She said us. Grace had way too much experience with an overprotective male to know what Maria De Angelis was really saying.
“Buzz me if you need me.”
“Yes, yes, we’ll be fine. Now shoo!”
He hesitated, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he ground his teeth together. Grace could tell that Sly didn’t want to go, but he wasn’t going to go against what Maria wanted, either. Her opinion of the man jumped up. Overprotective he might be, but he wasn’t like Tommy.
Tommy would’ve never left her alone with a stranger, whether she told him to go or not.
Leaning in, Sly pecked Maria on the cheek. “See you in the morning.”
“Breakfast’s at eight.”
“Sounds good, sweetheart.” The soft look he was wearing hardened up as he turned to look at Grace. His gaze narrowed, his brow furrowed as he bobbed his head over at her. “Evening, miss.”
When it came to someone sizing her up, he had nothing on Boone. She matched his stare with a tight-lipped grin. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same.”
Grace felt a small sense of accomplishment when he blinked. As exhausted as she was, it was nice to win their little staring contest.
Sly moved past her, jogging down the steps, spinning back to look up at the porch as soon as he hit the walkway. “Maria, I’ll call your radio when I get to the station. Carry it on you?”
“I’ll go get it from the kitchen straight away.”
“Love you.”
Pursing her lips in his direction, Maria blew him a kiss as he climbed into the coupe parked in front of Ophelia. As the car came to life, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called, “Make sure you go easy on my car.”
Sly honked the car horn twice before pulling away from the curb.
Once he was out of sight, she laughed, a high-pitched sound at odds with her husky, accented voice. “Dio knows I love that man, but he does tend to fret. If he hadn’t promised to stop in at work, we never would’ve gotten rid of him tonight. Anyway, enough about that. You’re here, you’re my guest, and I’m sure you’re tired.”
“Very,” Grace admitted. That was an understatement.
Swooping down, Maria grabbed the larger of the two suitcases resting at Grace’s feet
. “Come, come, then. I’ll show you to your room. We can discuss all the other details later.”
Taking the second one, Grace followed her into Ophelia.
8
Maria led her through the foyer and down the hall, stopping when they reached a closed door with the letter S drawn on it in a soft yellow paint. Against the dark stained wood, it shone like a beacon.
“This is the Sunflower Room,” Maria said, pushing the door in and stepping aside. “I hope you like it.”
Grace did. She really, really did.
The room was big, more than twice the size of the bedroom she had in Dayton. A large queen-sized bed took up the center of the room. A lovely yellow and white quilt covered the mattress, with matching pillows and a ruffle that kissed the dark wooden floor. The floor was a match for the door, and the soft yellow paint was echoed in every accent of the room. The blinds, the light switch covers, the overstuffed armchair that took up the far corner. It was bright, it was cheery, it was sunny.
She felt her tension melt away, her body lighten just from walking into the room and taking it all in.
To top it off? A simple bouquet of three cut sunflowers wrapped in a soft yellow ribbon perched invitingly on the dresser. Grace could tell that they were plastic, a decoration that fit the color scheme and the name of the room. It didn’t matter. They weren’t viscaria and that’s all that counted.
Maria hovered near the front of the door, waiting to see Grace’s reaction.
“It’s gorgeous,” she said honestly.