Chapter 10 - THE EIGHTY-FOUR-THOUSAND-DOLLAR MIRACLE
Juny's surgery was scheduled for the following month.
The financial situation had changed.
The hospital's patient assistance office had approved additional support, and a nonprofit program specializing in pediatric cardiac care helped the family navigate the remaining expenses.
There were still forms.
Appeals.
Appointments.
Conversations that made Delaney's head ache.
But the medical plan no longer depended on her finding eighty-four thousand dollars through impossible overtime.
For the first time in years, she took a full day off.
Juny celebrated by making pancakes.
They were terrible.
Burned on one side.
Undercooked in the middle.
Covered with too much syrup.
Delaney ate three.
Juny looked suspicious.
“You're lying.”
“What?”
“You hate them.”
“They're delicious.”
“Del.”
“They're emotionally delicious.”
Juny burst out laughing.
At eleven, the doorbell rang.
Allesio stood outside carrying a small potted plant.
Delaney blinked.
“What's that?”
“A basil plant.”
“Why?”
“You said Juny puts too much garlic in everything. I thought she might experiment with another ingredient.”
Juny appeared behind her.
“I heard that.”
Allesio smiled.
“Good.”
She took the plant.
“Thank you.”
Then she narrowed her eyes.
“Are you trying to date my sister?”
Delaney nearly dropped her coffee.
“Juny!”
Allesio looked startled.
Then he laughed.
“I was hoping to ask her eventually.”
Juny studied him.
“Do you have hobbies?”
He blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“Like normal hobbies. Not whatever Mafia bosses do.”
Delaney covered her face.
Allesio considered.
“I read.”
“What?”
“Books.”
Juny rolled her eyes.
“Obviously. What kind?”
“History. Architecture. Sometimes poetry.”
Juny looked impressed despite herself.
“Architecture?”
“Yes.”
She pointed toward the dining table.
“Then come look at my drawings.”
And just like that, the most feared man in the region found himself spending the next hour discussing bridge designs with a fourteen-year-old girl.
Delaney watched from the kitchen.
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After lunch, Allesio asked if he could speak with Delaney outside.
They sat on the porch.
He looked unusually nervous.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Then why do you look like you're facing a jury?”
He smiled.
“Because you're difficult to impress.”
“Good.”
He took a breath.
“Would you like to have dinner with me?”
Delaney stared.
“Dinner?”
“Yes.”
“At a restaurant?”
“That was my original idea.”
She laughed.
“You're asking me on a date?”
“I am.”
She looked toward the yard.
For years, every decision she'd made had been measured against what Juny needed.
She had stopped asking what she wanted.
Now the question felt almost unfamiliar.
“Allesio?”
“Yes?”
“I can't promise anything.”
“I know.”
“My sister comes first.”
“She should.”
“And I don't want to be treated like someone you rescued.”
He held her gaze.
“I don't want that either.”
She studied him.
Then smiled.
“Okay.”
His expression changed.
“Okay?”
“Yes.”
He laughed softly.
“Good.”
“But no fancy place.”
“Define fancy.”
“Somewhere I can pronounce the menu.”
He smiled.
“Understood.”
Their first date took place at a small restaurant near the river.
They ate pasta.
Argued about movies.
Discussed Juny's drawings.
And laughed about the basil plant, which Juny had already named Frederick.
Delaney learned that Allesio's mother had been a schoolteacher.
That he hated flying.
That he could cook exactly three dishes well and approximately twelve badly.
He learned that Delaney wanted to take classes in business management someday.
That she loved old mystery novels.
That she used to sing before her father died.
“You should sing again,” he said.
She smiled sadly.
“Maybe.”
The evening passed too quickly.
Outside the restaurant, Allesio stopped beside her car.
“May I kiss you?”
Delaney looked at him.
For a moment, her heart seemed to forget its rhythm.
Then she smiled.
“Yes.”
Their first kiss was gentle.
Nothing like the dramatic stories people told about men with his reputation.
He didn't pull her closer.
Didn't demand more.
He kissed her like a man grateful to be invited into a moment he had no right to claim.
When they separated, Delaney smiled.
“That was nice.”
He laughed.
“Nice?”
“Very nice.”
“I'll accept that.”
She kissed him again.
This time, she didn't wait for him to ask.
But when Delaney returned home, Juny was sitting at the kitchen table with her sketchbook closed.
Her face was serious.
“Del?”
Delaney's smile vanished.
“What happened?”
Juny held out her phone.
A news alert filled the screen.
POLICE CHIEF COLIN MERCER PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE AMID HISTORIC EVIDENCE INVESTIGATION.
Below it was another headline.
STATE INVESTIGATORS SEEK HARRISON HOWERIN FOR QUESTIONING.
Delaney felt the familiar coldness return.
May you like
The investigation was moving.
And men who had once controlled Halver were beginning to lose their grip.
