Page 95 of The Deal

“I spoke with your doctor this morning; he said you’ll be here for a few more weeks, but he doesn’t see a problem with you attending Papa’s funeral next week. You’ll need to be in a wheelchair, of course. And accompanied by a nurse.”

“Fuck that,” he grumbles.

“I know it’s not ideal, but you don’t want to do anything that will set you back.”

“Can I at least choose the nurse?”

“Have you got your eye on someone?” I ask in return.

“Yeah, the blonde. She works the night shift. Amelia, Aurora, or is it Abigail? It starts withAanyway. She gave me a very in-depth sponge bath this morning … it came with a happy ending.”

I bark out a laugh. “She doesn’t sound like a good little Italian girl.”

“I never said I was going to marry her.”

I lean back in my chair, lifting my leg to rest my ankle on my knee. “I’m thinking of settling down.”

“Yeah, right,” he chuckles.

“I’m serious. I’ve met someone.”

“Who?”

“Her name’s Chloe … she’s Lina’s daughter.”

His eyebrows jump so high that they almost reach his hairline. “Lina … as in our Lina.”

“Technically, she’s not ours, but yeah.”

“She has a daughter?”

“She does.”

“Fucking hell, I didn’t know that. Where’s she been all this time?”

“With her father until recently … I moved her in with me a couple of months ago.”

“Moved her in? Sounds serious.”

“Well, I just told you I’m thinking of settling down. So, no shit.”

“Where’d you meet her?”

“At the bar at my hotel.”

“Wow. Small world, hey? Did you know who she was when you met?”

“No.”

“Are you going to ask her to marry you?”

“Hopefully, when she stops hating me and starts loving me again.”

He cracks up, then winces, clutching his side. “Fuck, that hurt. Why does she hate you?”

“Because I didn’t tell her I knew her mum once I found out who she was.”

He blows out a long whistle between his teeth. “I bet that didn’t go down well.”

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