KE

d hear enough. His dad just had this deep a

uckled my seat belt. Ignoring Miles and his glances took some ac

eld by an unexpected phone call from his parents. Mr. Falco asked a

," Miles said, his obvious reticence thinning his voice. With his cellphone pressed onto his ear, he muttered more Italian phrases

of my beeswax. The phone call just got past the five-minu

ranted, they were busy with the family business, but, they were merely a two-hour flig

al months now, the simple but elegant two-storey house had been my home away from home, my secure and p

door. The drive from the show venue lasted two hours or so, m

?" Miles murmur

. Sleeping in all

ated right now was the apparent fact that my head didn't feel like it was being ja

iles watched me fumble with th

de me wince. My limbs ached whenever I would make sudden movements. Dinner and

ed in the doorway, his car keys jangling in his hand. "Wan

allway to his spacious

ed into the kitchen, an

ched the dining room. Did he want some s

he tall fridge. "Free tomorrow?" He switched the stove on an

ired" instead of thoroughly exhausted. I stretched my achy back and e

ing set wasn't totally empty was when Miles let the security staff enjoy a

rare?" Miles ask

g distracted me from falling asleep with half of my t

Can't drive you around if you

on my mind right now." I mas

ished after a two-hour drive with Miles behind

ing him cook. Miles Falco...slaving away in his own kitchen to fix me a meal-such a rare s

e caught me staring from afar. He flipped the pink

nway shows until next week-now I could eat whatever I wanted. My stomac

ate. I'm not stepping out

the serious, loner type. And we hadn't had a proper conversation since he sped out of the show venue's parking lot. "Yo

barbecue sauce on the pork chops made noise over the int

d Pappa?" I asked ou

in

the stove, the entire kitchen and dining room fell

reserved, except when he got busy behind a canvas. Miles hadn

-lips contact. Between friends. Plain old friends. Never been

a kiss, I wouldn't put any meaning behind it. At times, he was just that easygoing and

hing else entirely. Miles seemed uptight that I hadn't c

the cat out of the bag, just so he would stop being fairly unsociable. I walked

scratching the frying pan with the spatula-like he

f today and for pi

n again, so don'

ice here." I stopped hug

led while his free hand tried to pu

pt my hands to myself. Was he dodging the serious conversation I was

stare at the brownish pork chops makin

end to his request when my ringtone t

the univer

che I didn't need... I badly hoped they didn't actually think I would forge records just to qualify

n letter warn me for allegedly sending them fake background records

d...I h

name on the screen. For a moment, I just stared at Jill's photo, he

m our dad. Jill and I hadn't been in constant communication all year long since our last serious

from Miles. "Hey. Baby's asleep?"

reeted me, her tone urgent. "Mom w