Page 106 of Married With Malice

Cuddling the hoodie to my chest, I backtrack across the house and knock on the door that connects Peggy’s little apartment to the main house.

Peggy opens the door and immediately turns her back as she walks to the stove.

“No need to knock,” she says as she whirls a large wooden spoon around in a large stock pot. “This isn’t a hotel.”

“Okay,” I reply, unsure what a hotel has to do with anything.

Luca spills out of a kitchen chair that’s inadequate for his long body. Peggy’s exotic yarn creation threatens to fall from his shoulders.

The grin he flashes pierces me like a lightning bolt.

“What is that?” I point to the bowl-sized mug of foggy liquid in his hands.

“Bone broth,” Peggy says as she stirs emphatically on the stove.

“So I don’t get pneumonia,” Luca adds. “From what I hear, the pneumonia was just about to happen but now it won’t.”

“You’re cheekier than your brother,” Peggy gripes, still stirring.

“Am I cheeky?” Luca asks me.

“Exceedingly.” I throw the hoodie at him. “Here. Your nipples are showing.”

Luca cracks up at the wedding day reference and pulls on the sweatshirt.

Over the last couple of days, the tightness has dropped from his shoulders. The sharp angles that had begun to carve their way into his face have disappeared and his eyes have lost their new haunted wariness. He hasn’t even been carrying his gun.

He’s the real Luca again. The fun-loving Luca who is forever equipped with snappy sarcasm and enjoys laughing.

Oh, how I adore him.

“Drink this.” Peggy delivers a mug of bone broth to me and pulls out the second kitchen chair, a sign that I’m expected to occupy it.

“You better do it,” Luca deadpans. “If I can’t have pneumonia then you can’t have it either.”

I nudge his ankle with my toe under the table and mouth the word, “Behave.”

His eyes gleam as he mouths back the word, “No.”

“Peggy,” I say. “I was wondering if I could spend some time with you in the kitchen while I’m staying here. I could really use some cooking lessons and I’ll try not to get in the way. I’ll understand if you’re too busy but I’d really appreciate any time you can spare.”

She stops stirring. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

“Thank you, Peggy.” I sip my bone broth like an obedient houseguest while cats prowl all over the place and the little brown dog named Tinkerbell naps on a pillow bed in the corner.

Peggy won’t allow Luca to leave her kitchen until he’s finished his broth. Then she banishes him to the yard.

“Go help your brother.” She gestures to the window. “He works too hard. Any minute now he’ll fall down from exhaustion and I’ll need to pick him up.”

I don’t know which is more difficult to picture; the mighty Cale Connelly having a fainting spell or the idea of petite Peggy lifting him up.

“I can’t let that happen,” Luca says, rising from the chair with a stretch.

I pluck at the front of his hoodie. “Wear a jacket. It is cold out there.”

He moves closer and cages my knees between his legs. “I’ll consider it,” he says. “For a price.”

“No filthy requests in front of Peggy,” I warn.

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