48. Ravenna
Ravenna
“ I ’m touring Italy with Gin. That girl does not take no for an answer,” Elena tells me on the phone.
“You mean you’re with Gin and Blake?” I ask. Why would Gin be in Italy by herself when she was so recently married?
“Nope. Just us girls. Apparently, Blake’s on her shit list, and Gin’s getting her revenge on him.
I’m helping her, too. In all honesty, I’m glad for a reason to get out of the house and see a slice of the world.
We’ve been staying at the best hotels and you wouldn’t believe the food we’ve eaten.
Gin knows so much about the culinary arts.
We’ve been putting the top tier restaurants to the test.”
“I’m happy that you’re having a good time.” A trip like that seems very outside of Elena’s comfort zone but maybe she’s finally decided to rejoin the world. Ginevra’s so full of life, I hope she’ll be a good influence on my sister.
Though a fallout with her husband this soon into their fake marriage concerns me a bit. Not that I’m one to give marriage advice, or pass any judgements on other people’s relationships.
I wish I could tour Italy as a way to deal with my problems. Instead I’m back at home. No work life. No normal friends. Still no family of my own.
At this point, I’m hesitant about bringing a child into our lives. Until we have a stable relationship again, I don’t want to start a family. Though I’m wondering if any marriage is always stable. Maybe the ups and downs are simply part of life.
Cian’s been doing better since we had the house not only cleaned, but aired out. The entire atmosphere of the place has changed for the better.
We’ve both been discreetly trying to uncover who’s behind the perfume and that necklace. Cian reviewed the security footage going back weeks, but hasn’t found anything of note. With a, sort of, rational explanation behind it all, he’s been much calmer and more focused.
And true to his word, he’s been seeing a therapist. Which makes me greatly relieved—not to mention hopeful. I know progress will take time, but that’s okay.
Unfortunately, all evidence points to an outside intruder being the one behind the mysterious Fiona haunting. So why haven’t they been caught by our security system?
“Ven, are you still there?” Elena asks, and I realize I’ve been zoning out.
“Yeah, sorry, just a lot on my mind.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I sigh. “Not really. No. Look, I should go. You have fun and try to keep Gin from getting into too much trouble.”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.” I end the call and flop back on the chaise in the library.
I feel like I’m back to square one on trying to figure out what to do with my life.
If I had even an ounce of the talent of my cousins, I’d be thrilled.
Sophia’s a junior getting her Art History degree.
Arianna’s turned out to be quite the event organizer, she even did Gin’s wedding, and it was beautiful.
Even Gin, the wild card, turns out she’s a brilliant chef in the making.
Meanwhile, I’m unemployable and no closer to starting a family.
“Ugh.” Okay, I can’t sit around the house all day and wallow. I text Finn. I’m going out.
For some peace, I decide to stroll through Central Park. It’s still warm, but the air holds a crispness, a gentle cooling breeze, that hints at the coming autumn.
Finn waits at the car, while Kody shadows me, staying far enough away to be discreet, but close enough to offer his protection. His gaze scans the area like every jogger or mom with a stroller could be suspect. Without a destination in mind, I amble along.
I come to a crossroads and startle when I hear my name.
“Mrs. O’Rourke!”
Turning, I find Devlin waving at me, a grin on his face. Not the reaction I would have expected, given how the last time I saw him my husband had punched his face. Devlin does strike me as the easy going, forgive and forget type. So maybe this greeting isn’t too unusual?
He jogs over to me, his breath escaping in white whisps. “Hey.”
“Hello,” I say, my tone laced with caution.
“I’ve been meaning to get ahold of you but I don’t have your number.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. So… I never filed assault charges, and I managed to smooth over everything at work with your boss. Have you heard from her?”
“I haven’t. And why didn’t you file charges?” I’m more surprised than anything.
His smile wavers. “I thought you’d be happy about that. You don’t actually want me to put your husband in jail for assaulting me, do you?”
“No, of course not. But you had every right after what he did to you.”
Devlin waves me off, as if he’s used to it and gets punched in the face quite often. Maybe he does?
“That’s all in the past now. No hard feelings, you know?”
I nod, even though I don’t know. If I were him, I’d be pissed.
“Anyway, I can put in a good word for you at work. That is… if you want your job back.”
I brighten at that. “I would like to return to work at the agency. Would you really do that for me?”
“Sure.” He chuckles. “We’re friends, remember? Friends help out friends.”
Friends. Sure. Okay.
“That’s very kind of you.”
“No problem at all. Hey, I have to run, but let’s do coffee once you’re back at work.” He jogs off before I can get in a single word.
Why isn’t he worried about Cian coming after him again? I feel like I’m missing something crucial, but for the life of me I don’t know what. His actions don’t make sense to me.
At the same time, I’d be thrilled if he can get me rehired.
I’m sure my paranoia’s misplaced. Maybe he’s just a nice guy? Those do exist, right?