Chapter 8 #2
Luca covered his face with his hands and keeled over in laughter. Edith beamed at him and shook her head. It was obvious I’d been had. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t a very nice joke,” he cried, wiping his eyes. “But your face. And I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Suddenly, I didn’t mind being the butt of his joke if it made him happy.
Edith shook her head. “He’s teasing you, hun. He always orders the burger.”
Ripping a napkin from the holder, I held it out to him. “I take back what I said. You are an asshole.”
That only made him laugh more. I hadn’t had that effect on anyone in a long time. “I’m sorry, Axel, but it was funny. I couldn’t resist.”
I looked up at the sweet lady waiting to take my order. “What do you recommend, since I can no longer trust him?”
“Oh, honey. You can trust Luca with your life, but maybe not your dinner order. What are you in the mood for?” More laughter from him. More of everything from him to lighten my dark heart.
“The burger sounds good. With a green salad and chips.”
Luca handed her his menu. “Me too, please, Edith. And you mean fries, right?”
“Yes, yes, whatever.”
“Okay, boys, play nice until I get your dinner.”
Luca smirked but didn’t take his eyes off me. “Yes, ma’am.”
Pulling multiple napkins from the holder, I passed a stack to him before settling into my seat. “How did you find this place?”
Luca swiped at the condensation forming on his glass. “I used to live here. Without Edith and Henry, the owner, I might not have made it.”
I froze. That didn’t make sense. “What do you mean?”
He looked around the interior with a fond expression.
“When I turned eighteen, CPS released me from the foster care system. I applied for a job here, doing whatever needed to be done. With no place to go, I slept in the park until Henry accidentally found out. He and Edith offered to let me stay with them. But I didn’t want to take advantage.
So, he insisted I stay on the sofa in the office during the summer.
He said it was for security reasons. I didn’t argue. ”
I couldn’t take my eyes off him as his fingers worried the elastic band around his wrist. “What about your parents? Where were they?”
He shook his head. “Didn’t have any.”
Picking up my glass, I took a sip of water to give me time to think. As I drank, I searched for signs of pain and distress but found none. His expression never changed. “How long were you in foster care?”
“On and off my whole life. Permanently, when I turned six.”
“Was it terrible?”
He shrugged and continued to wipe at the glass.
“Sometimes. But the bad homes weren’t the worst part.
The good ones were. You start to believe you might get to stay.
” He took a deep breath. “I stopped unpacking when I was twelve. There was no point. It was easier to move on and block it out when it was time to go.” Looking up at me, he stared unblinking.
“I tried to be really good. Never caused problems.”
I couldn’t help myself. Reaching across the table, I put my hand on his. “It’s not your fault.”
Luca blinked, then looked down at where I was touching him. He pulled his hands away, then came back to me. “Yeah, I know.” His mask slipped back into place. “But I survived, and here I am.”
I swallowed. The brief moment of vulnerability he showed felt like a gift. Like he trusted me with part of his guarded life. But he really shouldn’t. “So how long did you have to sleep on the sofa back there?”
“I didn’t have to, Axel. I chose to. I stayed here for four months before I went to school.
It was great. And freeing. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have to worry about where or what would happen if I went to sleep.
When September rolled around, my scholarship paid for room and board, and I worked my ass off to keep my grades up.
I kept my job here until I graduated.” He looked at Edith, making coffee.
“They’re the closest thing to a real family I’ve ever had. I’d do anything for them.”
Suddenly, my family issues were insignificant. My father may have been absent in body, but I never had to worry about the things Luca did. “I’m glad you have them.” Now you’re stuck with me.
“Me too. I’m a lucky man.”
I didn’t know how to respond. He had once lived on the streets and in the back room of a diner yet had more gratitude for those things than I did. One conversation and I knew he would change me for the better.
When Edith brought our food, I ordered more. “I’m hungrier than I thought. Could we get two more, please? And four to go.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Sure thing, hun. I’ll put the order in.”
Luca looked up at me with wide eyes. I shrugged. “What? Hockey players eat a lot. I need to bulk up before pre-season.”
He chuckled with raised brows. “Whatever you say.”
While we enjoyed our dinner, our conversation drifted from topic to topic until it landed on my lack of housing. “Since you’re between jobs, I have a proposition for you.”
His eyes widened. “What’s that?”
“I want to pay you to help me find a place to live. The penthouse is too big, and it doesn’t feel like me. I want my own private space.”
“You know I’m not a real estate agent. Doesn’t the team have people to help with that?”
“Yes. But I want you.”
Luca stopped mid-bite. Lowering his burger to the plate, he wiped his mouth. “Why?”
“You’ve lived here your entire life. You know the neighborhoods and whether a place is worth the money. It’s like this place. It’s a gem in the rough, and I never would have found it without you.”
Luca sat back and rubbed his fingers across his jaw. He was about to turn me down. “Axel…”
“You help people for a living. It would help me to have someone I can trust.”
Luca’s expression changed from lighthearted to serious. He looked down at the table, trailing an uneaten French fry around his plate. “How do you know you can trust me? You shouldn’t trust strangers.”
That was easy. “I agree. But you’re not a stranger now, are you?”
He shrugged. “I guess not.”
“I’ll have my attorney write up a contract of employment if you like. Unless you could reciprocate the trust in me and save us both a lot of trouble by saying yes.”
Edith walked up with the check and the to-go bag as Luca glared at me. She set the check in front of me, and the bag before him. “I don’t mean to interrupt, so take your time. But Luca, honey, take the damn job.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then walked away. “You can trust him.”
“Yeah, Luca honey,” I repeated. “Help us both out and take the job.”
He tried to hide his smile as I pulled out my credit card to pay. I scribbled my signature and left a sizable tip.
“I’ll accept the job, only if you agree that the money you’ve already given me will serve as the pay.”
“Fine. Whatever you want.” I held out my hand. “Do we have a deal?”
He looked at my hand, then slipped his into mine. A simple handshake was going to ruin me. “Deal.”
“Wonderful.” He slid his hand from mine, and I missed it immediately.
“Let’s talk schedules.” I took a napkin and Edith’s pen to scribble down our vague agreement.
I signed it, as did he. “Now we have a contract. You agree to help me find a place to live, no matter how long it takes. And I agree to the sum already paid forth.” Folding it up, I tucked it into my wallet.
When we got up to leave, he glanced down at the receipt. “Axel? You don’t have anything to prove.” He tapped the receipt.
“It’s just a tip. It’s equivalent to them taking care of you. They had the means, and so do I. Don’t deny me this.”
He ran his hands over his head. “Jesus, Axel. Where did you come from?”
I left that alone.
We said goodbye to Edith and promised to return. When we got into the car, I caught sight of her as she picked up the check. Her eyes widened comically as she peered out the window.
“You made her year,” Luca chuckled, smiling at her. “She doesn’t have a lot since her husband died, but loves this job and her tiny apartment in the senior complex.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he studied her, hoping to absorb some of the goodness that radiated from him. “I have a feeling you helped with that.”
“Yeah. And it was one of the best days of my life. She has friends and people who share her love for the flea markets. And she’s not alone.”
Breathing in deeply, a sense of contentment settled over me. It was him. The man who found the good side of bad things. I had the resources to make his life better, and no one deserved it more than he did. “We’re going to need to make a few changes, and I’m going to need you to be okay with them.”
He turned to glare at me. “I’m not going to like them, am I?”
“Probably not. But you only have to accept them while we’re working together. After that, you can do as you please.”
Luca took a deep breath and thought about my requirements. “Trust is difficult for me, Axel. Please don’t destroy my faith in you, and what you just did for Edith.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
When we arrived at my building, I got out and left the envelope on the seat. Leaning on the open window, I watched as he looked down at it. “I’ll text you later to coordinate tomorrow.”
Luca’s head went back to the headrest before he turned to the backseat. Reaching into the back, he held up the bag. “Hey, don’t forget your burgers.”
I smirked. “They were for you.” Turning my back, I strode into the lobby without a second look at Luca. I had arrangements to make, and for the first time in a long time, I had a purpose that made me happy.