Page 38 of Silent Night With Luca

Her voice is cold, and I feel the tension hanging between us. Something’s off, but I can’t figure out what it is. I take a breath, trying to keep my cool, but she’s not making it easy.

She looks up at me, and there’s a sharpness in her eyes. “Just leave me alone, Luca. Go smoke a cigarette or sit in the hall. Or better yet, call your girlfriend.”

That catches me off guard. “What are you talking about? I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Her eyes roll, and I feel my patience start to wear thin. “Whatever. Just leave.”

I step closer, my arms crossing over my chest. I’m not leaving this alone, not when there’s clearly some major misunderstanding. “No. Not until you tell me what you’re talking about. You went from hot to cold in a matter of minutes, and now you’re throwing out this girlfriend thing. What’s going on?”

She’s silent for a beat, and I can see her trying to keep it all bottled up, but something cracks. She huffs and finally spits it out. “I saw the receipt.”

I frown, trying to figure out what she’s talking about. “What receipt? What are you talking about, Fia?”

“The one for the necklace,” she snaps. “The expensive one you bought here. You don’t have to hide it, Luca. I know. You don’t owe me anything, but you might want to think about her, whoever she is.”

It takes me a second to process what she’s saying. Then it hits me—the receipt in my pocket. The one for the necklace I picked up for my mom. I let out a laugh, completely taken aback by the accusation.

She glares at me, her cheeks flushed with anger. “Why are you laughing? You think it’s funny to play with someone’s emotions? God, you’re just like all the men I know.”

I shake my head, the smile still on my face as I sit down on the edge of the coffee table in front of her. “The necklace… it’s for my mother.”

She blinks, confusion flashing across her face. “What? Nice try. You’re quick, I’ll give you that.”

“It’s for my parent’s sixtieth wedding anniversary,” I explain, pulling out my phone. “My dad asked me to pick it up for her while we’re here. He couldn’t find one in Vegas he liked, so he asked me to look around here. I was here for two days before you got here, so I had a lot more free time on my hands.”

I scroll through my messages and hand her the phone. “Here, look.”

She stares at the screen, her eyes scanning the text thread between me and my dad. There are pictures of different necklaces, the back-and-forth about which one to choose, and finally, the one I bought.

She hands the phone back, her face unreadable, but I can see the embarrassment creeping in. I wait for her to say something, but she just sits there, staring at the fire.

I stand up, moving behind the sofa. “You’re not going to apologize for snooping and jumping to conclusions?”

She doesn’t respond, doesn’t even look at me.

I lean over the back of the couch and wrap my arms around her, pulling her close. “I’m not leaving until you apologize.”

“Let go,” she mutters, but there’s no real fight in her voice.

“Nope,” I say, holding her tighter. “Not until you apologize. I walked up hill both ways in the snow to get you coffee only to come to this. I deserve an apology.”

I feel her shift in my arms, and then I start tickling her, running my fingers along her sides. She squirms, trying to get away, but I keep going until I hear her laugh.

“Stop!” she gasps, trying to push me off. “Okay, okay!”

“Not until you say you’re sorry,” I tease, keeping up the tickling.

“Fine!” she laughs, out of breath. “You win. I feel dumb.”

I stop, my arms still around her as I lean in. “You’re not dumb. You just need to trust me.”

She finally relaxes, nodding slightly. “Okay. You’re right.”

“And…?” I say, giving her one last squeeze before I let her go.

“And, I’m sorry.”

FOURTEEN

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