Irrevocable (Evan Arden 5)

I really don’t know if I can believe her or not.

Chapter 13—Broken Security

“Would you stop messing with me, woman!”

“I’m not messing!” Lele places her hand on Rinaldo’s back and pushes him forward to fluff up his pillow. He flings his arms around ineffectively, and Lele swats at his hand. “Now you listen to me, Rinaldo Leonardo Moretti! If you want to go home tomorrow to finish recovering, you are going to have to listen to me! Now drink your juice!”

She shoves a little plastic cup with a straw at his face until he relents and takes a sip.

“I’m not a child!” he whines. “Stop treating me like one!”

I stand in the doorway with a smirk on my face, observing. It’s rare to see Lele all up in Rinaldo’s face and even rarer to watch him take it. I’m not about to announce my presence and have it end too soon.

“You don’t want to be treated like a child, but you expect me to put up with your nonsense when you’re acting like one!” Lele tsks as she shakes her head. Her voice softens. “It’s this hospital food. It makes you Mr. Grumpy.”

“I’m addicted to your cooking,” Rinaldo says as he smiles up at her. “Anything else makes me grumpy.”

Lele leans down and kisses his lips lightly. When she breaks away, they touch foreheads and look into each other’s eyes for a full minute, then kiss again. Feeling suddenly voyeuristic, I clear my throat, and they part quickly.

“Evan!” Lele calls out as she walks over to hug me and kiss my cheeks. “Maybe you can do something to get him to eat his lunch.”

I take a closer look at the food on the tray, mostly untouched, and glance at Rinaldo with a raised brow. There’s nothing on the tray I find appealing, and he obviously agrees.

“Gabrielle, my love,” Rinaldo says, “I do need to speak with Evan.”

“Not until you at least eat this.” She holds up a little plastic cup of applesauce, and he grimaces.

“Later, I promise. Now out with you.”

“Let the men talk business,” Lele mutters. “Don’t think I won’t check the trash when I come back!”

He chuckles as she leaves, and I can’t help but smile as well. It’s good to see him smiling. Maybe I didn’t screw up as badly as I thought.

As soon as Lele is gone, I realize how wrong I am.

“I didn’t tell her,” Rinaldo says immediately. “I don’t know what to say.”

I’m confused. I don’t understand his hesitation.

“Why?” I ask.

“We had this all figured out,” Rinaldo says as he rubs his eyes. “Now I don’t know what to do.”

“We?”

“Lele and I.”

Nothing he says is making sense to me, and I tell him this.

Rinaldo shakes his head and tries to straighten up in bed, but it’s difficult for him. I help him get the pillow arranged so he can get comfortable.

“You can’t repeat this, Evan.”

“Of course not, sir.” I’m more confused now than ever.

“Felisa was Lele’s niece,” he says with a long sigh. “They weren’t so far apart in age and were very close when they were growing up. More like sisters.”

Shit.