Paolo sighs. “I don’t know. I hope I’m wrong, but I think we have to keep an eye on our own. Something’s…”
I don’t hear the rest of his sentence because my ears catch a noise behind the door, and a moment later it’s being pushed open. Is it Dolce
again? I immediately sit up, too tense to keep my mind cool, and without even thinking I say in a strict voice, “No. Get out of here.”
But what I see a moment later is Liss, who immediately freezes on the doorstep, and I blink. What? Isn’t she at school with Romeo? My mind glitches, and I just stare at her unmoving.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to…” Liss stumbles over her words, quickly backing into the hallway, and before I know it the door is already closed again.
What was that?
“Is it Dolce?” Paolo’s voice snaps me out of it, and I breathe out, releasing the tension.
“No, it’s just…the new nanny.”
He chuckles. “What, is she trying to get your attention?”
“No, I don’t think so,” I mutter, perhaps too seriously for such a silly question, but my mind still hasn’t caught up with what just happened.
Shit. I’ve lost track of time. Of course Liss has already returned from school. How could I bark at her like that? But she also knows better than to bother me without a good reason. Wait, what if something happened? Is Romeo okay?
“Hey, man, I have to go.”
“Are you gonna ask her out?” Paolo continues in the same teasing tone, but I only huff, getting up from the chair.
“Yeah, sure, next time I’m thirty again.”
I hang up a few seconds later as I walk out into the hallway and go
straight to the stairs. What exactly am I doing, by the way? I’m not sure, but it feels like I have to talk to Liss before anything else.
The house is oddly quiet when I get down to the first floor, and for a moment I think that she’s already left. Damn. Have I offended her? It’s happened to me in the past with other women, but Liss didn’t strike me as a fragile one. I mean, she should know the difference between being strict and aggressive.
Still, I feel something in me tighten unpleasantly at the thought that I was too rude to her. I look around-and a wave of relief washes over me when I see Liss in the living room. She’s sitting on the floor, hidden behind the sofa, and only when I step closer do I see that she’s petting Dolce who is lying on his side next to her.
“Liss?”
She immediately looks up with a slightly startled look, and maybe I’m seeing things but her cheeks are redder than usual. Oh, is it because of me? She’s not upset, is she?
I frown and scratch the back of my head, looking for words. “Listen, I didn’t mean to-”
“Oh no, no, it’s me, I’m sorry!” It looks like something clicks in her, and Liss jumps up on her feet, waving her hands and rushing to explain herself. “I shouldn’t have entered, really, you warned me right at the beginning.”
Well, it’s not like I’ve forbidden her to come in. “It’s okay, you-”
“But I wasn’t sure what to do,” she continues in a worried tone, not listening to me. “Dolce didn’t look well, and I was scared for him, so I-I didn’t know what to do.”
“What?”
I blink out of my confusion and quickly walk toward them,
switching my attention to Dolce. He’s already rolled on his belly, and when I crouch next to him, he raises his head toward me and sways his tail.
“Hey, buddy,” I say with a smile, patting his side. “How are you?”
Dolce wags his tail with more enthusiasm, presenting his belly. But it’s not his usual excited and vigorous self, and when Dolce puts his head back on his paws, I understand why Liss got so wired up.
“Do you see?” She looks up at me with worry in her eyes as soon as I stand up. “Has this happened before?”
I frown deeper and turn to Dolce again. Actually, something like this did happen in the past, but it doesn’t make the risk lower now. It could be anything, and I don’t even want to imagine Romeo’s reaction if something happens to Dolce. They’ve pretty much grown up together. They’re literally best friends!
Shit. I rub my neck, watching Dolce yawn and sleepily slump on his side. Whatever this is, I can’t let anything bad happen to him. Do I have time now? Still not saying anything, I check my phone. Okay, good.
Everything seems clear.
I look up at Liss who is nervously waiting in front of me. “Grab his leash, and I’ll get the car key. We’re going to the vet.”
She nods without any questions or complaints, and I can’t help the spark of satisfaction in my mind. I’m seeing things, of course. Her obedience in a stressful situation doesn’t mean anything-and yet I feel an odd kind of excitement in my step all the way to the second floor.
I just can’t help myself, and as we take Dolce to the car I slip a few calm but clear orders into the process. Liss obeys them without a hitch, and the satisfaction in me grows. She can be such a good-
Damn it.
I’m being weird again.
All I’m doing is pushing her away, so I have to pull myself together and leave the girl alone.
We spend the short ride to the vet clinic with a small, meaningless talk that Liss seems to keep up just to calm her nerves. I have to admit, it’s been a pleasant surprise to watch her being so caring and worried about Dolce. Of course, I wish there was nothing to worry about in the first place, but as it is I’m glad to see that her heart is as open and genuine as I thought.
As it turns out, though, the whole ordeal was for nothing-and thank god for that. When we present Dolce to the vet he immediately
attempts to jump on her and knocks over a plastic jar with his vigorously wagging tail. Mrs. Jones only laughs at him, and after a quick exam and a few questions to Liss, she gives us her verdict.
“Looks like he ate too much grass.” She pats his head and turns to us with a big smile. “It’ll come out on its own, don’t worry. If you notice
something’s wrong, call me, okay? But he should get better in a day or two.”
And as if teasing us, by the time we get out of the clinic, Dolce is already trudging ahead of us with his tail swaying high in the air. God, this silly boy. I can’t help but give him extra pets when he jumps into the car,
and Dolce wags his tail and pants in excitement.
“Well, that was a car ride for fun.” I chuckle, turn the engine on, and look around before driving out of the parking spot.
“Sorry,” Liss says all of a sudden, and I even slow down in the middle of the parking lot to look at her in bewilderment.
“For what?”
“For making a mess out of nothing.”
She’s not even looking at me, staring out the window with a frown, and I can see how tightly her hands are clenched. She looks upset, probably at herself, and my gaze lingers on her face for a moment longer than it
should. It makes something in my chest tighten, and god, why do I feel so enamored every time I look at her?
“Well, I’m glad you’ve made what you call a mess.” I chuckle with what hopefully sounds like encouragement. “If something was wrong with Dolce, I wouldn’t even know until it would be too late.”
Liss finally looks at me, meeting my gaze, and I see a hint of a smile on her lips. “Thanks.”
“I think I should be the one thanking you, Liss.”
Shit. Does that sound too cheesy? I really have to learn how to take control of my thoughts in her presence-but when Liss chuckles, finally relaxing in her seat, I feel like it wasn’t too bad of a choice. Despite myself, I smile as well and focus on the road, but the urge to get to know her better and maybe make her smile again-is too strong.
“Have you ever had a dog? It looks like you know your way around Dolce.” I glance at him through the rearview mirror and see Dolce pushing his nose into the crack in the window with a blissed-out expression. Maybe I should take him on road trips more often.
“Yes, actually, I had a golden retriever when I was a child.” Liss hums with a thoughtful smile on her lips, looking out the window and giving me another chance to look at her face for a second too long. “I still don’t know where my dad found her, but Sweetie lived with us for six years until we had to give her away.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I frown, feeling a pinch of sympathy and sadness. I can’t imagine what it’s like to part with your best friend like that. “What happened to her? Why did you give her away?”
“Ah, well…” Liss hesitates, and I immediately feel like an idiot.
“I didn’t think it through, sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” I hurry to explain myself, but she immediately waves her hand to stop me.
“No, it’s alright. I don’t mind sharing it with you.”
She smiles at me with something brighter, something deeper, in her eyes, and I feel a wave of heat so strong it reaches all the way to the tip of my head. God. It’s been so long since I wanted a woman so badly-but it’s been even longer since my heart felt so alive.