Page 30 of Smitten with the Single Dad

Once the Suburban was out of sight, only then did Vica show any real emotion. Even then, she was stoic as fuck.

Wyatt abandoned the need to go check on the kitchen and how things were managing in his absence. Instead, he punched the code in for the door again and met her on the other side, taking her in his arms before she crumpled to the ground.

She trembled against him as the sobs wracked her entire body.

“Come on,” he said, “let’s go.”

Nodding, she allowed him to lead her back up to the house.

Griffon and Jake were off playing with their cousins on the hillside. Wyatt could see out the kitchen window the six kids roaming through the tall grass, laughing and goofing off. This was exactly what summers were all about, and why he and his brothers worked so hard to get this land and build this kind of life for their children.

He made Vica some tea as she sat at the kitchen table. Her head was in her hands as her elbows rested on the table, and she stared down at the mottled grain of the wood. “They are going to sic immigration on me, aren’t they?” she said, her voice riddled with emotion. “I am going to get deported. Or go to jail.”

“I won’t let either of those things happen,” he said, pouring hot water from the electric kettle over a camomile tea bag in the mug.

She glanced at him sideways through the veil of her now chopped off hair. But her gaze didn’t hold any kind of hope or belief that he would protect her. It held skepticism. Defeat. And a whole lot of hopelessness.

He put the mug in front of her. “I know it doesn’t feel like you have people, but you do. We’re here to help you.”

Heaving a big, weary sigh, she blinked and sat up. Then stood up. “Thank you for the tea, Wyatt, but right now, I just want to be alone and lie down. I do not know what to do. So instead of doing nothing, I guess I can apply for more jobs. Maybe someone in this country—or Canada—will want to hire an Italian mechanical engineer who specializes in alternative power sources, and is also a killer.” Then she took her mug and headed upstairs, her shoulders rounder than he’d seen them since they met last night. Even her gait was different.

“I’m heading down to the restaurant to just check on a couple of things,” he called up to her after a moment, realizing he couldn’t just sit around the house and do nothing. Yes, he generally tried to take Sundays off, but the kids were occupied and he wanted to check on a couple of supply orders, as well as touch base with Burke.

He didn’t like leaving Vica alone in the house, but she wanted to be alone. So he needed to honor that and not hover.

As always, it wasn’t a quick visit to the restaurant though, and he ended up being gone about an hour. A big order came in, so he stepped up and helped the line cooks get the food out in a timely fashion. He hated to leave his staff hanging. So if he could pitch in—even if he wasn’t technically supposed to be there—he did.

“Get out of here,” Burke said, giving Wyatt a playful shove in the arm. “This is your day off, and I’m seriously starting to take it personally that you don’t think I’m capable of running this kitchen without you.”

“All right, all right,” Wyatt said with a chuckle. “And I know you’re totally capable. It’s just hard.”

Burke rolled his eyes. “Maybe I need to break both of your arms so that youcan’twork for a bit. You need a vacation and to fucking relax. I got this, man. Won’t let you down.”

“I know, I know.” Wyatt scratched the back of his neck. “I promise I won’t be back today.” He ducked into the walk-in freezer. “But I’m taking this with me.” He grabbed a brand-new tub of mango gelato and tucked it under his arm.

“Hey Wyatt?” came a familiar female voice, just as he was about to leave out the back door.

He spun around to see Nadine, one of their summer hires at the front of house standing on the threshold of the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the bar. “Yeah?”

“What uh … what happened last night? I’m hearing all this chatter about somebody getting attacked. Is she okay?”

Wyatt glanced at Burke, but his big muscly friend just shrugged and slapped a homemade burger patty down on the flattop.

“Do you remember that group that came in last night? I think there were nine of them. One guy paid for the whole lot. And he also sent all but himself and one woman, home.”

Nadine squinted her light brown eyes for a moment in thought, then finally nodded. “Yeah … I remember them. Awkward bunch. At least the guys were. There were two women and they seemed nice enough.” Then her gaze widened. “Why? Was it one of those women?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

Her gaze turned sad and she shook her head, causing her dark, shoulder-length hair to swish back and forth. “Oh, that’s so sad. I hope she’s okay.”

“Yeah … we hope so too.” He gave a half-hearted, close-mouthed smile and quick glance at the cold and slowly melting tub of gelato in his arms. Hopefully Nadine knew the conversation was over. She seemed to catch his drift and nodded, then returned to the front of house.

Wyatt glanced at Burke. “I’m sure it’ll get out that Vica is staying up at my house, but for now, let’s try to keep the tea from spilling too much, hmm?”

Burke grunted. “I barely like to talk as it is.”

That made Wyatt snicker. “And that’s what I like most about you, buddy.”

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