Page 77 of Little Hidden Fears

“What do you have there?” I asked.

He set everything down on the counter, pulled one of the lattes out of its cardboard drink holder, and handed it to me. “First, let’s get some caffeine into you.”

“Good idea.”

Over the next few minutes, we chitchatted, and my eyes couldn’t help but wander to the bag on the counter, contemplating what might be inside.

When my patience was all but spent, an entire minute later, I pointed at the bag. “So ... what’s in there?”

He laughed, making a cute quip about how childlike I was when it came to presents. He grabbed the bag and handed it to me.

“You are beautiful to me inside and out,” he said. “They could have shaved your entire head, and it wouldn’t make a difference. You’d still be the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen.”

“I ... thank you. I’ll admit I’ve been avoiding looking in the mirror. How am I supposed to meet with people and expect them to focus on me instead of the huge gash on my head?”

He gestured at the bag. “This might help.”

Curious, I pulled the bag to me and reached inside, pulling out an adorable light-pink wig. It was shaped in a bob style—the most perfect, thoughtful gift he could have given me right now.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“Iloveit,” I said.

“Given how much effort you put into your wardrobe, I knew you’d want to step out of the house in style.”

“Does this mean you’re on board with me stepping out? After what my mother said, I’ve been wondering if the rest of you think I should be sitting this one out too.”

“I don’t believe anyone else has given it a moment’s thought. Your mother said what she did out of fear. I imagine what happened to you scared her. It may have even triggered her, thinking about your father, and the fact he was murdered doing the same line of work that you do.”

It was something I should have realized before and hadn’t. Now, I understood the words she’d said to me a lot more than I had in the hospital room. I needed to be more sympathetic, think about it from her perspective.

“You’re right,” I said. “I should have considered where she was coming from, and while I want to put her at ease, being a private investigator is fulfilling to me. And yeah, maybe I’m a little banged up from the attack, but I’m invested in this case. I’m not about to leave it to Whitlock and Foley to find Noelle’s killer.”

Giovanni offered me a nod, saying, “I don’t believe you’d ever sit on the sidelines unless you had no other choice. Still, I’m concerned for your safety on this one. Speaking of which, I have a proposition.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’d like to accompany you on your interviews. And before you say anything, I know you can take care of yourself. I’m offering added support. It will give me great peace of mind.”

It would give my mother peace of mind as well.

“I don’t want you to worry,” I said. “I don’t want my mother to worry, either. But this job, being a private investigator, it’s a part of who I am, a part of the air I breathe. I wouldn’t be me without it.”

“Deep down, your mother knows you’ll never abandon your passion, and while we’re on the topic, I would never ask it of you.”

“I know you wouldn’t.”

What he was asking was fair, and as I gave it some thought, I tried to consider how I’d feel if the roles were reversed. Giovanni was the toughest, most formidable man I’d ever known, but part of me was still nervous when he flew home for his family meetings. Sure, nowadays the families were at peace, for the most part, but I was smart enough to know that sometimes peace didn’t always last.

“Tagging along with me might not be as interesting as you think,” I said. “But if it’s what you want, I’m fine with it.”

“It is what I want, and don’t sell yourself short. There’s never been a dull moment between us since the day we met.”

“Speaking of the day we met, once this case is finished, I’m not taking on another murder investigation until after we’re married. I want to focus on us and our wedding.”

His smile told me he was pleased with my decision.

It was the right one.

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