The next day, I go down to the kitchen in my riding clothes and wait. And wait. I have my breakfast with Daniel, waving him off as he goes to class, and then have about five more tiny cups of espresso as I wait so me more. I’m practically buzzing when Kent finally deigns to come into the room, whi
Shrugging, I skip back down the steps and decide impulsively that if I’m denied knowledge of the storage centers above, I might as well explore those below. Without stopping to let myself think much about it – lest I chicken out – I hurry down the stairs and push through the kitchen door. I walk co
“Fay,” Kent says, clenching his mouth closed after he utters my name, apparently needing a minute to rein in his temper. That little muscle of frustration flickers in his cheek, making my little smile grow. “You’re not to come down to the basement. I was clear about this.” I give him a fake little
“I’ll follow your rules, Kent,” I say quietly, keeping my face blank. “But in exchange, I will be treated with respect in this house.” He opens his mouth to reply but I interrupt him, holding up a finger. “And,” I say, continuing my small list of demands. “I’m not going to be held here like a litt
“Good, Fay! Good!” Jerome says, his voice eager and encouraging. Kent’s trainer couldn’t come on short notice, so Jerome is putting me through some exercises on the horse. He watched me ride a bit and then told me – to my surprise – that I’m too reliant on the reins. “You hold onto them,” he had s
“Sorry,” I say, blinking at him and blushing again. “Um, can you repeat that?” “Don’t worry about it,” he says, laughing a little and holding up a hand to help me dismount. “Come on, let’s let Heathcliff get his rest.” I nod and take Jerome’s hand, swinging my right leg over Heathcliff’s withers a
“A…beach party?” I say, cocking my head to the side as I study the note. “It’s about an hour away,” Kent says, watching me closely as I read. “Friends and family, apparently.” I look up at Kent my eyebrow raised. “Did you…read my mail?” He stares at me impassively, not needing to confirm. I study
They had nodded their confirmation and then we had left. Now, we’re forty-five minutes out of the city, heading away from the stables and towards the beach. I can already smell the salt on the air. I love the beach – I always have, despite my lily-white skin and my tendency to burn as red as a lobs
My dad greets him with such genuine joy and excitement that it makes my heart swell with joy. They talk for a few minutes about Dominic’s day before dad gives him a little nudge back towards the gate where Kent and I are waiting. Dominic gives dad a kiss before running ahead again. My dad waves to
“Papa!” Dominic shouts, startling me out of my reverie as he drops my hand and darts down the road. I look up, a huge smile breaking out on my face again as I see Kent on the sidewalk just ahead. His back is to us as he speaks companionably with the butcher, a heavy bag of his purchases already hung
As I walk down the street towards the little Italian kindergarten, the whispers start around me, as they always do. I listen to all of them, a big German Shepherd padding quietly at my heels. “Is that her?” “Yes, that’s the one – I heard she was her husband’s mistress before he married her – tha
Both Kent and I laugh, but Don Bianci – across the baptismal font from us – snaps his eyes up, perhaps not liking the joke as much as we do. But I just ignore it, because dad’s right, frankly – and it’s too happy a day to care. After the final blessing everyone applauds Dominic – he likes that, bl
“Well, it didn’t seem to affect your first very badly,” Ivan says with a shrug, peering around Kent to where Daniel is laughing with an arm around Jerome’s shoulders. “So…maybe keep it up.” I smirk, squeezing Ivan’s hand once more before standing and moving to Kent’s side, tucking myself against h
“Hey, gorgeous,” Ivan says, his mouth turned up in a smirk as I cross the churchyard, beaming at him. “Look who’s talking,” I say, laughing and reaching for him when I come close enough. Ivan wraps me in a hug, dropping a kiss to my cheek as I hold Dominic a bit to the side so he doesn’t get squis
He laughs, smiling at me genuinely. “Do I make you nervous?” he asks, blunt. I laugh, unable to help it. “Has no one bothered to tell you, in all these years, that you’re a little terrifying, Don Bianci?” He grins and shakes his head at me. “Well, considering what you accomplished, young lady, I
Two months later, we’re all gathered together again. And it is only with frustration that I see Gio and Janeen standing so close together that their arms nearly brush, even though they’re still not together. I roll my eyes, dismissing the problem for a moment as I move my eyes down to Dominic and
It's an incredible night. Kent didn’t lie, not at all, about the food either. I’m shocked by the mountains of dishes that continue to follow each other, one after another, long into the night. After a few hours of it I just mournfully watch the waiters go by because I couldn’t eat another bite if I