The Sicilian Affair

Chapter 19 - what love feels like (part 2)

“You are never to go anywhere alone again.” Teresa told her, her eyes scanned over Laurie searching for bruises that wasn’t there.

Laurie laughed, “I think you might be exaggerating a little there.”

As if showing her that she was indeed being serious, a scowl appeared on her face and her lips formed a thin line. “I am serious, Laurie. You could have gotten hurt. Thank goodness Tomas found you.”

“I no tell you where to go again. My heart, is it too weak for trauma.” Silvia added, looking just as cross as Teresa.

“You guys, I’m sorry. It’s just, it was raining and I got confused. It won’t happen again, I promise, but you can’t honestly keep me locked here.” Laurie said, chuckling nervously when Teresa raised a brow at her.

“Fine!” Laurie conceded, “I won’t go anywhere without telling you guys.”

Teresa released a breath of relief and her eyes softened. “If you thought we were upset, then you should have seen Tomas.”

Laurie frowned. “He looked pretty annoyed when he found me.” She told them, but her frowned deepened when the pair exchanged looks, as if she had missed something.

“What?” Laurie quiered, searching their well concealed face.

“Nothing,” Teresa quickly said. “Why don’t you go and freshen up? Silvia will prepare you some --oof!” She jumped when a strange looking pup came charging into her room.

“Sorry,” Laurie apologized and quickly picked her dog up. “I found yesterday, he was lost.”

Teresa’s brows shot up. “And Tomas allowed you to bring him along?”

“Well,” Laurie smiled, “he didn’t exactly say no. I mean he did at first but I sort of persuade him.”

Silvia spared Teresa another glance the shook her head with amusement. “Come, Ms. Slade. I’m more happy I feed you both.”

Teresa’s sparkled with delight and blurred as she watched Silvia ushering Laurie out the door.

Maybe she had been right. Laurie was definitely good for her son’s well-being.

With time, she thought. All he needed was time.

A few days had past seen Laurie and Tomas had been stranded in the cabin. Things had gradually gone back to normal but as for Tomas, Laurie had seen less and less of him. Her days were spent with Teresa and her night with Silvia and sometimes Mario. Whenever she had seen Tomas, it was always of him either going out or coming back home, and the exchange had always been polite as if the kiss he had given her didn’t happen at all.

Disappointment had filled her thoughts during the days that past but instead of dwelling over it she put all of her focus on Teresa.

They had made some progress, she noted, at Teresa’s enthusiasm to go for walks around the house, in the garden and once, on the beach had grown. And in some occasions, Laurie would find herself being dragged out of the house by her.

Laurie smiled, stroking at Karma’s head. He had put on some weight since the night that she had rescued him and she was even more so thankful that Teresa had agreed to keep him. The house staff flushed over feeding and even from time to time, she would see Tomas handing him treats when he thought noone else could see him.

“And he called you ugly,” Laurie said, chuckling at the thought.

“He is ugly.”

Her head shot up at the sound of Tomas’ voice. Tomas sauntered around the bushes of rose and stopped when he reached her side, Karma instantly raised his head, leaping from the bench and ran over to him, circling at his feet.

Laurie sighed at the treacherous dog. Tomas was still calling him ugly and somehow he still favoured him over her.

“Karma isn’t ugly.” She replied, getting to her feet. “He’s just different and adorable, and seems to have misplaced his loyalty.”

Tomas gazed down and sighed. The scruffy dog looked up at him with adoration in his soulful brown eyes.

“Evidently.” He said, then grinned when he caught the pout that had formed on her pink lips.

It wasn’t as though he encouraged the mutt to come to him or to brush against his legs whenever he would come running in the house with Laurie chasing after him. He had no time for pets, haven’t even had one since his adolescent years. But Laurie was right, Karma was different. And even if he told himself countless of times that he would have Mario build a house for him so that he wouldn’t wonder around so freely, one look at him and all thoughts of having him caged instantly vanished.

Tomas bent down and picked him up. “I came to ask if you wanted to go for a drive around town.” He said, stroking the dog’s fur.

“A drive?” Laurie questioned, her eyes widening at his request.

Tomas lifted his head, his ego stabbed by the lack of enthusiasm in her voice.

“Yes, Miss Slade. A drive. In my car. Around town.”

He didn’t have to say it like she slow to catch on because she wasn’t. Stunned, yes but not slow. After evading her at every turn for the past few days, she hadn’t expected him to want to take her out on a drive. And why, exactly? Didn’t he accuse her of talking too much?

“I know what you meant Mr. Carsigni. I just - why?”

“Because my mother hates the idea of you being cooped up in the house when you’re not on duty. Something about you wasting your youth behind closed doors.” He relinquished dryly, then set Karma back on the ground.

Laurie blushed furiously. Teresa was not going to hear the end of this.

“Oh? But you really don’t have to. I can find my own source of entertainment while I’m here.” She said in a haste to assure him.

She hated feeling like a burden on people. Most of her life had been spent with the reminder of endless possibilities that her mother could have had if she hadn’t been born. And the idea of Tomas resenting her for his mother’s request felt like a something tugging painfully at her heart. No, not him. She didn’t want that getting in between the friendship that was slowly forming.

“I’m sure you can, Miss Slade, but I insist.” He told her, his voice leaving no room for argument.

When she jutted her chin at him and crossed her arms over her chest, his gaze dropped to her low-cut strap-top and he swallowed at the sight of her full breasts.

“But maybe you should go and change. I’ll wait for you out-front.” He said before turning around and began to make his way around the house.

Laurie released a breath and watched as he disappeared from her view. And when Karma came running back to her, she casted him an unsympathetic look.

“I honestly don’t know what you see in him,” she said to the ever unfaithful pup, then added, “He’s so bossy.”

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