put my mind at rest. I hurry forward, facing my fears and rushing through the rows of books and collectibles in the store, to find it all clear. Just to be safe, I check the front door and find it locked. Kace even figured out how to re-arm the security system when he left. Clearly, I’m losing my mind. I turn and scan the store. No one is here. Still, I walk behind the front desk with the intent of checking the security feed. I’ve just keyed the computer to life when my cellphone rings with Jenny’s number.
I settle onto a stool and answer her call. “Morning, Jenny.”
“How are you, Aria?” she asks, her voice warm with an offer of friendship and support.
“I’m much better, thanks to you and Kace. I’m convinced the soup, bread, and cookies took away my pain.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t Kace’s kisses,” she teases.
My cheeks burn with the unexpected brazen remark from his godmother, of all people. “The delicious dumplings,” I say. “Absolutely it was the dumplings.”’
She laughs a sweet laugh. “I’m sure it was. How did you cut your hand?”
“A piece of wood in a drawer at Kace’s place.”
“He had wood sticking out? That boy. What was he thinking?”
“Don’t be too hard on him. It’s in his vault so it’s not like many people go in there.”
“Wait. What? He let you in his vault?” She doesn’t give me time to reply. “Well, now that answers any questions I have about how serious you two are.”
Serious? I think. Are we serious? “We’re dating,” I say. “We’re