Page 133 of Forging Caine

What could I say? During our honeymoon, I’d decided to leave Foster Mutual. After a few dozen emails with Matt, we had a one-month transition plan in place that included an ongoing consulting role. Elliot had been easier to negotiate with, since he’d already assumed my FBI consulting would be part-time.

All I could do was nod and hold my husband close. I had everything I could want.

Sofia pulled open the door. “Let’s set up your passcode for the security and you can go upstairs to make sure everything’s the way you want it.”

We made quick work of the security changes. Everyone else already had their own codes for the main office, with full access to the space upstairs through the studio. Once we were done, we passed through the second door into the new half of Ferraro’s.

A small table had been added by the CFFAI doors, with another iris on it. I leaned in and took in the spicy scent, the one that reminded me of this place. And the music? “Classical. Vivaldi?”

“Chopin, today,” said Sofia.

Antonio shook his head. “I need remote access to Sofia’s musical selection.”

“It’s staying on my computer, troublemaker.”

With a chuckle, Antonio ushered me up the stairs while Dom and Sofia returned to work. “Have you thought about your new job title yet? They want to order business cards and we need to add you to the website. And then we’ll have to discuss hiring—”

He cut off at a popping noise from above. Then the sound of a wheeled chair moving. Someone was up there.

I crested the top of the stairs and halted before stepping into the office. Sure enough, Lucy Chapman sat at the desk she’d used three weeks ago, popping bubbles and shuffling in her chair to some unheard music—definitely not the Chopin from the way she moved.

“Sam!” She launched out of her chair and ran to us, throwing her arms around me. “How was the trip? I can’t believe you won’t get on social media and share photos. I would have thought Antonio would, but I’m guessing you—”

I broke free from the onslaught. “What are you doing here?”

“Dom called me.” She gave Antonio a flyby hug on her way to the desk. “You remember Indigo Lake? Their customer, who thought they had a looted piece? Anyway, the documentation arrived and had my name on it. I got a little carried away and have been back a couple times. Dom said he didn’t mind since you weren’t here, anyway.”

Antonio’s gaze met mine, and from the way his face scrunched up, he was as lost as I was.

“I thought you were going to Greece with your family?”

“This sounded more interesting.” She flashed a stack of photos in my direction. “Besides, Lorenzo and I were talking about going to Wisconsin Dells in June and he said his parents—your new parents-in-law—put on quite the barbecue for the Fourth of July.”

“It’s true,” said Antonio.

Lucy dropped into the chair, looking more comfortable than she had at Foster Mutual last summer, when she was just an intern I took out on site visits. “I thought you weren’t starting work yet?”

“Part-time next week.” I meandered past her desk to the railing and looked down at the studio with the four conservators working.

Dom stood next to his newest hire—Cam-ron Parker—walking him through the selection of an adhesive for a repair. This was what he’d needed. A teacher. Someone to guide and help shape his talent, rather than leaving him to the wolves.

Alice had two of the worktables butted against each other, inspecting a ten-foot tall painting she hadn’t taken off its frame yet. Frank and Zander sat at easels in the back.

Yeah, this was as perfect as things could be. Almost…

“Hey, Luce…”

“Yeah, boss?”

Exactly. “Have you ever thought about a career in art investigations?”

“Oh, Samantha.” Antonio stalked over to me, drawing out my name on his lips. His gorgeous, full, kissable lips. He didn’t stop until he’d pinned me against the railing. “You haven’t even started work and you’re already hiring?”

I slid my arms around his waist, down the curve of his exceptional ass. “You heard her. I’m the boss.”

A rumble deep in his throat echoed through my body, and he dipped his head down, brushing his lips against mine.

“No making out in the public areas!” hollered Sofia.

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