Buttons and Blame (Buttons 5)

Cane stared at me most of the time, chewing slowly with his eyes trained on me. He’d shaved that morning, so his chin was absent of hair. I liked the shaved look, but I also liked it when his beard was coming in. There wasn’t a look that he couldn’t pull off. “How was the winery?”

“Good. I helped Pearl with the tastings.”

“Get a lot of people in?”

“A ton. Mostly tourists.”

“I don’t think they’re big fans of the wine. I think they just love the property.”

“It is beautiful.” I swirled the glass I was holding. “But I do think the wine is delicious.”

“I guess I’m just used to it.”

“No. You just like to pick on your brother any chance you get.” I smiled at him, telling him I was teasing him.

He shrugged and kept eating. “You seem to be in a good mood today.”

I hadn’t spoken much since we’d come back to Italy. I’d needed a few nights of sleep before I could get back to a state of calm. Seeing my parents made me more emotional than I could handle. “It was nice to get out of the house.”

“Pearl keeps you company?”

“Yeah, but she and Crow are fighting right now.”

When Cane didn’t ask any questions about it, I assumed that meant he knew about it.

“She told you she talked to Tristan?”

He nodded then kept eating.

“I can’t believe she did that.”

“She’s an idiot. I won’t tell you otherwise.”

“I wouldn’t call her an idiot…”

“She a tough girl, but she thinks she’s stronger than she really is. Her overinflated ego has nearly gotten her killed a few times. I don’t blame Crow for being mad. I would feel the same way if my wife did something reckless like that.”

The idea of him having a wife suddenly made me sad. If he settled down and got married someday, I would be dead and gone—probably for years. He would love her, have children with her, and they would grow old in this big, beautiful house.

It was the kind of future I would never have. I would miss out on so many things, things I never had the opportunity to experience. My appetite was gone, but I kept eating, not wanting to make it obvious that statement hurt. I wasn’t jealous that he would be with someone else. I was just sad that he would move on with his life…and I would die in that cell with a cyanide pill in my stomach.

“Everything alright?”

Maybe I wasn’t as sly as I thought. “I just hope the two of them work it out.”

“Don’t worry about it. Pearl can do anything, and Crow will forgive her for it. Not because he’s a pushover, just because he loves her so damn much. He doesn’t say it a lot, but he makes it pretty damn obvious anytime they’re in the same room together.”

“That’s sweet.”

“I knew he loved her even before he did.” Cane wiped his plate clean, eating every single morsel like he’d skipped breakfast and lunch.

I ate a few more bites, but that was the most I could stomach.

Cane eyed my plate, which was still half full. “Can’t eat anymore?”

I knew he was trying to fatten me up on purpose. As soon as I went back to Tristan, I would be starved around the clock. Tristan wouldn’t like the weight I’d put on, so he would probably starve me on purpose. “I’m pretty full.”

Cane didn’t push it on me. “I’ll save this for you.” He took both of our plates and put my leftovers in a plastic container.

I moved to the sink and did the dishes.

“What are you doing?”

I glanced at him over my shoulder, seeing the stern look on his face. “Just trying to help out.”

“The maids will do that in the morning. Don’t worry about it.”

“You got maids? I thought my job was to cook and clean.”

“Well, you’ve been promoted.” He came to my side at the sink and turned off the faucet. “You only have one job in this house—and it’s not cooking or cleaning.”

* * *

He sat beside me on the couch, enjoying his scotch while he watched the Italian news. His arm rested around my shoulders as his knees sat far apart. His muscled thighs were noticeable in his jeans. He drank his scotch, glanced at me, and then looked at the TV again. “What would you like to see tomorrow?”

“Like to see?”

“Any other parts of Italy?”

“Cane, you don’t need to keep taking time off work for me.” He’d already done enough for me. “I’m happy going to the winery with Crow and Pearl.”

“I don’t mind. I haven’t taken a vacation in a long time. So tell me.”

“Uh…I’ve always wanted to see Siena.”

“Then we’ll go tomorrow.”

“Well…thanks. Maybe Pearl and Crow could come along.”

“No. If I’m not around, then Crow needs to be available to handle a potential disaster.”