Page 8 of Roses are Royal

It shouldn’t bother me as much as it does, but I don’t want Rose spending time with Luca when I’m not within earshot. I don’t trust him, especially because he managed to hide their relationship from me. I need to go back to my research on him, see where the gaps in his story are, and get to the bottom of it. I don’t like not knowing who I’m dealing with. Though my initial impression of Luca was that he is harmless, I’m beginning to suspect otherwise.

The first step is to grab the extra drywall and supplies from the basement and fix the hole so I have time to at least get one coat of paint before the morning. Second, I'll cross-reference all the information I have on Luca. If there are lies and deception there, I’ll find them. I’m a master of lies and deception after all.

Walking into the great room, I step into the fireplace and press firmly against a stone concealed in the left corner that will give me access to the security panel. Using the fingerprint scanner that slides out to unlock the door to the basement, I press into the stone wall to expose the entrance and stairs. I could tell during our walkthrough that Luca was looking for the door to the basement that was originally marked on the blueprints, but in that place is a solid wall. I needed to ensure no one but me knew where the entrance was. The fact that Luca and his crew even know there is a basement was already a risk. I half expected him to ask for a tour, but thankfully, he didn’t. I don’t need Rose asking questions I can’t answer.

As I walk down the stairs, the red security lights near the floorboards flick on with the motion of my steps. Each light then extinguishes once my motion has passed. With the dark walls of the room bathed in a low red cast of light, it presents as a sultry seduction of debauchery. In reality, this is the safest place in the house and purely utilitarian.

The reinforced steel walls could withstand an explosion, if necessary, with top-of-the-line soundproofing throughout, and two points of entry and exit: one being the fireplace, which can only be accessed using my fingerprint, and the other through an abandoned railroad tunnel that I connected to underground. Luckily, the old tunnel has been decommissioned for so many years that I don’t think even the residents in town are aware of its existence.

Taking a seat on my black leather office chair, I press the master power button to turn on my monitors, twenty in total. Five of which show different locations throughout my property, while the others capture different locations of the most important subject of my surveillance, my ticket out of the life I’m in, the most beautiful flower, my reason for breathing…Rose Lusso. Currently, I can see her empty loft in the city and the interior of her vehicle as she drives to meet Luca for dinner. I’m assuming her phone is in her purse because the camera feed is dark, but I can tell from the GPS location it is also in her vehicle.

Knowing Rose is safe for the time being, I focus on the files of information I’ve gathered on Luca. I need to find where the thread of his past was altered and uncover his true history. This will likely take all night, but if he is going to be around Rose, I need to know everything there is to know about their shared past. After one last check of Rose’s location, I turn my attention to Luca and start from the beginning.

10

ROSE

Driving back to Dante’s house this morning, I vow to approach this project with professionalism and grace. I have my hair in soft waves and loose tendrils around my face, covered in a light layer of makeup that gives me a natural but glowing look, in an effort to cover the dark circles under my eyes and the puffiness caused by uninvited tears.

I’m exhausted from tossing and turning all night on the scratchy blanket and extremely firm mattress. My musty room has a lingering scent of cigarette smoke regardless of it being a non-smoking establishment. It’s probably seeping out of the 1960s wallpaper, which is peeling from the corners of every wall.

I miss my king-size bed and down comforter. I miss my mountain of throw pillows and soft mood lighting. What I wouldn’t give for a long, hot bath in my oversized soaking tub surrounded by soothing candle scents and calming music after the day and night I’ve had. Instead, I managed to take a lukewarm shower in my motel room (yes, motel, not hotel, and yes, there is a difference) and pull myself together this morning.

I haven’t always had the luxury of living in the nicest of places, but it’s been years since I’ve dreaded going home. Not that the motel room is home, but it will be for at least a few more days, if I can last there that long. If it wasn’t such a lengthy drive back to the city and the undoubtedly long hours I’d be working each day, I would consider commuting for the time being. But that just isn’t realistic if I intend to get any sleep.

On top of the stress from the conversation Luca and I had at the diner and the wild goodbye that left me reeling, I spent most of the night updating the designs for Dante based on our conversation from the walkthrough. What’s nice and a little ironic is the similarity of our design tastes. I’m hoping that means he won’t have many changes from what I plan to show him today. The sooner I can get everything approved and ordered, the sooner I can get back to the comfort and safety of my loft in the city.

I wouldn’t typically stick around a jobsite throughout the entire process, other than to check on deliveries and make last-minute tweaks before showing the final product to the client, but this project is different. It’s my chance to really make a name for myself and my own company outside of the shadow of Franklin & Sons. It’s also an opportunity to prove to myself that I am great at what I do, and that this job was earned on merit, not through some lingering sense of loyalty (or pity) from Luca. Even though he said he didn’t recommend me, I still don’t know what to believe because how else did Dante get my information?

All I know is I need to bring my game face today when I see Luca. I’m going to be all business with him from this point on. With any luck, he won’t bring up the kiss from last night because I can’t fathom having that conversation, let alone having it anywhere near Dante. I’ve already crossed the professional boundary when I leaped into Luca’s arms yesterday.

When I pull up to Dante’s house in the light of the early morning, a sense of calm takes over. Maybe it’s the soft light from the sun peeking through the lush trees surrounding the property or the light layer of dew on the grass and landscaping around the front of the house, but I’m instantly put at ease. That is, until I see a shirtless Dante sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee in only gray sweatpants. Is this man allergic to wearing shirts or something? Two days in a row, I find him topless without a care in the world.

As I put my car in Park and start to gather everything I will need to go over my proposal with Dante, I use the opportunity to take a deep breath before I have to face the chiseled man before me. Luckily, by the time I climb out of the car and sling my bag over my shoulder, Dante has thrown on an old T-shirt, judging by the holes and thinness of the cotton fabric. Another small miracle is that Luca’s truck isn’t in the driveway. I’d love to get through as much as possible with Dante before Luca arrives, and then he and I can quickly go over the items I noted on the walkthrough that will need to be fixed or updated before I have any items delivered.

Speaking of deliveries, I think I’ll have to adjust my plan to have everything delivered directly to the house, given the remoteness and lack of an address. Maybe I can find somewhere in town that will accept deliveries, and I can work something out with Dante or Luca to help with transportation. Hopefully, Dante is willing to help so I don’t have to rely on Luca for a favor. I get the vibe Dante likes his privacy out here, so I’m guessing he’ll be okay with the slight change in plans.

“Good morning, Dante.” I inject brightness into my tone to shake off my internal stress and exhaustion.

“Rose, nice to see you again. Please come in.” Dante opens the front door and ushers me forward with his hand on the small of my back.

I’m momentarily distracted by his touch, considering this is the first time we have had physical contact, but as I walk through the front door into the foyer, I catch a spot of paint that doesn’t seem to match the rest of the wall. How did I miss that yesterday? I need to make sure I add that to my list for Luca to fix. Admittedly, there isn’t much for Luca and his team to fix, but call me petty because I’ve added every teeny-tiny item I could find, especially after how Luca acted last night. I’m going full designer hard-ass with him.

“Is everything okay, Rose?”

I don’t realize I’ve stopped to inspect the wall by the door until I feel Dante’s breath on my neck behind me.

“Oh, sorry, I just noticed an issue with the paint on this wall that I didn’t note yesterday. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything else.”

Dante seems to want to get right to business, which I can appreciate, especially after he has been very clear on his timelines for this project. He grips my elbow in his hand, and my attention immediately snaps to him.

“Rose, I feel like I need to ask you something before we move forward with our working relationship,” Dante says almost hesitantly.

I don’t know what he’s about to ask me, but the hairs on my arms rise in anticipation. How have I already screwed this up?

“Is your history with Luca going to cause issues with you dedicating your full attention to my home? I require your full focus and wouldn’t want any unnecessary distractions getting in the way of my plans,” Dante asks in his deep, rough tone and then clears his throat and slowly adds, “for my house.”

In an effort to move past this awkward conversation as quickly as possible, I say, “I actually wanted to apologize for my unprofessional reaction yesterday when I saw Luc.” I take a breath to calm my racing pulse. “I mean Luca. We knew each other a long time ago and were friends during high school, and I haven’t seen him since, so I was caught off guard and honestly surprised by his presence. After he and I spoke last night, I can guarantee he will not be a distraction, and we will maintain a professional working relationship moving forward.” If I say it enough, maybe my brain and heart will start to believe it.