Damage Control

Chapter 16

"How was the rest?" Nonna asked Nathaniel and me as we sat in the dining room, eating breakfast. Nathaniel hadn't spoken to me since he woke up, much less look in my direction. He almost got out of eating breakfast with us, but Nonna wasn't having it.

"It was great," I smiled, taking a sip of my orange juice. "But I kept hearing this strange sound through the walls last night."

Nonna furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Tesoro, what sound?" (Sweetheart)

I chewed my biscuit slowly, acting as if I was deep in thought. "I don't know, Nonna, it sounded like a low groan, but it was kind of loud," I explained.

Nathaniel immediately stiffened beside me, finally catching on to what I was doing. He reached out under the table, gripping my thigh and forcing a grin to form on my face. I would be lying if I said his touch didn't affect me down there, creating a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"No, no, I didn't hear a thing," Nonna replied, looking between the two of us.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nathaniel clench his jaw, daring me to continue.

"Maybe it was the floorboards," I shrugged, smiling at his grandmother before turning my head slightly to wink at him.

"Ay, my flight leaves in an hour!" Nonna shrieked, looking at the time on her phone before scooting out of her seat.

"Wait, what flight?" I asked, looking from her to Nathaniel, hoping she wasn't about to do what I think she is.

"Paffuto, no tell you?" She glared at her grandson before turning back to me. "I'm going to Greece with my girlfriends. I be back next week." Nonna informed me with a sad smile.

"What? Nonna, you can't leave!" I protested, following closely behind her as she made her way into the garage. You can't leave me alone with Nathaniel, is what I really wanted to say.

"Tesoro, I'll be back soon, no worries," Nonna promised, patting my cheek gently. "Until then, Paffuto, take good care of you, right mio figlio?" (my son.)

Nathaniel grunted in response as he embraced his small grandmother, kissing her lightly on the cheeks. "Let me drive you, Nonna."

"Nonsense," she swatted Nathaniel away. "Alfonso will take me."

A short man emerging from another part of the garage nodded, acknowledging his name.

"Bye, Nonna, we'll miss you," I said, watching her climb into the back seat of the limo.

Alfonso closed the door and looked up at Nathaniel. "È in buone mani, non c'è bisogno di preoccuparsi." (She is in good hands, no need to worry.)

Nathaniel nodded at the man before turning around and walking back inside the house.

Nonna blew me a kiss from the rolled down window as the limo rolled out of the garage, disappearing down the massive driveway and out of the gate.

What am I supposed to do now that I'm stuck in a foreign country with a man that despises my soul? I trudged back inside the massive estate and upstairs, where Nathaniel's office was. Not caring to knock, I barged in and found him sitting behind a huge oak desk, similar to what he was back home, facing his computer. The enormous room had dark walls with dark marble floors and a large window facing Nonna's beautiful garden.

"Get out," Nathaniel ordered in a low voice without looking up from his bright screen.

"But I'm bored," I whined, plopping on the couch sitting in front of his desk. His eyes flickered from his screen to me, then back down to his screen again.