Page 41 of The Saint

“Would you like breakfast, sir?” Gerard asked.

“Dinner is fine,” I said without looking at him. “Chef’s choice.”

“Of course.” Gerard left to speak with the chef in the other kitchen, which was for the chef’s exclusive use. This one was for entertaining, not that I ever did that.

Fleur mixed the batter before pouring the contents into a round pan. Then she placed it in the oven and set a timer on her phone. “Fingers crossed.”

I was glad she spent her time baking and reading instead of working for a stiff suit in a stale office. It was nice to wake up and know she would be there. If she went to work every day, we would be back to our previous arrangement, where we only had the weekends together. “I’m sure it’ll be great.”

She came back around and took a seat on the other stool. “Not that it matters to you…since you don’t really eat sweets.”

“Oh, you know I eat sweets.” I stared at her as I leaned my elbow on the counter.

Right on cue, her cheeks flushed because she understood my meaning perfectly. “How’d you sleep?”

“Like a rock.”

“Good.” Her eyes drifted away, and slowly, her blush did as well.

Now that I was face-to-face with her in the light of day, the guilt started to simmer underneath the surface. I’d assumed I could keep Adrien’s plight to myself, but Luca was right. The second I was with her, I felt the burden on my shoulders. Felt like I betrayed her when I hadn’t committed any treason.

She tapped the screen of her phone to see the time left for the cake. “Are you working tonight?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t complain or look disappointed. “Amelia was nice. You think we’ll see her again?”

My eyebrows furrowed in complete bewilderment. “Who?”

“Luca’s date.”

“Oh.” I didn’t even remember her name. “No.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve never seen him with the same girl more than a handful of times.”

She gave a slow nod. “You think that will ever change? Or is he the lifetime bachelor-type?”

“Well, I thought I was the lifetime bachelor-type, and then I met you.”

The smile was instant. It took a second to grow, for the affection to reach her eyes.

“Don’t make plans, because life will change those plans.”

“So, your plan was to be single forever?”

I gave a shrug. “I was always open to the idea of monogamy if I ever found someone worth the commitment. But I didn’t ever expect to find anyone, not when all women were the same, at least it seemed that way to me.”

“Maybe Luca is the same as you.”

“He’s a bit more stubborn than I am.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

“I don’t know. He’d never tell me if I asked.”

“Why not? You’re best friends.”

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