Page 38 of Hidden Rocco
Her cheeks heated because that’s exactly what she’d done for the past six months at one hint of trouble. Now she stared at her omelet and said, “Hopefully it’s nothing.”
He leaned closer. “If you’re worried, it’s on your mind and we should consider our options.”
“Eat, before the eggs get cold, and let me think about this, okay?” She lifted her fork higher in the air.
She didn’t move until he did, but they both ate in silence as Jacob slept peacefully.
Mica knew, though he hadn’t said so, that Rocco had no ID so going through security would be difficult. She’d settled on road trips and helicopter as her best options for a while now, but her address being out there meant any flights she reported might be easily found.
As she finished her last bite, she put her silverware down and said, “If we all go into my helicopter, I’ll file reports. It will be easy to track. I had to ship my helicopter here and drive to avoid the records.”
He collected the plates. “So you think flight records aren’t secure.”
Okay. Maybe she hadn’t explained in much detail but bragged more about her skills. She cleaned Jacob's banana tray and smiled at her beautiful son as she said, “My ex and his family know I enjoy flying planes and helicopters. Tracking aviation records and pilots is pretty standard if you are searching for someone, and if his brother, the new crown prince, comes after me, that’s the most obvious way for them to find me.”
She lifted her son. “So we should drive?”
A road trip with Rocco played in her mind. Shoulders brushing against each other, taking turns at the wheel and laughing for hours.
If only.
Mica shook her head and followed him into the kitchen. “It’s probably nothing. We should stay close today, but maybe a walk to clear our heads so I can think better—there’s a small local grocery store that carries ice cream.”
“The news said the snow is delayed a few hours.” He saluted her again and this time she cringed. She didn’t want to always be the boss, not with him. He said, “I’ll get the stroller ready.”
She fixed her ponytail tighter. “Be right back. Jacob’s adorable but outside we’ll need pants, jacket and a clean onesie.”
He winked and turned on the sink as she left.
To earn his trust, she’d have to be honest.
Perhaps outside was the best place to tell him. Then they’d work on trust as she hoped he’d stay and help her as he'd promised.
Mica cleaned Jacob and then strapped him into his all white Versace Book Plus Stroller.
Rocco joined them in the lobby, wearing a new heather-gray Armani puff jacket that seemed like it was tailor-made for him and her heart skipped a beat. He held the door as she fluffed her hair and checked her own navy blue Prada trench coat with the belt buckle reminiscent of the trendy nuclear family.
They walked onto the main road of the mountain pass, traffic light as usual, and headed down the small one-lane road.
Neither said anything but he ensured no snow or ice were in her way as they walked to the corner store. Mostly the country road was deserted as the small town she’d bring business to was below her mountain resort. The locals were going to get a huge economic boom when her clientele came for a visit.
Once her chalet hotel reopened, skiers would come to this paradise in droves and the small market would get a lot of customers. She’d help bring everyone more cash which was good. For now, her small town was peaceful and quiet.
As the first car passed them on their short walk, Rocco said, “I missed the smell of fresh clean air.”
She smiled and wished there was no threat; that she was just a girl and he was just a boy. “Me too. New York is all skyscrapers except for Central Park, and the air doesn’t have this scent.”
“In Miami, the air has a distinct swamp smell. I mostly had mountain clean when I was in the Marines—I did my training in Alaska which was beautiful and so different than Florida.”
She looked down at Jacob, who slept in his stroller.
Now would be a good time to tell Rocco. She lifted her shoulders to confess that she knew his name, past, jail history, everything, and that she'd fixed the wrong against him.
Hopefully.
She paid her lawyers to be fast and competent and had confidence in their abilities. Mica tugged her ear, then chided herself for stalling. “Rocco?”
A police car passed them on the one-lane road.
