Sweet Temptation

Surprise crossed her face. The same surprise I felt since minute one of our marriage. She wasn’t anything like I expected. She could have given in to teenage hysterics, but instead she tried to handle the tasks of her new life.

She handled them in a kind and lovely way. She seemed too good to be true.

I pulled back and went downstairs. Elia waited for me in front of my car to get further instructions. Remembering last night and this morning, a hint of reluctance filled me when I thought about my arrangement with Elia, but it wasn’t enough to make me abandon the matter. Giulia had done nothing to deserve this, but I needed certainty before her loveliness had me wrapped around her finger and made me blind to a hurtful truth.

My kids wouldn’t survive a repeat performance of their mother’s demise.

My chest ached thinking of Cassio’s morning encounter with Daniele. I could tell that Cassio hurt because of his son’s reaction to him. I needed to help somehow, but first I needed to figure out why Daniele acted the way he did. For some reason, I couldn’t imagine that Cassio had hurt his son in any way. Cassio was certainly capable of the most depraved acts imaginable. The rumors of his business practices had reached even my ears in Baltimore, but the way he looked at his children, it was clear he loved them. No, it was something else between them. I had a feeling it had something to do with Gaia, which was a problem because Cassio refused to talk about her. Daniele didn’t speak at all, and I wasn’t sure if it was wise to mention his mother around him. I made my way into the kitchen with Simona in my arms and Daniele tiptoeing after me. His face was tear-stained because he couldn’t find his tablet. I’d seen it up on the shelf in his room, but decided not to give it to him. He needed to learn to be without that thing. It wasn’t healthy how fixated he was on technology.

Sybil was already making waffles. The kitchen smelled of vanilla and warm dough.

Elia and Domenico weren’t there yet, but I knew they were somewhere in the house or Cassio wouldn’t have left. Loulou slipped under the table, probably hoping for a repeat performance, but sweets definitely weren’t good for a dog. I approached Sybil as Daniele knelt in front of the table to watch Loulou. “Let her come to you, Daniele. She’s shy. Eventually, she’ll come. Give her time, okay?”

He nodded absentmindedly, but didn’t move otherwise.

“Can you cook some bacon as well?”

“For the dog?” Sybil guessed.

“I don’t want to force him to eat. Not when he doesn’t trust me yet. This is the only way he’ll have breakfast.”

She nodded. She still didn’t look as if she approved, but she took bacon from the fridge.

“Thank you.”

Elia soon joined us, but Domenico stayed away. To my surprise, he sat down beside me. Like yesterday, his smile was quick, his eye contact a bit too intimate, and his arm brushed mine twice “by accident.”

I wasn’t the only one who noticed because Sybil sent him a sharp look.

I ignored it, unsure what else to do. My plan to get Daniele to eat worked like it had yesterday. Loulou got a tiny piece of bacon for every bite of waffle and banana that Daniele ate. It was a win-win situation as far as I was concerned, and Loulou definitely agreed.

“I thought we could all go for a walk together, so Loulou gets to see something new?” I said to Daniele. His nod was quick and his obvious excitement kindled my own.

“That sounds good. The weather is nice and it’s not too cold. I know a nice park not too far away,” Elia said.

“Great.” I got up. “Why don’t you go ahead and prepare everything while I have a word with Sybil.”

Elia glanced between Sybil and me before he rose and left.

Taking the dishes to the sink where Sybil was scrubbing the pan, I said, “You worked here from day one of Cassio’s marriage to Gaia, right?” I said in a low voice so the children wouldn’t hear me. I didn’t know it for a fact, but the look on Sybil’s face confirmed my assumption.

“I did.”

She avoided my eyes by putting the dishes into the dishwasher.

“How was she?”

My parents had met her at official functions, of course. She’d been a lady, always perfectly styled, but that didn’t mean anything. Outward appearances and what went on behind closed doors were two very different things. “I only worked for her. I didn’t know her.”

I gave her a disbelieving look. “How can you work for someone for years and not know them?”

Sybil closed the dishwasher then busied herself with wiping the counters. “She kept her distance. She never had breakfast in the kitchen. She preferred me to get my tasks done as quickly as possible so I could leave.” She shook her head. “If you want to know more, you’ll have to talk to the master. But I don’t think you should.”