Shaking off any remaining fear of him, she couldn’t believe she had thought Sal reminded her of …
Chloe opened her laptop, unable to even put Sal’s name in the same thought as a complete monster.
“Is something wrong, darlin’?” Lucca set his spoon down, watching her twirl hers in the homemade vegetable soup. “I can make you something else if you don’t like it.”
Chloe looked up from her soup, realizing she had traveled deep in her thoughts. “No, s-sorry. It’s really good. I was just thinking, is all.”
He watched her take a bite of her food with a fallen look on her face. “Did being with Sal still bother you after I left?”
“No, I liked him. He was nice.”
She liked how Lucca only questioned her misplaced feelings of Sal in the beginning and not the fact that Sal might have upset her or done something to her. It showed her how much Lucca trusted him and that she could trust Sal, too. The strong bond between the two was obvious. Just like Elle and I… Seeing Lucca and Sal together made her want to be with her best friend.
“Then tell me what’s wrong, darlin’. Is there something I can do for you?”
“I just miss Elle. We used to talk every day, and I feel like I haven’t talked to her in forever. I don’t even have a girl to talk to here, and I think it’s just making me miss her more and more.”
A deep, thoughtful breath came from his chest. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Really? “Really?”
“I can’t promise you anything, but I’ll see what I can do to make you more comfortable.”
It was strange to think he would do that, considering he was holding her captive. She was slowly starting to learn that he wanted her happy for some reason. She was grateful for whatever reason it was.
Smiling, she told him, “Thank you.”
After that, Chloe was able to fully enjoy the delicious meal. Dang, he’s really a good cook. She hadn’t had one bad meal since being here, and already she could see herself weirdly missing the food when she was finally set free.
“So, you liked Sal, huh?” he asked, grinning.
“Yes, he was really nice to me and patient while teaching me how to solve the problems.”
“Good.”
Looking over at him, she saw that Lucca didn’t seem surprised by her answer.
“You knew I would like him, didn’t you?”
“Yes, everyone likes Sal. I haven’t met a person who doesn’t like him, from the worst to the best types of people.”
Chloe didn’t doubt it. “He’s like a genius, isn’t he?”
Looking up from his food, he stared directly at her. “He’s not like a genius, darlin’; he is one.”
By the serious expression on his face, it was clear that Sal was even smarter than she believed to be possible. She just couldn’t believe the polar opposites took to one another.
She wasn’t sure if he would answer, but she was too curious not to ask, “Why did your father take him in?”
The question didn’t seem to bother him in the least. “Sal had lived on and off the streets with his mother since he was a baby, but by the time he was ten, his mother had OD’d. She had been dead a while before my father picked Sal up, and after that, he became family.”
“That was nice of your father.”
He nodded. “Yes, my father took to Sal. He liked him better than he ever liked me. Sal is definitely the son he always wanted.”
Sadness washed over her at his statement. She felt bad for the young boy who thought he wasn’t the son his father wanted.
“I’m sorry you felt that way.”
“Don’t be sorry, darlin’. It never bothered me. I was never much for feeling anything, especially toward my father. I was glad Sal was able to have a relationship with a father figure, even if it was mine. He deserved it more than me.”
She bit her lip as she stared down at her food, feeling every word he had said and knowing there was no jealousy of the relationship Sal had with his father. Dang it, she really wished he would stop surprising her with how little she understood him.
“I’m glad you two found each other then.”
His eyes turned that beautiful shade of green. “And I’m glad you like him. It means a lot to me that you feel comfortable around him.”
The crazy thing was, she had. She even felt comfortable with scary Drago. The question was: how? She wasn’t comfortable with anyone, especially men. However, not once had she feared they would even touch her.
Chloe remembered then that, when Sal had sat down, he had pulled his chair far enough away from her and was very careful not to touch her during their tutoring session. It was the same with Drago. He was always careful of the distance between them and to not come close to touching her.