Page 13 of Third Crime's A Charm
Matteo coughed again, this time into his coffee. It really wasn’t safe to eat or drink around Donna. “The sweet bean?” he asked calmly and used his napkin to hide a smile.
“He was awee thingand used to hide behind Marie at the park. The other boys used to pick on him until he had a growthspurt in junior high. I think it made him a little hard and it’s why he chose the path he took after college.”
“Those years shape who we become as men,” he confirmed sadly. “I can see why he’s so guarded.”
“You just have to learn how to read Truman. He has a lot of tells but he rarely lets anyone stick around long enough to catch on.”
“Really? Truman said he’d get me a notepad but I should have brought one with me. I need to be writing all of this down.” Matteo complained and Donna became alert.
“Pen, pencil, ballpoint pen, felt tip…?” she asked him.
“Um… Ballpoint, please.”
“Coming right up!” Donna gestured for Matteo to eat before speeding from the room.
The front door opened and Matteo turned to greet Truman and Neville. “How was your run?” he asked them.
Neville grumbled about being too damn old as he passed through the kitchen on his way to the guesthouse behind the garage. According to Truman, there were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small kitchen for Neville and Carmine to share. There was also a control room for the property’s security system.
“Here you go!” Donna said when she returned, waving a yellow legal notepad and a pen over her head.
“It’s already gorgeous out,” Truman said as he kissed Matteo’s hair. His neck stretched to avoid brushing his sweaty body against Matteo but he smelledincredible.His shirt was stuck to his torso and his thighs glistened with sweat under his running shorts, making it hard to focus. “The next few days will be perfect for laying out and playing in the pool.”
“Perfect!” Matteo agreed brightly but his cake turned to dust as he imagined rubbing sunscreen on Truman’s thighs.
Truman gave him a playful shake. “Are you alright?”
“Joa…” Matteo said distantly, not sure why he was thinking about Truman’s thighs or licking the sweat off of them. He didn’t evenlikeTruman or want his slick, incredibly fit, delicious-smelling body all over him.
“Matteo?” Truman asked again, making him jump.
“Ja?”
“Donna asked why you needed a notepad.”
“Ah! I forgot my journal and my phone in the city. I’d forget my ears if they weren’t stuck to my head so I take lots of notes throughout the day.”
Truman clicked his teeth and stepped behind Matteo. “Don’t listen to him. He’s a lot smarter than he lets on.” His hands spread over Matteo’s shoulders and Truman gave them a tender knead. He lowered and kissed Matteo’s cheek. “It might be the sexiest thing about him.”
“Stop it!” Matteo wasn’t used to being praised for his intelligence, that was usually reserved for Elio. He preferred it that way but there was an odd tickle in his stomach and Matteo was reluctantly flattered that a man as cunning as Truman had noticed.
Most people saw exactly what they wanted and his older brothers saw a lost child who needed protecting. Matteo could do no wrong but it also meant that he would always remain the lost child and no one, aside from Elio, truly knew him. Being invisible had its perks but that left Matteo lonely and he felt the most invisible, ironically, when he wasn’t with Elio.
“I’m going to take a shower and then you’re getting a proper tour of Southampton.” Truman gave Matteo another kiss before he left.
Donna smiled as he headed around the corner, looking pleased. “Told you he can be a sweet bean with the people he cares about.”
“Do you ever call him that to his face?”
“Oh no, no, no!” she said and they burst into laughter. “He’s a big, bad lawyer now. He can’t have people knowing he used to be small and tender.”
The conversation turned to Matteo’s family and childhood but he glossed over the heavier parts. He was fascinated with Truman, the small bean. Was Matteo seeing glimpses of that sweet, tender child or was Truman simply putting on a show for Donna? Had Truman, the scary attorney, buried that sweet bean, leaving Donna with a ghost and her memories?
How could Matteo tell? The Truman he knew was a seasoned actor who could play an adoring lover one moment, then flip scripts and turn into a brutal gangster the next. Unlike Donna and Marie, Truman didn’t care about Matteo enough to let his guard down in a meaningful way.
“Think you’ll be back for lunch?” Donna asked, dragging Matteo back to the conversation. “Neville and I decided on fish but I need to know how much to have him pick up.”
“I’ll have to ask Truman. Let me check,” he said and excused himself. He was still pondering the different Trumans when he tapped on the bedroom door and let himself in. “Truman?”
