Page 31 of Duty and Desire

And that was the goal.

“If Gio makes you happy, then I can be happy for you,” she admitted. “For as long as it lasts.”

That last comment left its barb in my chest, close to my heart.

Too close.

I stepped through the patio doors into the lush green heaven that was my back yard. My breathing space. My sanctuary. I brushed my fingers over the leaves of the ferns, the hibiscus petals, the rough bark of the tree…The textures and scents grounded me, connected me?—

Made me think of a certain garden back home.

“Claudia…”

She came outside to join me. “Are you okay? Was it something I said?”

I turned. “I know I told you I didn’t want to hear your news, but… Theyareokay, aren’t they?”

“If they weren’t, I would have mentioned it before now, wouldn’t I?” She put her arm around me. “And the fact that you even asked the question tells me a lot. Despite everything that’s happened, they’re still your flesh and blood. They’re a part of you, and you can’t turn that off like shutting off a faucet.”

I chuckled. “There you go again, talking like an American.” I leaned into her. “I’m glad you’re here. I know disappearing on you to take Gio snorkeling is selfish of me, but?—”

“You hush. How many times have I come here during the last three years? Hmm? And notoncehave you said ‘Sorry, Claudia, but I’m going to pass on spending the day with you. I have a date.’ So to my way of thinking this is long overdue.”

My phone buzzed. I peered at the screen. “His timing is uncanny.”

“Is it Gio?”

I shook my head. “It’s Franz. He’s here and he wants to talk. Which is fine by me because I want a word with him too.”

“I’ll let him in.” Claudia went back inside.

It was a conversation that could become awkward. Franz had his instructions, of course, and that didn’t make him a bad person if he followed them to the letter. But right then I needed some latitude.

I also needed to know he was on my side.

Franz walked out into the yard, smiling. “I love what you’ve done with this.”

I blinked. “You’re interested in gardening?”

He snickered. “You sound surprised. Then again, you probably know nothing about me. If you had your way, I wouldn’t even be here, would I?”

A huff was all the answer he was going to get on that score.

“You said you wanted to talk.”

He removed his phone from his pocket, and it almost disappeared from view in his large hands. “I ran a preliminary check on this guy, Giovanni Colonna. So?—”

My face grew hot. “Did Iaskyou to do that?”

“No, sir, you did not.”

I could count on one hand the number of times Franz had addressed me as sir in all the years since he’d become part of my life. It was never a good thing.

“And before you ask, no one else asked me either. I’m just doing my job.” His eyes blazed, as if he expected a comeback.

I couldn’t do that, because damn it, the man was right. I’d expected him to do this very thing, hadn’t I?

Then why was I angry?

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