Page 59 of Fix You

With a shrug, I replied, “It’s fine. I mean, we only shared a few dances.”

“And a kiss.”

The knife slipped from my fingers, clattering on the counter. I glanced at Caterina in horror. “How did you know?”

“Rafe told me. He was worried about…your reaction to the kiss.”

My breath wheezed out of me. Oh God, he’d told her about what happened. It had bothered him enough to reach out to her. “What did he say?”

Caterina stared down at her hands. “Based on your reaction, he wanted confirmation that something had happened to you.” She glanced up at me. “But I told him that was your story to tell.”

Nausea churned through me. “That’s why he was afraid to touch me and why your brothers wouldn’t kiss me.”

With a shake of her head, Caterina said, “The reason they didn’t kiss you is because they didn’t want to piss your brothers off. From the way he spoke to me, Rafe wouldn’t betray your privacy like that.”

I felt a little better knowing my secret hadn’t been spread beyond Rafe. “When was it that he asked about me?”

“He called me from the plane right after he left. He wanted to reach out, but I told him to leave you alone.”

I blinked at her in surprise. “Why?”

Sadness pooled in her eyes. “That night at the reception after seeing the two of you together, I told Callum there might be another Neretti and Kavanaugh union in the future. But told me it would never happen because Rafe had to marry a girl from an Italian family. When I spoke to Rafe, I asked him if it was the truth, and he said yes. I knew then that there could be nothing gained but hurt if he reached out.”

Swaying on my feet, I gripped the edge of the counter to keep me from sinking into the floor. I pinched my eyes shut. “It was nothing.”

Caterina placed her hand on my shoulder. “Maeve, it’s okay. You can be honest with me. We’re sisters now, right?”

I jerked away from her. “You don’t have to make a big deal out of it. It’s not like I didn’t know he was going to be in a marriage alliance. He told me so himself at the reception.”

“It doesn’t mean it hurts any less to hear it.”

“Please…don’t.” Shaking my head, I countered, “I can’t take your pity. Not now.”

“I wasn’t–”

“Yes, you were.” My hands returned to frantically cutting the cake. Snatching a plate from her, I slung a piece onto it.

When I reached for another plate, Caterina’s hand stopped me. “It wasn’t one-sided. I saw the way he looked at you.” A ragged breath escaped her lips. “But I knew he would hurt you, and I was right.”

With a mirthless laugh, I replied, “I’m used to being hurt. I’ll recover. I always do.”

Caterina opened her mouth to argue, but I shook my head. “There’s nothing else you need to say. You did nothing wrong,and in the vast scheme of things, neither did Rafe.” I then jerked my chin at the plates. “Take those in while I take Murphy out.”

She bobbed in her head in agreement before gathering up several plates. Since he was always at my heels, I didn’t have to look long to use Murphy as a decoy. Once I gathered him into my arms, I escaped out the backdoor.

Crunching through the snow, I then deposited Murphy on the ground for the second time in an hour. He glanced up at me like he had nothing to do. “I know you don’t have to go. You’re just my cover, sweet boy.”

Murphy wagged his tail as if he understood what I meant. As if to sell it to anyone who might be watching from the windows, he started sniffing around in the snow.

Tilting my head back, I eyed the cornflower blue sky. As I exhaled a ragged breath, it swirled through the air above me. In my desperation, I wished for a way to rid myself of my pain in a similar way. How easy it would be just to purge myself of all the heartache by sending my anguish skyward.

And just when I thought I could escape my problems, they came searching for me.

Chapter Eleven: Raphael

Since our abrupt parting at Callum and Caterina’s wedding reception, I’d wondered what it would be like to see Maeve again. Over the weeks and months, she’d remained a constant thought in my mind. But I’d kept my word to Caterina by not reaching out to Maeve.

Instead, I’d turned my focus back on New York’s nightlife and the shallow pleasures it brought.

---