Page 28 of Third Crime's A Charm
“We’re all worried, except Elio, so I know you’re up to something.”
“Maybe he trusts me?” Matteo guessed, earning a weary groan.
“Maybe he’s in on it. That’s what scares me the most. It’s rarely good when the two of you team up and now you’re involved with this criminal attorney. And he’s my age, Matteo.”
That made Matteo laugh. “Are you holding that against him?”
“Not at all!” Leo stated quickly and firmly. “But I understand the challenges for a man like Tennysonandhow it might appeal to his vanity. Dating you might work for his ego now, what happens when he’s tired of all the attention and gossip and decides he’s had enough?”
“Hmm…” Matteo bit down on his lips and counted down. “I never once assumed you were with Jonathon for the attention or because of a midlife crisis. I think too highly of Jonathon and I respect you.”
“Now wait a minute, Matteo! I?—!”
“No, you wait!” Matteo interrupted. “Truman isn’t a saint but no one is. I can only judge him by the way he behaves around meand you should too. His professional affairs have nothing to do with me. So far, Truman has only been kind and attentive and generous with the people he cares about. Does the rest matter?” he asked angrily.
The kicker was: Matteo wasn’t sure if he was mad at Leo for making assumptions, mad at Truman for being just as terrible as his brothers feared, or mad at himself for standing up for Truman so vehemently. To make matters worse, all the things he’d said about Truman were the truth and Matteo wished he wasn’t pretending he was in love.
His brothers would forgive him quickly, but fighting for Truman and defending his honor was one of the most romantic things Matteo had ever done. It was such a shame that it was wasted on Truman.
“You’re right,” Leo eventually grumbled. “Your aunt’s blue handbag is missing. Have you seen it?” he asked carefully. As far as they knew, none of their aunts had a blue handbag but mentioning it was their secret way of saying “Do you need rescuing?” or “Send help!”
“Nein, ich habe sie nicht gesehen,” Matteo answered slowly and clearly, hoping Leo would finally let it go. “We should be back in Manhattan in a few days. I’ll be staying at Truman’s for a while, especially with everyone leaving the city.”
“I’ll still keep an eye on you,” Leo warned, this time tenderly. “I miss you and I hope you’re not too upset with me.”
“I’m not. I’ll see you for the holidays, if not sooner.”
“That would please me. Be good, Teo.”
“Always! Ciao!” he said, then ended the call.
He swore as he tossed the phone on an ottoman, slouching in the armchair and scrubbing his face. It was a silly thing to feel bitter and guilty about, but lying to his brothers felt like a bigger crime than stealing. Soon, they would accept Truman and be happy for them or they would be comforting Matteo over theirbreakup. Matteo would have to keep lying for weeks or months and was almost relieved he’d have Muriel’s place to himself, instead of doing it to their faces.
There was another knock on the door before it opened and Truman leaned in. “Is everything alright?”
“Fine,” Matteo said, gesturing for him to come in.
“It was loud for a few moments and I heard my name,” Truman said as he lowered onto the ottoman.
“They’ll get over it. They just about have.”
Truman nodded slowly. “Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked, making Matteo sigh.
“Yes. Mostly. It’s complicated, Truman,” he said and swung his feet onto Truman’s lap. “Lying to them always makes me so…tense!” He swore and rubbed a temple.
“I’m very sorry.” Truman obediently began massaging Matteo’s left foot, instantly softening his nerves. “I forget that lying isn’t as easy when you’re a decent person.”
Matteo nodded but waved it off. “I can usually avoid it by being cheeky and evasive. I’ve been a little too good at it, though. They still think I’m a child so it’s more upsetting when I do something they don’t like. Sometimes, I’m more of a child than Elio to Leo and Theo.”
“How so?” Truman asked as he rotated Matteo’s ankle, making the rest of his body feel looser.
“Nothing ever hurts Eli. He’s as indestructible on the inside as he is on the outside because all he comprehends is mathematics and science. The weight of other people’s opinions never bears on Eli because he understands that thoughts and words can’t hurt him. Why would he care about gossip or fame or money? Those aresmallthings to Eli and cannot compete with black holes and dark matter.”
“What about love? He loves you and your brothers and I doubt he wants to be alone.”
“Eli loves us, and he and I… It hurts to be away from him sometimes, but Eli’s always been on his own plane. Even Leo and Theo don’t understand that. They think Eli is cold and difficult and resents them, but he resents anything that takes him from his thoughts and his work.”
Truman chuckled softly. “A quality you both share,” he murmured but Matteo shrugged.
