‘Francesco has been working less increasing his exercise eating healthier.”
‘l’m sure Therese is making sure of that.” Her stepmother loved her father very much.
‘I still don’t understand why he didn’t tell me.”
‘I do not know ” If she hadn’t been running from Salvatore for the past year, she would have visited Sicily at least once and no doubt found out about her father’s health then. Guilt weighed on her as she finished her small dinner. Cleaning up was easy and thankfully, with the help of the running water in the small bathroom’s sink they were able to avoid a lingering odor of tuna in the enclosed space.
Afterward they settled back on the floor but its hardness quickly grew uncomfortable.
She shifted her sitting position drawing her knees up to her chin having long since abandoned her shoes .
‘lt is going to be very uncomfortable sleeping.”
Her head came up at the sound of Salvatore’s voice and her conscience pricked her.
She should tell him about the blow-up air mattress in the cupboard. The thing was, it was a single and they would have to share. It was the only option that made sense, but her mind rebelled at the prospect of sleeping in such close proximity to him. Even the thought of slumber on the hard floor had more appeal. It would definitely be better for her sanity.
Besides, there was no saying if it would still hold air after all the time it had sat unused on that shelf, she tried telling herself. In the end, her conscience would not let her keep it to herself however. Grimacing, she stood up. ‘There’s an air mattress.”
His brow rose in question.
‘you know a blow-up thing we can use to sit on now.”
‘And sleep on later.”
He caught on quick but then he was a smart guy-about everything but her. ‘Yes.”
‘We will have to sleep together.”
There was nothing for it. She forced herself to nod. ‘Yes.”
She almost offered to sleep on the floor at the look of satisfaction that crossed his features.
‘Don’t get any ideas, Salvatore. If you try anything, 1‘11 push you right off the mattress, got it?”
CHAPTER SIX
IT WAS a ludicrous threat considering how much bigger he was than her not to mention more dangerous, but he didn’t laugh.
&nbs
p; He did smile though. you have made yourself clear.”
She pulled out the mattress. There was no pump, so they took turns blowing into it to inflate it.
Salvatore smiled the first time he took it from her, putting his lips where hers had been with deliberate movements and she could almost feel his lips against hers. It was worse when she took it back from him because the intimacy of using the air spigot after Salvatore made her insides clench. She hid her reaction but she felt as if he knew anyway.
Once they had it blown up, he pulled the blanket out and spread it over the mattress before they sat down on it.
It didn’t give and there was no telltale hiss of escaping air.
‘I think it’s going to hold.” She wasn’t sure if she was glad or disappointed by that fact.
‘Iwish we had a pack of cards, or something.”
‘Are you bored with my company already, cfo/cezza?”
‘No, of course not. It’s just that… ” She let her voice trail off.