Cesare Fierri [Book #4]

Chapter 9

Being without my daughter has turned out to be quite boring and lonely. I was sitting on the couch watching my favorite show with a glass of wine in hand.

And I didn't bother paying attention to how many glasses of wine I had. When I looked at the bottle, I realized that it was more than half way empty. And even then, that didn't stop me from finishing off the rest of it.

I'm not an alcoholic or anything like that, but I do enjoy a glass or two. And it just so happens that I've had a difficult week. So I think I deserve a little extra comfort from my favorite bottle of red wine.

After a couple hours of binging and wallowing in my drunkenness, I grabbed my phone from off the coffee table and decided to bug Amara.

She didn't answer.

She normally answers, so I took her lack of response as her being busy. The next option would be to call my parents, but the last time I drunk dialed them, I ended up confessing to all the times in high school Jackson had snuck into my room.

And then there was the option to call Cesare. This time would be intentional though. I'm not even sure what I want to say to him. Maybe I just want to hear his voice. Yeah, that's it.

He answered on the first ring, like I knew he would. "Is this another accidental call, or are you in need of some words of encouragement?"

I melted at the sound of his voice in my ear, warmth traveling from my head and reaching down to the tips of my toes. "Neither," I admitted. "I'm drunk, bored, and just wanted to hear your voice."

"So you have been thinking about me."

I blushed, my face nearly the shade of the wine I just drank. "Just a little."

"I knew it all along," he said into the phone. "I just wanted to hear you finally admit it."

"That doesn't mean I'm taking you up on your offer." Even though I really wanted to. "And I thought you didn't believe in sleeping with the same girl twice?"

"I don't. But this is different."

"How is this different?"

Silence.

I thought maybe he didn't hear me, so I repeated the question again. "How is-"

"I have to go," he interrupted, cutting me off and hanging up. I stared at my phone screen in confusion, the sound of the dial tone ringing in my ears, and then nothing. So he did hear me, but then...

What was that all about?

I was hoping to speak with him a little longer, but whatever I said must have upset him. I thought about calling him back to figure out what I said wrong, but decided that I would just leave it alone.

Besides, I'm getting tired. I yawned, fluffing out the pillow beside me and laying down. I tugged the dark pink sherpa blanket up and over my body, settling in its warmth and comfort.

Sighing with satisfaction, I allowed my heavy eyelids to close shut and the exhaustion overwhelming my body to pull me down into a deep sleep.

****

When I awoke the following morning, I groaned, forcing myself to sit up. My head felt like it weighed a ton and the sunlight pouring through my kitchen window didn't help.

Squinting my eyes, I staggered to my feet and clutched my throbbing head. My phone chimed and I bent down to pick it up from off the floor. It most likely fell while I was asleep. I've been known to be a wild sleeper, which is probably why my back hurts.