Page 95 of Cruelest Contract
The caption demands to know if I’m ready to face life’s unexpected storms. I’m not sure why I saved it. At the time, nothing was certain and I was filled with dread.
Was that really less than a month ago? Hard to believe.
I see no sign of the rest of the household when I leave the room and walk downstairs. The hum of machinery grows louder. In fact, I’ve seen no one since excusing myself after dinner last night and retreating upstairs.
But I do smell food and my stomach rumbles accordingly. The route to the dining room requires me to walk right past Cass’s study and the door is open. If he’s in there, I should say good morning. After all, he’s my father-in-law.
The man himself sits behind his broad desk and faces away. I thought I heard his voice and assumed he was on a call. My plan was just to wave and move on. I must have heard wrong. NowI can see him sitting in motionless silence as he stares out the window and contemplates the view of his kingdom.
A prickle of anxiety still climbs up my spine when I’m faced with Julian’s father but it’s fading. I doubt Cass Tempesta could possibly pose any threat to me. The more I see Julian’s father, the more I feel deeply sorry for him. But still, some deep instinct for self preservation warns that I ought to keep my guard up when he’s around.
He turns his head before I can decide whether to clear my throat or evacuate the doorway. A twitch of grey fur catches my eye and I’m startled to see Louisa calmly keeping watch from the seat of an armchair.
I had hoped that my absence might have made my cat’s heart grow fonder. Yesterday I tried to entice her with a bag of kitty treats. She sniffed the air with disdain and rocketed down the hall.
Now here she sits in the office of the moody Cass, content as can be.
What do the Tempesta men have that I don’t have?
“Cecilia,” says Julian’s father, “what can I do for you?”
He doesn’t sound unfriendly. Simply curious.
I step into the room, acutely aware that Teresa’s painting is staring down at my back. “I was just passing by and wanted to say good morning.”
“Good morning,” he replies and keeps his eyes fastened to my face. It’s rare to see him without his black cowboy hat. His black hair is threaded with grey but still thick. His penetrating stare reminds me of his eldest son.
“Will you be going to breakfast?” I ask. “I’d be happy to walk to the dining room with you.”
The faintest hint of a smile bends his lips and then disappears. “Not today,” he says and swivels back to face the window. “You go ahead. The boys will be there to look after you.”
I’m not a pet. Nobody needs to ‘look after’ me.
I’m on the verge of backing out of the room and leaving Cass to his window watching when Louisa leaps off the armchair and darts past me toward an unknown destination. Her fur brushes against my bare ankle and I whirl around in surprise.
Good thing I did because I was about to be guilty of failing to ‘pay my respects’ to Teresa. This is a cardinal offense around here. I don’t mind sparing a few seconds to solemnly gaze at the painting of Julian’s mother. Then I hurriedly cross myself.
When I glance over my shoulder, I’m uneasy to discover the way Cass is intently observing me. He makes no comment and his face betrays nothing. Still, I detect an air of appreciation before he faces the window again.
Leaving that room is a relief. Louisa is long gone and I follow the sound of Tye’s laughter to the dining room.
“You can walk!” he bellows at the sight of me. “Looks like my big brother didn’t give you as much attention as you deserve.”
I roll my eyes over the stupidity of the comment and plunk down in my usual chair. “I received no shortage of attention but thanks for your concern.”
Getty sits across the table. The deck of cards shuffling between his hands has a yellowed antique patina. They look interesting. If any other member of the family was holding them I’d ask to take a closer look. Instead, I just shake out a white linen napkin and spread it across my lap.
“What are we doing today?” Tye swings his arm across the back of my chair. “Me and Sunshine over there are at your service.”
Getty’s head shoots up and his flat stare doesn’t seem particularly excited at this prospect. The card deck is now divided in two. Without looking down, he combines the deck with a deft move that flutters the cards between his hands untilthey are neatly collected in one pile. He sets them aside just as Mel glides into the room with a tray.
“Cecilia.” She beams at me and Tye rises to take the tray from her hands. “You lookgorgeous. Clearly, marriage agrees with you.”
Getty snorts and steals a muffin from the basket in the middle of the tray. His mocking stare induces a wave of paranoia.
Julian swore he immediately deleted all the security camera footage from our torrid picnic sex by the creek. I believe him. But what if he missed something? What if someone was watching the cameras live?
Smothering the mortification, I flip my teacup over and select a muffin.
