Page 81 of Fresh Canvas
“This is almost done. After I drain the pasta, I’ll give you the tour—Wait, where are you going?”
I was already headed down a hallway lined with doors. “To invade your privacy. It’s one of my special skills.”
Val snorted. “You put that on your resume?”
“Not that you would know!” I called back with a smirk.
I started with the doorway at the end of the hall. I found an infuriatingly clean and organized home office, complete with a leather couch.
Do you even live here, Val?
The adjacent doorway turned out to be a bathroom with a gorgeous, glass-enclosed shower. A rainfall shower head jutted from the ceiling. Again, spotlessly clean. I swung open another door and stopped short.
Val’s bedroom was dark and moody, with illuminated bronze sconces on each side of the oak headboard. An enormous bed was bookended by two nightstands. Thick, charcoal bedding begged me to curl up in it. In the corner, a black armchair and reading lamp sat beside a small bookshelf.
Allowing myself in, I wandered the room. The bookshelf was littered with picture frames.
“See, Russo? Youaresentimental, you just don’t want people to know.”
A gorgeous, gilded family portrait was filled with dark-haired, olive-skinned people. I recognized his two nephews from the photo in his office.
I picked up a shiny silver frame and instantly recognized Stella’s light blonde curls. A beautiful, fitted wedding dress flared out past her hips as a beaming, happier version of Val held her hand. They walked out of a chapel lined with cheering guests as Stella thrust her triumphant bouquet against the azure sky.
My chest tightened. I couldn’t imagine loving someone so much and losing them in such a painful way. I ached for his loss. However, my usual sympathy was suddenly accompanied by a strange new emotion.
A twinge of jealousy rippled through me.
Around me, at least, Val had never worn an expression like that. Like he didn’t have a care in the world, only admiration for the woman beside him.
If Stella and Val had been meant for each other, where did that leave me?
“Hey.” Val’s velvety voice interrupted as he poked his head in. His jaw tightened a fraction as he saw the picture in my hand. His steps were slow as he approached and encircled my waist from behind.
I forced a cheery tone. “You look so cute.”
“Thanks. It was a special day, for sure.”
I nodded, still staring into Stella’s blue eyes.
Val squeezed a little tighter. “Are you ready to eat?” His lips brushed a tentative kiss across my cheek.
“Yes.” I set Stella back on the shelf and tried to leave my insecurities there too.
The pasta turned out to be insanely delicious. My instinct to eat like a lady and do that weird smile-nod-chew thing behind my hand thing warred with a primal urge to devour the entire dish. My primal side won out.
“See?” Val said, indignantly. “I told you!”
I laughed and wiped my face with a napkin. “Okay. You win. You’re definitely the most talented, cocky chef I know.”
“You need to work on your compliments, but I’ll take it. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I downloaded the keycard records,” he said.
“You did? What did you find?”
“A whole lot of nothing. The logs are difficult to read, and I can’t figure out which information is for the service elevator to the basement storage rooms. That’s the only keycard access point that even matters.” Val took another bite.
“The service elevator? What about the keycard scanner for the actual archives?”
“There aren’t any. Those rooms don’t have one,” he said.
