Page 17 of The Love Scam
and almost succeeded. He definitely didn’t look around in desperate hope for a drink dispenser full of water and lemon slices as he didn’t limp up to the front desk and explain what he was doing there. He let his eyes
(I’ll give you a thousand bucks if you don’t throw me out. I just don’t have it on me right now.)
do the abject begging and sniveling for him. And Lillith’s eyes.
But the clerk was ready for him. Them. “Ciao, Signor Tarbell. La signorina Delaney ti ha chiesto di incontrarla presso dietro l’angolo al nostro ingress di carico.”*
“She knew I was coming?” he asked, dumbfounded, and got a polite smile and a shrug in reply before the clerk turned away and picked up a ringing phone. “She knew I was coming,” he said to Lillith, and it was still hard to process. Then: “Did he say loading entrance?”
“Yes.”
Every time. Every time I think this day can’t get weirder… it’s like the day keeps hearing that and accepts it as a personal challenge. STOP accepting the challenge, weird day!
And Lillith doesn’t just speak Italian. She’s fluent—she knew he said “loading entrance,”which is not an expression commonly found in remedialHow to Speak Italiantexts.
What a cool kid!
“You’re an unnaturally calm child,” he told her. “Which is not a criticism at all.” He’d tried asking her about her motherand how she’d come to Venice and where Delaney fit into the mess, but Lillith had just blinked up at him and politely said, “I don’t want to talk about that right now, please.” He took the hint.
“Thanks. I have really low blood pressure.” When he just blinked, she elaborated: “Hypotension?”
“I know what low— Never mind.” He led her back out and around and found the loading area, and there she was, helping a few other women load boxes into an SUV, I. C. Delaney in the yummy flesh. “Oh, hey,” she said with a wide smile when he limped up to her (except he definitely didn’t limp). “Was wondering when you two were gonna swing by. Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hi, Delaney!” Lillith waved as if she were afraid Delaney couldn’t see her from three feet away.
“You sound relieved.” He looked around. “Whatisthis?”
“Charity” was the reply as she heaved the last box into the SUV.
“Oh, like a marathon?”
An inelegant snort greeted that. “Marathons aren’t really charities. Well, technically they are,because technically they raise money, but still.”
He grinned, both at her disgruntled expression and her matter-of-fact delivery. And God, that felt good. He hadn’t felt like smiling much today. “So, the literal textbook definition ofcharity,then.”
She puffed a hank of hair out of her eyes. “Sure. But runners will always run. It’s just, occasionally they’ll do the thing they love to do and would do anyway to also raise money.”
“What, they can’t have fun? They have to raise moneyandbe miserable?”
She blinked and straightened, patted the roof of the SUV,and then stepped back as it cruised off, waving once. None of the women had spoken, just quietly went about loading until they left. “Huh. Well. Didn’t think of it like that.” Then she giggled. Giggled! The delicate sound should have sounded strange coming from the lanky woman, but it was just charming. Like her grin.
“How’s your day been?” she asked Lillith, who shrugged.
“He still thinks I’m a horrible mistake.”
“I do not!” Shocked, Rake stared down at her. “You’re worlds from being a horribleanything.I’m just not your dad, and you shouldn’t be with me. Not that there’s something wrong with me. It’s just—you should be with your mom, uh…”
“Donna Alvah.” This from Delaney and Lillith in unison.
“Yeah, about that.” He fought the urge to jab a finger at Delaney. “How doyouknow the kid’s mother but I don’t? And whereisher mother? Why are you even here with her? Who are you? Are you some sort of one-woman international child-placement agency? What the hell is going on?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I knew you were gonna say that.”
“What other kind of story could it be?” Lillith wondered aloud. “If it was a short one, she could have told it to you by now.”
“Good point. See, Delaney? Lillith’s got your number.”
