not to think about those long moments when she’d been so damn sure Marco was going to kiss her. God, just the thought made her heart race even now.
And then he’d called her naïve.
The dig hurt in places she didn’t like to think about. At the age of twelve, Alyssa had lost her mother to a stroke. Her father lost his mind, searching for solace in bottle after bottle of vodka. When he couldn’t find it, and when the liquor-induced numbness wore off, he’d taken it out on Brady and her, making her an unwilling witness to all that could go dark and ugly in the world. She was many things, but naïve wasn’t one of them.
And Marco Vieri damn well knew it.
With the flick of her thumb, she turned off the vacuum and the room went quiet. Alyssa’s back and feet ached and demanded a break, so she plopped down on the couch and sank into the plush cushions. Thinking about her parents and the way she’d been forced to grow up after her mom died made her feel ancient.
She was fine now. She’d survived. Life was good. Nothing ever came from dwelling on the past.
She yawned again and her thoughts turned to Marco. Maybe she should just come out and ask him what happened in Afghanistan. Maybe if she understood more about that, she’d know better what to do to help him now. Or at least be there for him. But would he even tell her? Probably not.
But Brady might.
Alyssa drew up her knees and hugged them to her chest. Problem was, if she went to Brady, she’d have to explain why she was seeing Marco, why she’d taken the job here against his wishes, and why she wanted to know. That seemed more fraught with complications than she wanted to chance. She loved her brother to death and back, but his overprotectiveness and suspicious spidey senses knew no bounds.
The thought made her smile. I hope you’re safe tonight, big brother .
She sighed and yawned again. She needed to get off this couch and back to the hotel so she could check in for the night. Tomorrow was the last shift she’d have to shadow another waitress for training, and then she’d be making a steady stream of her own tips, which would provide her with enough money to stay checked in at the hotel. Soon, she could even start apartment hunting…
Alyssa gasped awake in a pitch-black room. She flew into a sitting position and lights turned on around her. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she squinted at her surroundings, trying to figure out where the hell she was.
Oh, damn. She’d fallen asleep in the green room.
She yanked her phone out of the pocket of her jeans to check the time. 7:01 a.m. Holy crap! She didn’t even remember falling asleep.
Oh my God, I am going to be in so much trouble. Way to go, Aly.
Alyssa pushed off the couch and hurriedly wrapped the cord around the handles of the vacuum, then stowed it in the closet.
How was she going to explain this? Was anyone even there that early?
She dashed into the bathroom to inspect the damage. Luckily, her ponytail had kept her hair fairly neat. Her face was another story. She wiped a square of tissue under her eyes to remove the smudges of mascara and hoped the crease from the couch’s seam would disappear from her cheek sooner rather than later. But, oh hell , nothing was changing the fact that her shirt looked slept in.
Taking a deep breath, Alyssa opened the door to the green room and peered down the dim hall. The coast was clear. She dashed to the lounge and grabbed her purse, then darted toward the door, the sound of clanging pots in the kitchen sending her heart into her throat. Finally in the parking lot, Alyssa heaved a relieved breath at the good fortune of not getting caught and jumped into her car.
There were a few other cars in the lot, but she didn’t know anyone besides Marco well enough to know who they might belong to. Before anybody saw her, she made a beeline for the exit—but then had no idea where to go. She needed to change clothes, at a minimum, but a shower wasn’t possible
And then he’d called her naïve.
The dig hurt in places she didn’t like to think about. At the age of twelve, Alyssa had lost her mother to a stroke. Her father lost his mind, searching for solace in bottle after bottle of vodka. When he couldn’t find it, and when the liquor-induced numbness wore off, he’d taken it out on Brady and her, making her an unwilling witness to all that could go dark and ugly in the world. She was many things, but naïve wasn’t one of them.
And Marco Vieri damn well knew it.
With the flick of her thumb, she turned off the vacuum and the room went quiet. Alyssa’s back and feet ached and demanded a break, so she plopped down on the couch and sank into the plush cushions. Thinking about her parents and the way she’d been forced to grow up after her mom died made her feel ancient.
She was fine now. She’d survived. Life was good. Nothing ever came from dwelling on the past.
She yawned again and her thoughts turned to Marco. Maybe she should just come out and ask him what happened in Afghanistan. Maybe if she understood more about that, she’d know better what to do to help him now. Or at least be there for him. But would he even tell her? Probably not.
But Brady might.
Alyssa drew up her knees and hugged them to her chest. Problem was, if she went to Brady, she’d have to explain why she was seeing Marco, why she’d taken the job here against his wishes, and why she wanted to know. That seemed more fraught with complications than she wanted to chance. She loved her brother to death and back, but his overprotectiveness and suspicious spidey senses knew no bounds.
The thought made her smile. I hope you’re safe tonight, big brother .
She sighed and yawned again. She needed to get off this couch and back to the hotel so she could check in for the night. Tomorrow was the last shift she’d have to shadow another waitress for training, and then she’d be making a steady stream of her own tips, which would provide her with enough money to stay checked in at the hotel. Soon, she could even start apartment hunting…
Alyssa gasped awake in a pitch-black room. She flew into a sitting position and lights turned on around her. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she squinted at her surroundings, trying to figure out where the hell she was.
Oh, damn. She’d fallen asleep in the green room.
She yanked her phone out of the pocket of her jeans to check the time. 7:01 a.m. Holy crap! She didn’t even remember falling asleep.
Oh my God, I am going to be in so much trouble. Way to go, Aly.
Alyssa pushed off the couch and hurriedly wrapped the cord around the handles of the vacuum, then stowed it in the closet.
How was she going to explain this? Was anyone even there that early?
She dashed into the bathroom to inspect the damage. Luckily, her ponytail had kept her hair fairly neat. Her face was another story. She wiped a square of tissue under her eyes to remove the smudges of mascara and hoped the crease from the couch’s seam would disappear from her cheek sooner rather than later. But, oh hell , nothing was changing the fact that her shirt looked slept in.
Taking a deep breath, Alyssa opened the door to the green room and peered down the dim hall. The coast was clear. She dashed to the lounge and grabbed her purse, then darted toward the door, the sound of clanging pots in the kitchen sending her heart into her throat. Finally in the parking lot, Alyssa heaved a relieved breath at the good fortune of not getting caught and jumped into her car.
There were a few other cars in the lot, but she didn’t know anyone besides Marco well enough to know who they might belong to. Before anybody saw her, she made a beeline for the exit—but then had no idea where to go. She needed to change clothes, at a minimum, but a shower wasn’t possible
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