“Come in,” Dierk says, staring at the door past me.
Emelia comes in, carrying two plates of food and my stomach churns. The dizziness in my head aches, knowing soon it could be gone. Soon I might be able to walk straight without swerving. Soon, I might have some strength back.
“Can I bring you anything else?”
“No, thank you,” Dierk says.
The woman leaves.
It takes everything inside of me not to dig into my food, stuffing everything on my plate into my mouth in one scoop.
“I know you’re hungry. Eat.”
I hesitate and peek at Dierk, even though I know I shouldn’t. I need to eat as he said.
“You know?” my voice trembles, thinking this is some twisted game.
He nods. “I know Matteo isn’t feeding you.”
“But you’re allowing me to eat? What game are you playing? The food’s poisoned or something, isn’t it?”
His lips fall, and his body seems to hunch over a little.
He reaches onto my plate, stealing one of my fries and popping them into his mouth. He chews and swallows before I’m satisfied.
I can’t wait any longer. I dig into my food as Dierk nibbles on his fries.
“Why? Why be nice to me?” I ask, my mouth full of my turkey sandwich.
He stares out the large window out into the forest below.
“Because I know what it feels like to be hungry.”
My mouth drops open a little. Dierk seems to have transformed into a young boy in seconds.
“I went without food many a night when I was a kid. I watched my mother starve to death. My sister cried herself to sleep every night because she was in so much pain from the stomach aches. No one should ever be hungry.”
I swallow down the turkey, along with the lump in my throat.
“Thank you.”
He nods. “I know Matteo wants you to tell him where Nina is. He still loves her, but he deserves better. She loves Arlo; she will never love Matteo. He needs to move on and do what’s best for his family.”
I shovel the rest of the fries into my mouth and Dierk places the rest of his food on my plate.
“Matteo is a caring, devoted man. He’s just lost. He’s always had his brother. He doesn’t have the confidence to operate on his own. He hasn’t found his place in the world yet.”
I frown. “I don’t think Matteo’s a very caring man.”
He takes a deep breath staring at me. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe he isn’t a kind man. I don’t know. I took this job in high school to put food on the table and ensure my family never goes hungry again. But I can say Matteo is a better boss than Enrico was. That doesn’t make Matteo a saint; it makes him better.”
“I guess,” remembering all of the horrible things Nina told me about Enrico, Matteo’s father.
“Now, tell me about yourself. I might as well get to know you if I’m risking getting fired for you.”
I wince. “You could get fired because of me?”
He shrugs. “Maybe. If Enrico was in charge, yes. No one has gotten fired since Matteo took over. But probably.”