“I’ll think about it,” he repeated.
I stopped staring at Conway and looked at Carbine again. “What were you doing today?”
“I went to the studio for a few hours and met with Nicole. Those pieces I displayed have sold out a few times. She says I should start planning my next release. I have to strike while the iron is hot…”
“Not a bad idea. Do you have any thoughts planned?”
“A few,” he said vaguely.
I glanced at the sun to see what time it was since I didn’t have a watch. It was between three and four, and I had a few things to finish before the day was through. “I should get back to work.”
He straightened at the fence, returning his arms to his sides. “Will you have dinner with me tonight?”
Despite the summer heat, I felt goose bumps sprinkle across my arms. “Sure.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
* * *
We sat on the terrace with a single white candle between us. Dante prepared juicy steaks with stalks of asparagus along with a side of potatoes. He selected the wine to complement the food, and we had a five-star meal right in the backyard.
The sun had set thirty minutes ago, and now a faint line stretched over the horizon. Splashes of blue, orange, and pink mixed with the clouds that started to roll in as the temperature cooled.
Conway and I didn’t say much. Ever since we came to our agreement, we spoke to each other less. There was simply less to say since he wasn’t bossing me around all the time. The basis of our relationship was fighting back and forth. Without it, there wasn’t much to go on.
But I preferred the quiet over arguing.
He stared at me most of the time, his black shirt showing off the thickness of his arms. He’d shaved before dinner, so his jaw was clean of the stubble he had earlier that afternoon. His eyes were dark like his shirt, giving him a look of constant shadow. The only time he pulled his gaze away was to look at his steak as he cut off a piece.
I was getting used to his stares. The look was identical to what it used to be, but it somehow felt different. “Was Vanessa’s story true? You really did that?”
He sipped his wine before he answered. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Men are disgusting assholes—that’s why.”
“Yes, but not all of them are.”
He shook his head. “Yes, all. Of all women, you should agree with that statement.”
I couldn’t when an exception was sitting right across from me. But since he hated being labeled as a good guy, I didn’t tell him that. “Do you look after her a lot?”
“A lot more than she thinks. She got upset with me when I followed her, but she thinks that’s the first time. The fact that she’s never noticed me before concerns me.”
“She seems like a capable young woman.”
“She’s not. She’s young and naïve. She thinks the world is a beautiful place and she needs a blank canvas to capture it all. Fucking annoying.”
“Sounds like she has a good spirit.”
“She does. I wouldn’t be so concerned if she weren’t so damn beautiful.” He sighed before he took another drink of his wine. “I’m her brother, and even I can’t pretend she’s ugly. Anytime I’m out with her, all the men stare at her. But I can’t strangle twelve men at one time, so I just have to deal with it. So how many men stare at her when she’s by herself?”
“She may be ignorant, but I doubt she’s ignorant to that. Every beautiful woman knows what it’s like to be stared at.”
“But not every woman understands she’s not invincible. Vanessa has a false sense of self. She thinks she’s stronger than she really is. If someone grabs her, she thinks she’ll be able to fight them off…but she can’t.”
His deep concern for his sister made me wonder if there was more to the story than he was telling me. “Conway, did something happen?”
It was the first time he’d dropped his gaze during the conversation. “Meaning?”
“You and your father both seemed…uncomfortable by the topic.”
He drank his wine again, this time taking a much bigger sip. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
So there was a reason. “I’m sorry I asked.”
He finished his glass and refilled it. “When she decided she wanted to study in Milan, it was difficult for my parents to let her go. They’ve protected her her entire life. Since she’s close to me, I feel the need to look after her. So far there haven’t been any issues, but you never know. A part of me wants her to marry a very powerful man, that way I’ll never have to worry about her ever again.”
“Maybe she will.”
He shook his head. “She’s too independent and has way too much sass. She scares men away.”