Chapter 8 - THE FIRST DINNER WITHOUT BODYGUARDS
Z
Leonardo asked Dora to dinner on a Thursday.
She nearly laughed.
“Dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Like a business meeting?”
“No.”
“Like you're about to tell me something horrible?”
“Hopefully not.”
She studied him.
“Then what kind of dinner?”
He looked unexpectedly nervous.
“A date.”
Dora blinked.
For several seconds, she couldn't speak.
Then she asked, “Do you realize how complicated that is?”
“Yes.”
“Your family might be connected to my father's death.”
“I know.”
“You have a dangerous reputation.”
“Yes.”
“And I work at a bakery.”
Leonardo smiled faintly.
“I'm aware.”
She looked down.
“I don't want your money.”
“I know.”
“And I don't want to become something you think you own.”
His expression changed.
“I don't want that either.”
Dora considered.
Then smiled.
“One dinner.”
His face brightened.
“Really?”
“One.”
They chose a small Italian restaurant in a quiet neighborhood.
No private room.
No armed guards beside the table.
Leonardo arrived early.
Dora arrived in a blue dress she'd owned for five years.
He stood when he saw her.
“You look beautiful.”
She blushed.
“Thank you.”
They ordered pasta and talked about ordinary things.
Caleb's engineering classes.
Margaret's bakery.
Leonardo's terrible cooking.
Dora discovered he hated opera, loved old detective novels, and couldn't keep houseplants alive.
He discovered she liked jazz, collected postcards from places she'd never visited, and had once dreamed of opening a small café.
“You should,” he said.
She laughed.
“With what money?”
He smiled.
“Start with a plan.”
Dora shook her head.
“You make everything sound simple.”
“No. I just think you shouldn't stop wanting things because they seem difficult.”
She looked at him.
For years, she'd considered her dreams an indulgence.
Something to return to when Caleb graduated, when the bills were paid, when life became manageable.
Now a man whose reputation terrified half the city was reminding her that she could want something for herself.
At the end of dinner, Leonardo walked her to her car.
“Dora?”
“Yes?”
“May I kiss you?”
She froze.
Then stepped back.
“Not yet.”
He nodded immediately.
“All right.”
She looked surprised.
“You aren't upset?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He smiled gently.
“Because you said not yet.”
Dora felt her chest tighten.
“Thank you.”
Leonardo nodded.
“Good night.”
She watched him walk toward his car.
Then called after him.
“Leonardo?”
He turned.
“I had a good time.”
His smile widened.
“So did I.”
But when Dora returned home, Caleb was waiting with shocking news.
Helen had called.
Investigators had located a former Costas Logistics employee named Samuel Greer.
He claimed to have seen Marco Costas alive six months after the night he supposedly disappeared.
Dora stared.
“Alive?”
Caleb nodded.
“And he says Marco was carrying Dad's toolbox.”
For a moment, Dora couldn't breathe.
Because the toolbox had been hidden in their garage for eleven years.
If Samuel was telling the truth, someone had returned it.
May you like
Someone who knew exactly where the Ellis family lived.
And that person might still be alive.
