Page 32 of Crimson Fate
She shrugs. “I know better than to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong.”
The aroma of Eva’s cooking fills the room, a seductive blend of garlic and herbs that makes my stomach growl with anticipation.
I watch as she fidgets with the hem of her sleeve, an unconscious tell that she’s uncomfortable with the topic.
Eva’s reaction is a crack in the facade I’ve never seen before. She blinks rapidly, and when she speaks again, there’s an edge to her tone. “If that’s what you want—marrying Gia, I mean—then I’m happy for you.”
“Is that annoyance I hear?” Curiosity piques within me as I study her face, searching for the truth she’s trying to mask. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she evades, biting her lip and looking anywhere but at me. “I’ve just been really worried that I messed our friendship up.”
“Hey,” I say, stepping closer, needing to bridge the gap she’s putting between us. “You could never do that. You were there for me at the darkest moment of my life, and I will always be grateful for that. Mi senti?”
She nods, and a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes is plastered on her lips.
“Is something else bothering you?” I ask, noticing she’s avoiding eye contact with me.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Is there something else you came here to talk about?” I press.
“No, nothing. Gia seems like a good woman.”
“Dammit, Eva, since when do we keep things from each other?” My frustration is mounting. The walls she’s putting up feel like a betrayal of the openness we’ve always shared.
“What?”
“I can tell something else is bothering you,” I insist.
“Since when does it matter so much to you?” Her retort stings, and she immediately looks regretful. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Whatever it is, you can tell me.” The plea is almost desperate and not fitting for a man in my position, but all pretenses crumble away with her.
“Let’s just drop it, okay?” Her voice is firm now, closing the subject like a book she refuses to read any further. “I brought dinner. You should eat.”
“Okay. Whatever it is, I assume you’ll tell me when you’re ready,” I state, but she is like a statue, and I can’t get a read on her response. “Thank you for dinner.” I nod toward the meal.
“You’re welcome.”
“Oh, and actually, I have something else to discuss with you.”
Eva tilts her head, her brown eyes searching mine. “What is it?”
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. This is big, and part of me—a very foolish part—wants her to be happy about it. “Gia and I are going away for the weekend.”
“Oh?” Her voice is neutral, but her eyes flicker with an emotion I can’t quite catch.
“Yeah.” I run a hand through my hair. “You can thank Amelia for that. She wants me to be certain before I make the engagement public, so I thought a weekend with Gia would help me see what our lives could be like.”
She shrugs. “Makes sense, I guess. But I don’t know what this has to do with me.”
“I need your help, actually. I want to throw a dinner for all the captains when Gia and I return to announce the engagement. You were so incredible to offer to help plan the party for my takeover of the family that I thought maybe you’d be willing to help with this.”
Her mouth opens slightly, and no sound comes out at first. She seems to struggle with the words, her gaze locked on something past my shoulder. “You want me to plan your engagement dinner?”
“Well, I don’t know if I would call it an engagement dinner, but yeah, I suppose you could say that.” A frown tugs at my lips. “You’ve always been there for me. I don’t understand why you seem so surprised. I thought you’d be excited for me.”
“Excited,” she repeats softly, almost to herself. Then, as if snapping out of a trance, she squares her shoulders and meets my eyes. “Fine. I’ll plan the dinner.”