Chapter 26

Lila’s POV “Lila?” Ethan said, staring at me in surprise as I stood outside the Calypso packhouse.

I felt my face grow warm as he stared at me.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain why I was here.

Do I tell him I was worried about Enzo?

No. I couldn’t say that.

“What are you doing here?” He finally asked after it was clear that I wasn’t going to speak.

“Professor Enzo wasn’t in class today and I wanted to make sure he was okay,” I answered.

My voice sounded distant and small when I spoke. I hated that I was feeling weak right now.

Ethan raised his brows as he stared around my face.

“You traveled this far to check on him?” He asked. I wasn’t sure how to answer that, but thankfully, he didn’t wait for me to do so. “He has some family problems,” he explained. “He’s been at the hospital all morning with his mother.”

Now it was my turn to raise my brows; I rose my gaze to meet his and saw the serious expression on his face.

“His mother?” I asked.

Enzo hasn’t really spoken about his mother. I didn’t think she was even in the picture.

What could have happened to her?

Ethan stepped aside so I could enter the packhouse; though, I wasn’t sure I wanted to at that point. I felt foolish for being there right now. I shouldn’t be prying into Enzo’s family affairs. From the look on Ethan’s face, I could tell that it was a very serious matter, and it wasn’t my business.

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But he motioned with his head for me to enter. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and stepped inside.

“There’s been a terrible attack the other night and he had to rush to the hospital,” Ethan continued to explain.

The other night? It must have been the night of the feast. That’s why he left as quickly as he did and without a word.

“Is his mother okay?”

“She should be fine,” Ethan answered. “Just a lot of bruises. I think he’s planning on coming back this afternoon if you want to stick around and wait for him.”

“That would be nice,” I say in return.

Before Ethan had the chance of saying anything more, the door of the kitchen opened, and Dee stood at the entryway. She had flour and chocolate all over her clothing and skin, including her face. She looked incredibly panicked and winded.

Her eyes fell on mine and she looked almost relieved for a moment.

“Oh, good, I thought I heard your voice. How are you at baking?” She asked.

I rose my brows.

“Decent I suppose,” I shrugged.

“Perfect, grab an apron and help me in the kitchen,” she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me along with her.

I turned back to Ethan who just shook his head with dismay written all over his face.

As I went into the kitchen, I paused when I saw that the counters were a complete mess. I frowned as I stared around all the pots and pans that Dee had scattered across her usually flawlessly clean stainlesssteel counters.

There was flour smeared upon surfaces, including the ground, and dirty utensils in the sink.

Despite the mess though, the kitchen smelled amazing. It smelled like a bunch of baked goods at once.

Like a bakery.

“The bake sale for the grade school is this afternoon and I promised I would make the food for the sale.

I’m way behind on the deadline though,” Dee said with a worried look on her face.

“It’s okay, Dee,” I said with a chuckle. “I don’t mind helping.”

I grabbed an apron off the hook on the far side of the kitchen and we got to work.

We baked brownies, cookies, cupcakes, and muffins.

As we continued to bake, Dee started playing some music on the speaker. She shuffled through some songs before landing on an upbeat tune.

She started to sing it in a low voice, not thinking I could hear her. She had a nice voice. I watched as she began swaying her hips from side to side, making me smile.

I mimicked her movements, also swaying my hips as we traveled around the kitchen, cleaning up the mess while the baked goods were in the oven.

She noticed me dancing along with her and she started to laugh, which made me laugh as well.

Together, we danced and sang. Twirling around the kitchen without a care in the world.

I only stopped when I realized Enzo was standing at the door.

His dark gaze poured into me, causing my entire body to freeze.

“I wasn’t expecting you to return so soon,” Dee chuckled as she stood by my side. “We were just baking for the bake sale this afternoon. Lila was nice enough to give me a helping hand. I’m not as quick with baking as I used to be.”

Enzo’s eyes never left mine.

“Why aren’t you at the academy?” He asked in a low tone.

“I took some time off,” I tell him, proud that my voice didn’t come off as nervous as I felt. “I got permission first.”

“You shouldn’t have come here.”

His words caused me to flinch, which was visibly noticeable for Dee who glanced at me with a small and curious frown.

“Why exactly shouldn’t she have come here?” Dee asked, glancing back at Enzo.

“Because she should be in school, that’s why,” he answered.

“I’m already ahead of most of my classmates. I can take a day or two off,” I tell them both.

He looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn’t.

He glanced at Dee momentarily.

“I’m going to steal her for the time being,” he told her; my heart fell into my stomach.

This was it... he was going to take me away and reject me. I heard being rejected was incredibly painful.

I had to prepare myself.

Dee nodded to him, a worried frown still on her face.

“Don’t be too harsh on her. I like having her around.”

She gave me a wink as she said that.

He didn’t answer her; instead, he turned back to me and said, “Come with me.”

I took in a steady breath as I followed him out of the kitchen.

He walked down this long corridor that led to a wide set of double doors. My heart was racing rapidly in my chest, unsure of where he was taking me.

Enzo paused as he reached the set of doors and he turned toward me.

“I need a favor,” he surprised me by saying; his tone turned from hardened in front of Dee, to soft once we were alone.

I met his eyes and saw that they were also softened. Whatever this favor was, it must have been serious.

“Okay?” I urged him to continue.

“My mother is in the hospital for the next unforeseen future, and I would like to give her something to brighten things a little. She’s always loved art and I wanted to make her something she could really enjoy.”

I was an art major, so it would make sense that he would come to me for this kind of thing. I’m assuming he wanted me to paint a picture for his mother.

Without another word, he turned toward the double doors and pushed them open, revealing a large and glorious art studio.

I gasped as I walked inside.

I instantly smelled the scent of paint. Canvases were laying everywhere on top of a large white tarp; not to mention mountains of paint cans.

There were also beautiful paintings all over the walls and I wondered who created them.

Enzo turned back to me and narrowed his eyes.

“The problem is, I don’t paint. Which is where I need your help,” he continued.

I gazed up at him in amazement.

“You want me to paint a picture for your mother?” I asked, raising my brows.

He nodded his head once.

“Of course, I would love to help,” I tell him. I felt pleased that he felt comfortable enough with me to ask me for this favor. Dare I say, I felt honored. “What do you think she would like? Perhaps a beautiful forest with a lot of flowers and sunlight?” Or maybe the moonlight?”

“Actually, I want it to be a portrait.”

I scrunched my brows together as I looked at him.

“A portrait?” I asked. “Of who?”

There was a moment of pause where he chose his next words very carefully.

“Of me, Lila. I want you to paint a portrait of me.”