Sempre (Forever) (18 page)

“Thanks.” She turned back to the book. She was quiet for a moment before groaning. “What’s hib— uh, this word?”

He set his guitar down and rolled onto his stomach, peeking over to see what she was pointing at. His chin rested on her shoulder. “Hibiscus. It's a flower.”

She smiled and turned to him, their faces so close the tips of their noses touched. He thought she’d turn back away, the proximity intimate, but she just stared at him. He could feel her breath on his skin as she brought her bottom lip into her mouth and bit down on it.

He turned his head then, and Haven closed the book with a sigh. Pushing it to the side, she lay her head down on his pillow.

“Not liking the story?”

“I’m sure the story would be great if I could understand it,” she said, shielding herself with her hair, but he tucked some of it behind her ear to see her face.

“Patience is a virtue and shit... you’ll get it. Anyone who can learn through closed captioning is a natural at this reading thing.”

He had no idea if he was telling the truth, but he wanted to make her feel better.

Neither one spoke for a while. Haven’s eyes drifted closed eventually, and he stared at her for a bit before his own exhaustion took him under.

A piercing scream pulled him from his slumber not long after he dozed off. He shot straight up, startled when he realized it was Haven. Tears poured down her cheek as her head thrashed around, fast asleep in the grip of a nightmare.

He wrapped his arms around her without a second thought and shushed her. She calmed down, falling back into a peaceful sleep.

“
Sogni d'oro, mia bella ragazza
,” he mumbled, closing his eyes.
Sweet dreams, my beautiful girl.

Chapter 12

Haven stood in the kitchen, her mind wandering as she threw together a batch of cookies. She’d slipped out of bed an hour ago, her nerves on edge about last night. Her body controlled her when she was around Carmine, her heart taking the lead over her mind. Her mind told her it was ridiculous, dangerous to spend time with him, but her heart told her it was right.

She preheated the oven as she placed the rounded balls of dough on the cookie sheet, putting the first batch in when there was a loud knock on the front door. Glancing out the window, she saw a small white car in the driveway. Whoever it was knocked again, just as forceful the second time.

She couldn’t open the door. The alarm was enabled, and she still didn’t have a code. Standing there quietly, locked in a dilemma, she was relieved when she heard Carmine coming down the stairs. “Whoever’s at the fucking door better have a search warrant.”

Haven stood in the doorway as he disabled the alarm and opened the door. Before he could say a word, someone shoved into him as they barged into the house. “You’re such an asshole!”

While Haven was stunned, Carmine’s expression remained blank. “Lisa.”

“How could you do that to me last night?” Lisa spat, glaring at him. The look on her face reminded Haven of Mistress Katrina when she yelled at Master Michael. She wondered what Carmine could’ve done to ignite such fury, but he wasn’t giving any indication of a response.

Carmine glanced toward the kitchen as Lisa cursed at him, and he smiled when he spotted Haven standing there. Lisa didn’t take well to being ignored and glanced behind her, noticing the exchange. “Oh, how cute! Is she the reason, Carmine? That bitch?”

Carmine's smile fell. “If you know what’s good for you, Lisa, you’ll shut up right now.”

“I thought you were better than that, Carmine. Look at her!” She glared at Haven. “So how much is Dr. DeMarco paying you to screw his son? Does he even know?”

Haven stared at her in shock, her expression setting Carmine off. He grabbed Lisa's arm and swung the front door open with so much force it slammed into the wall. He pulled her out to her car while she continued to yell. She tried to smack him when he let go, but he ducked out of the way. He started yelling—Haven couldn’t hear him, but she could see his mouth furiously moving. Lisa stood there with her eyes narrowed as he slammed his hands against the hood of her car before turning his back to her.

The oven beeped, the batch of cookies done. Haven pulled them out as the front door slammed, rattling things on the kitchen counter. Carmine walked in, pausing beside her at the window. “You should’ve answered it and told her I wasn’t home.”

“I couldn’t. I don’t have a code.” He looked at her peculiarly but said nothing. His silence made her nervous. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said. “I’ve known Lisa for a long time, and she got it in her head that I was gonna fall in love with her. She can’t grasp that she isn’t my type.”

Haven looked at him, surprised, as Carmine grabbed one of the peanut butter cookies from the rack. “She’s not your type?”

He shook his head and took a bite. “Does that surprise you?”

“Yes. She's a beautiful girl.”

“You think Lisa’s beautiful?”

She nodded. “She looks like she belongs on a magazine cover.”

He laughed dryly. “Exactly. She’s not real. I need someone who’s not afraid to get their hands dirty, and that isn’t her. Lisa would go schizo if she chipped a fingernail.”

 Haven shook her head. “If she isn’t your type, why did you take her to the dance?”

He stared at her, taking another bite. “Eat a cookie. They're good.”

*  *  *  *

Dr. DeMarco's car pulled up in front of the house as Haven grabbed a container from the cabinet to put the cookies away. The front door opened, footsteps heading toward the kitchen. Dr. DeMarco walked right over to her, pausing so close his arm brushed against hers.

Her skin crawled, his presence still alarming to her.

Dr. DeMarco grabbed a cookie. “Morning,
dolcezza
.”

“Good morning, sir,” she said. “What does that mean?”

“
Dolcezza
?” He took a bite, his expression carefree. She’d never seen him look so cheerful before. “Sweetheart.”

Sweetheart
?

She continued to put the cookies away as Dr. DeMarco made himself a pot of coffee. She hadn’t dared to make any since the morning where everything went wrong. Dr. DeMarco munched on his cookie until his coffee was ready. Carmine walked in again as his father was pouring a cup, and they greeted one another before Dr. DeMarco walked out. Carmine hopped up on the counter near Haven once he was gone, grabbing another cookie before she could put on the lid. “Are you okay today?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”

He shrugged. “You had a nightmare.”

“I’m sorry if I disturbed your sleep,” she said. “I should’ve gone back to my room.”

“I don’t care about that,
tesoro
. You just worried me.”

She could feel his eyes on her but didn’t meet his gaze. “I’m fine. I, uh… I don’t know why that happened.”

“Bullshit,” he said. “Why are you lying?”

Her heart raced. “Why do you think I’m lying?”

“The walls are thin. I can hear you at night.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” he said. “I just don’t get why you’d lie about it.”

Tears welled in her eyes at being put on the spot. “Because it’s not a big deal.”

“I know what it’s like, you know,” he said. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Well, if you change your mind, I’m all ears.”

He hopped back down, giving her a small smile before walking out. She brushed the flour from her clothes and finished cleaning up before heading into the family room where everyone had gathered. Carmine glanced at her from the spot he’d taken on the couch.

“Hey Dad,” he said, his eyes still on her. “I think I'm gonna teach Haven how to read.”

Fear shot through her. Dr. DeMarco raised his eyebrows and stared at her for a moment, seeming to contemplate it before looking at his son. “I assumed to teach someone how to read, you would have to know how.”

Carmine rolled his eyes. “I know how to read.”

“Yeah,” Dominic interjected. “Didn’t you know, Dad? He read the first page of
Count of Monte Cristo
.”

“
Vaffanculo
,” Carmine said.

Dr. DeMarco shook his head as he turned his attention back to Haven. “Take a seat, child.”

She couldn’t tell whether it was an offer or a demand, but she knew it was safer to just do what he said. She walked over to the couch and sat in the empty space beside Carmine. He had his feet kicked up on the table in front of him, slouched down with his arms crossed over his chest.

The room grew quiet as they watched the television, a movie about a guy named Hoffa. There was a knock on the door after a while, and she glanced around when no one got up to answer it. They knocked again before the door opened.

“None of you can answer the door for me?” Tess called out. Haven tensed as she walked toward them.

“Hello, Tess,” Dr. DeMarco said, his attention still on the screen. She paused and glanced around at all of them, her eyes lingering on Haven for longer than she was comfortable with.

Tess squeezed in the chair with Dominic, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around him. Dominic hugged her as they shared a smile, their expressions warm. Haven smiled at the sight. Tess was cold toward her, but Haven realized she wasn’t a mean person.

Haven turned back to the television and tried to focus on the movie, but Carmine kept inching closer to her. It clouded her mind.

“Hey, Doc, did your son tell you he beat up Lisa’s car this morning?” Tess asked.

“I hit it once,” Carmine said. “It was only a small dent.”

“Well, you better find a job to pay for that dent,” Dr. DeMarco said. “I’m not forking the bill for you anymore, remember?”

“I shouldn’t have to pay for anything. She deserved it for busting in here like some goddamn interrogator.”

Those words drew Dr. DeMarco’s attention from the movie. “And why did she come to interrogate you?”

“She wants a relationship or something. I don’t know.”

Dr. DeMarco laughed. “That’s what happens when you lead girls on.”

“Whatever, I don’t lead them on. And regardless, maybe I deserve the shit, but Haven didn’t deserve to get dragged into it.”

Dr. DeMarco’s eyebrows rose. “How did that happen?”

“She was standing there,” Carmine said. “Wrong place, wrong time. Lisa called her some names.”

“I don’t think she meant me any harm,” Haven said quietly. “She was just angry.”

“Bullshit,” Carmine said. “Lisa knew what she was doing.”

Dr. DeMarco shook his head. “You shouldn’t be put in the line of fire with Carmine’s
puttani
.”

Haven had no idea what
puttani
were, but she had a feeling it wasn’t very nice. “It’s fine. I’ve survived a lot worse.”

Dr. DeMarco’s gaze was intense as he stared at her. “Yes, you have.”

Everyone turned back to the television, but Haven fidgeted in her seat. Uncomfortable, she wanted a reason to leave the room and leaned toward Carmine. “Do you want something to drink?”

He shrugged. “You can bring me something.”

She stood up, taking a few steps toward the kitchen, but paused before exiting the room. “Do you need anything, Dr. DeMarco?”

“No, thank you.”

“I’ll take a bottle of water,” Tess chimed in. “Thanks for asking.”

Haven was frightened she’d made a mistake, but Dr. DeMarco spoke, alleviating her worry. “You’re capable of getting your own water, Tess. There’s nothing wrong with your legs.”

Haven made a Cherry Coke for Carmine and grabbed a bottle of water, hesitating before getting a second one. She walked back into the family room and handed one to Tess. “Here you go.”

Tess raised her eyebrows as she took the water and turned back to the television without saying a word.

Haven sat back down and handed the soda to Carmine. “You didn’t have to do that. Actually, you didn’t have to do any of it. I can get my own drink.” He brought his glass to his lips and took a sip. “I appreciate it, though.”

“You’re welcome,” she said as something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. Dr. DeMarco was staring again.

The home phone rang then, and everyone jumped at the sound. Haven hadn’t heard it ring before. Her heart raced as Dr. DeMarco stood up to get it.

“What the fuck is that?”

Haven glanced at Carmine, seeing the baffled expression on his face. “It’s the telephone.”

“No, I get that, but where did it come from?”

She shrugged as Dr. DeMarco answered it, sitting back down in his chair. “DeMarco residence.”

He listened quietly to the person on the line. “How many hits did you say you had?”

Haven tried not to listen, not wanting to appear to be spying, but Dr. DeMarco spoke loudly. “Who? How the hell is that possible?”

“Seriously,” Carmine said. “When did we get a phone?”

Dominic laughed. “Weeks ago.”

Dr. DeMarco raised his voice even more. “Do it again. If it comes out the same the second time, we’ll redo the entire thing. But it has to be wrong. There’s no way it’s true.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Carmine asked.

“The better question, bro, is why didn’t you notice?”

Dr. DeMarco sighed. “Keep it off the record. I don’t want this getting out until I can make sense of it.”

He tossed the phone down, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Child, do you know anything about the Antonelli’s business?”

“No, sir,” Haven said. “Frankie took me with him once when he went to an, uh, auction, but I don’t know… I mean…”

She trailed off, having no idea where she was going with her words. Dr. DeMarco stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he stood up. He grabbed the Cherry Coke right out of Carmine's hand and stalked out of the room.

Stunned, Haven glanced at Carmine. “What happened?”

He shrugged, staring at his empty hand. “Beats me. I didn’t even know we had a damn phone.”

*  *  *  *

The door to the office on the second floor was uncharacteristically open. Vincent sat behind his desk, his glasses low on his nose as he rummaged through files. Carmine stood in the doorway, watching him. “Who jizzed in your coffee?”