Page 37 of Loss and Damages
“Come inside and sit down.” I tug on his hand, encouraging him to accept my offer. He drove all the way out here hoping to find...help, maybe, and I’m not going to let him leave until his eyes are clear and he can stand without leaning against something for support.
He shuffles across the grass and grasps the handrail as he trudges up the porch’s steps. I hold the door open and follow him inside. “Sit on the couch. I’ll get you a glass of water.”
Dominic sinks onto the old sofa that belonged to my grandma and leans his head back, his eyes closed. Tension seeps out of him. It must have been a long drive out here if he’s in as much pain as he looks.
“Medication?” I ask, setting the glass of water on the coffee table.
“In my pocket. Can you?”
“Yeah.”
Leaning on a hip, he indicates which pocket, and I push my hand along his hard thigh and grab two small prescription bottles. Self-conscious, I can’t look into his eyes and instead focus on the labels and the tiny black print. “Which one?”
“I’ve taken the antibiotic already. If you could give me a pain pill and a glass of wine, I would be indebted to you.”
“Wine with a pain pill doesn’t sound like a good idea, but I’ve never been shot. Take it with the water, and I’ll pour you a glass of wine. I still have the white you left here the other night. Will that work?”
“Sounds fine, thank you.”
I tip a yellow pill into my palm and pass it into his waiting hand. He pops it into his mouth and I hold the glass until he has a firm grasp on it. He downs most of the water while I wait. “Luckily you’re right-handed,” I say, searching for something that doesn’t sound idiotic and failing.
“Always a silver lining,” he says, twisting his lips and giving the water glass back to me.
I can’t tell if he’s joking, and I twirl toward the kitchen, keeping my mouth shut.
While I uncork the bottle, he watches me. I pour a generous amount into stemless glasses thinking it will be easier for him to handle.
“Here. I can fix something light if you’re hungry. Some soup, maybe.”
He holds the wineglass but doesn’t lift it to his lips. He rests it on his thigh, his large hand wrapped around the delicate glass. For lack of anything else, I sit next to him and sip the buttery wine to calm my nerves. Dominic still scares me. The raw powerhe exudes threatens to stifle me. That he’s injured is worse, like a wounded lion prepared to strike out in self-defense.
“Later, perhaps. I’m sorry. I didn’t have anywhere else to stay. If you don’t want me here, you should say so and after the pain pill kicks in, I’ll go.”
“You can’t drive like this. You’re welcome to spend as much time here as you need, but I have to open the gallery tomorrow at noon. The only company you’ll have is Netflix.”
He scoffs. “I’ll make do.” Meeting my eyes, he says, “Thank you.”
“Will you tell me what happened?”
“You can watch every second in gory detail online. I thought I’d answer some questions, and that’s how I’m treated.”
“Why do you want to purchase the 1100 block anyway? You already own half of St. Charlotte. Why is the 1100 block so special?”
“Besides the fact I’m working like hell to get it?” Dominic sips his wine, a gulp, really, and melts further into my couch, pain oozing out of him as the pill starts to work.
“Is that it? The challenge? Leo never understood your ambition.”
His eyes drift shut. “Are you being polite, Jemma? You don’t have to be. You can call me an asshole just like everyone else.”
“I’m not going to call you that because I don’t think you are.”
He cracks an eye open. “Then you’re the only one.”
“Leo loved you, but he wanted you to do business differently.”
“We all want things we can’t have. Were you in love with my brother, Jemma? But he didn’t return your feelings and you spent time with him taking what you could?” He glares, daring me to tell him the truth.
He wants to start a fight but I won’t let him.
