No. He couldn’t. He pictured Margaret arriving in the morning and watching him sleep, that is if he was able to sleep at all. He did not go to bed with his door open. Ever. He tried fishing the cat out once more. When he was unsuccessful, he got his rifle and used it to extend his reach. He got nothing for his trouble but a stiff neck and squeals of protest from Dani.
“I’m not going to shoot him, Dani. I just want him to get out of my room.”
Dani left and came back later with a bowl filled with cream. She set it down on the floor and tapped a spoon against the side, trying to lure the cat with food, but the cat ignored her kindness and Malone’s threats and stayed put.
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “This is new for all of us. He’s been spoiled all of his life and had full run of the house.”
He stood and put his rifle away, tidying his space and retreating to the bathroom to ready himself for bed. When he returned, washed, with a fresh undershirt beneath his suspenders, Dani was still sitting by his bed, her legs folded beneath her, her head against the side. She looked tumbled and tired and a little too young, in her dressing gown and bare feet, for his comfort.
He turned the chair at his desk toward her and sat down, his elbows to his knees, his hands clasped.
“Go,” he said. “I’ll let him out when he decides to show himself.”
She’d seen his hesitation before and could not be convinced that he was sincere.
“Do you have work to do?” she asked. “I’ll just sit here quietly while you do it. Or . . . if you’re tired, I’ll come back in an hour or so and check on him. I’ll just open the door a little, and if he doesn’t come, I’ll try again an hour after that.”
“You know this is ridiculous, right?”
“I really am sorry,” she said, but she didn’t go, and for a moment silence fell between them.
“Why are you still here, Dani?” he asked softly.
She frowned at him, not understanding, and he clarified his meaning.
“Why do you live with your aunts? Don’t you want a home of your own? You’re a beautiful woman. Charlie can’t be the only man in your life. Surely you’ve had a string of young men lined up for your attention.”
“No.”
“No, you haven’t, or no, you don’t want a home of your own?”
“No, I haven’t. And this is my home.”
“You don’t have anyone?” he pressed. He couldn’t believe that.
“I’m odd . . . and I’m usually uninterested. That combination seems to be hard on men.”
He laughed, surprised. She was right. How intuitive of her. Men needed a great deal of encouragement, and an average woman was difficult enough. Add odd onto beautiful, and most men would steer clear. Partly out of respect. Partly out of self-preservation. He laughed again, her honesty and perception delightful to him.
Dani was gaping at him, and his smile faded. “What?” he asked.
“I thought that might happen.”
“What?”
“When you smile, your whole face changes. It’s like the sun breaking through the clouds or . . . or a log catching flame. Whoosh.” She emphasized the word with her hands, making a starburst motion. “Please do it again.”
“I can’t just smile on demand.”
“Of course you can. You must have smiled on demand a million times.”
“When?”
“It’s just like playing a role . . . and you have played so many. Michael Lepito must have smiled at Al Capone. A smile is a language all its own.”
He frowned at her.
“You told me you once worked for Al Capone,” she said.
“Yeah. But I don’t recall telling you about Michael Lepito, though he was one of the plastic monkeys, if I remember.”
“I touched your suit. Your . . . suits. They are beautiful. My grandfather used to make silk suits for John Rockefeller, but those . . . those are lovely.”
He looked at his wardrobe. He’d left it open when he’d prepared for bed.
He sat back in the wooden chair and rubbed his eyes.
“I was not trying to pry . . . I promise.”
Had it been anyone else, looking at the quality of a fine suit, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But it was Dani, and it felt a little like he’d caught her reading his journal, and he didn’t keep one on purpose.
“What did you see?” he asked. “And you better tell me all of it.”
“May I please look at them again?”