Selena Kitt - Letters to the Baumgarters

“A month.” I blinked. When I’d left, I didn’t think he was even on track to graduate, but here he was, talking business as if it was second nature. “You’re really here just for business?”

“Well…” He cleared his throat and I waited, just looking at him. “Expanding into Europe was kind of my idea…” he admitted. “And… so was starting in Italy.”

“So you came to see me.” I would have denied the thrill that went through me at the thought, but it was there nonetheless.

“Is that bad?” He kissed the top of my head.

“No.” I settled my cheek against his chest. “Yes… I don’t know.” I paused, thinking, and decided to just come out and ask. “What happened, Mason?”

“What do you mean?”

I hesitated. “When I left, you weren’t too interested in much of anything, except hanging out with Darron and playing D amp;D. Now you’re here in Italy talking about expanding your father’s business. So… what happened?”

He was quiet for a moment, and then his arms tightened around me and he said, “I lost you. That’s what happened.”

I could barely breathe.

“You weren’t the only one hurting you know,” he reminded me, his voice low. “But you leaving… that was a wake-up call for me. At first, I tried to just keep doing what I’d always done. What my parents wanted me to do.” He sounded angry, bitter. I winced. “But I couldn’t. You took my whole world with you, and I had to get it back. At least, I had to try.”

“How did you know I’d take you back?”

“I didn’t.” He chuckled. “I’m as surprised as you are that I’m here in your bed, you know.”

“Are you?”

“I fully expected you to slam the door in my face.”

I laughed. “And you came anyway?”

“Yes.” His arms tightened around me.

I was thinking about Nico. Mason felt so good, familiar-comfortable. Being in his arms was like coming home. But what was I going to do? I couldn’t just drop everything because Mason had come for me. Besides, the problems we’d always dealt with would resurface, I was sure of it. Why wouldn’t they?

Unless Mason really had changed…

I sighed. “I just don’t know how this is going to work.”

“Let’s just see where things go, okay?” His fingertips brushed over my arm and shoulder, making me shiver. “I’ll be here. We can talk. Take it one day at a time. See what happens.”

I shrugged, doubtful still. “If you say so.”

“I also wanted to ask you a favor…”

“Uh-oh.” I rolled my eyes. “Here we go.”

“Doubting Thomas.” He laughed. “Actually, I’d like to offer you a job.”

“A… job?”

“I need an interpreter,” he explained. “I’m going to hire one anyway, but I thought you might like the extra cash.”

I half-sat, blinking at him. “Is this a bribe?”

“No strings attached, I promise.” He crossed his heart. “Would you be willing to work with me?”

“I don’t know.” I frowned.

“Work on us?”

“Oh, Mason…” I snuggled up again, closing my eyes, wishing I could believe.

“Let’s sleep on it.” He kissed my forehead and that’s just what we did.

“Phone.” Mason nudged me but I was only half-awake. I buried my head under my pillow and snuggled more deeply under the covers. “Dani, phone.”

It was only when he reached for it that I reacted, practically leaping over him to grab it. I fell onto the floor, still naked, shivering in the transition from warm covers to cold air.

“Hello?” I gasped, already dragging the phone on its long cord toward the bathroom.

“Morning, bella.” The sound of Nico’s voice made me flush and I closed the door behind me.

“Hi.” I whispered.

“Did I wake you? It’s almost noon.”

“Is it?” I blinked at the sunlight streaming through my bathroom window. I’d been up far too late, and had been woken up, several times, in the middle of the night. Of course, I couldn’t exactly tell him what I’d been doing, now could I?

“Are you sick?”

“No, I’m fine,” I protested.

“You sound hoarse.”

Of course I did. I was whispering. “I should go.”

“But I want to talk to you.”

Mason knocked on the door. “Dani?”

Oh crap.

“Later,” I whispered, closing my eyes and praying for a miracle. “Meet me at the Mood Cafe in an hour.”

I hung up the phone just as Mason knocked again, louder this time. “Dani, are you okay?”

“Fine!” I called brightly, standing and opening the door.

“Who was that?”

“I had a study group at noon,” I lied. “They were wondering where I was.”

“Why did you take the phone into the bathroom.”

“I had to pee.” I lied. “You know me, as soon as I get up, I have to go.” In fact, I had to go now. “Listen, I have to hop in the shower and get ready to go. Will you be okay here for a few hours?”

He shrugged. “I’ll just go get myself some lunch.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“I’ve got my English/Italian dictionary, don’t I?” He grinned. “And I can say hamburger e patatine fritte.”

I laughed. “That will get you a hamburger and fries.”

“Then I’m all set.”

I rushed through my shower, put on jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed my jacket, calling out to Mason, who was now in the shower himself, that I was leaving.

“I left a key on the table,” I called, peeking behind the curtain. His hair was all soapy, and the sight of the suds dripping down his chest, over the flat, ridges muscles of his abdomen, made my breath catch. I didn’t dare let my gaze dip lower.

“Thanks.” He rinsed, rubbing his eyes and blinking at me. He saw the way I was looking at him and grinned. “Sure you can’t stay a while?”

I thought of Nico waiting for me at the cafe and sighed. “Later. I’ll be back in a few hours. Can you feed Jezebel?”

“Sure.”

Nico was waiting already, although I was right on time. He smiled as I approached, rising to kiss my cheek and pull out my chair.

“Don’t say anything.” He held up a finger as I opened my mouth, which was probably a good thing, because I wasn’t sure what I was going to say anyway. “I want to apologize.”

I just sat and ordered a vanilla Coke, waiting for Nico to continue.

“You’re right, this whole trying to find a place for us is crazy.” He reached over and took my hand. “And you have become far more important to me than my mother or my family. I want you to know that.”

“Nico…”

“No, wait.” He turned my hand over in his, tracing the lines of my palm with his finger. “I’m going to look for a place. My own place. So we can stop this sneaking around.”

I blinked at him, stunned. I probably would have jumped up and hugged him if he’d delivered this news a few days ago. Now I could just sit and stare, a growing pit of anxiety settling in my stomach.

“I…” What could I say? I’d come here with the intention of telling him about Mason. I knew I should tell him the whole story, my entire history, strip myself bare before him.

The waiter came and I sipped my Coke, grateful for the interruption. He asked if we wanted to order food, but Nico paid for our drinks, telling him no.

“I’m hungry,” I protested.

“I have a surprise for you.” He smiled, standing and reaching for my hand.

“Where are we going?”

The gondola was waiting and he helped me into it.

“Al Ponte Antico.”

I stared at him. “The… hotel?”

“I rented a suite for the night.”

“But…” I thought of Mason, waiting for me back at my flat. What in the hell was I going to do now?

“It’s Saturday,” he reminded me. “You don’t have class.”