“Oh, kitty.” Ma bends down to pet the cat who’s still in isolation as soon as we make it to the bottom of the stairs. “How’s my beautiful princess today?”
I squeeze my brows and try not to start stressing. “Ma,” I say, trying to bring my mother back on task. “I just need these three pages printed. Can you take a look?”
I lean over the print preview panel, relieved that none of the text is readable. It’s not that what I’m working on is a big secret or anything, but I just don’t really want my family meddling in my business until I actually have news to share.
Ma immediately hits cancel on the print preview and drops into her office chair to get comfy. But then just as suddenly, she whirls to look at me. “Oh my God, son…”
“What? What is it?” My heart starts to race, and sweat instantly coats my palms. “Ma, what happened?” I rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder as my chest tightens.
Ma reaches a hand up to her shoulder and clenches my fingers between her perfectly manicured nails. “Baby,” she says, looking sad. “Sassy just told me something upstairs. Something I don’t know if you’ve heard about yet.”
I squeeze her hand, all worries about the time evaporating because Sassy news isn’t anything to panic over. “Ma, you’re going to give me a heart attack. What is it?”
She stands from the chair and lifts her face to look from her five-foot-nothing frame into my eyes. “Vito, Michelle had dinner in your brother’s restaurant last night. Michelle, son. She’s moved back to Star Falls.”
I’m so surprised by this that I drop Ma’s hand and step away from her. “Michelle…” I mutter. “Wow. Well, okay. Is she all right? Her grandpa didn’t get worse, did he?”
Michelle fucking Bianchi. My ex-wife. The woman who owned my heart and then literally crushed it under her stiletto heel.
Ma nods. “Looks that way. Sassy said her grandfather needs to move into a memory care place. You know that one on the east side of town.”
I do know the one, but I don’t say anything. I’m a firefighter, and there have been too many suspicious fires at that place over the last year. That’s part of what I want to meet with the chief about. But I hold back what I know and focus on the fact that my ex-wife is back in town.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Michelle’s gramps was a great guy,” I add.
Ma nods. “But it looks like Michelle is doing very well for herself. She’s opened her own business. Teaching at the community college too.”
“Teaching?” I shake my head in wonder, but I’m not at all surprised. My ex-wife was always smart. Smart enough to leave my ass behind when it became clear we didn’t have the same aspirations in life. Aspirations. Even that word sounds smart. “I’m happy for her, Ma.”
“Honey,” Ma says, her caring eyes focused so intently on me I don’t even have to guess what’s coming. I know. My mother is so wonderful but also incredibly predictable. “Do you think you’re going to be okay? Maybe you should see her? Sit down for a cup of coffee and just get everything out in the open.”
I hold up my hands. “Nah, Ma. Michelle moving back to Star Falls is none of my business. We’ve been divorced for five years. I’m over it. I’m over her. All that’s old news, ancient history, okay?”
Ma looks at me, an expression of so much worry and love on her face that I pull her in for a hug.
“What I really need right now is to get going, but I can’t do that until I get this shit printed.”
Her sadness seems to vanish instantly, but I know she won’t be convinced so easily. “You got it, sweetie. I’m on it.”
* * *
Thirty minutes later,I’m dressed in dark gray dress pants, a white shirt with the top few buttons unbuttoned, and I have a tie slung over my shoulder. I dig through my closet for some nicer shoes, but since Ma doesn’t like us wearing shoes in the house, I loop my fingers through the laces to carry them to the door.
I look through my room for anything I can use to protect my paperwork and eventually have to settle on an old issue of one of my favorite camping magazines. I tuck the paperwork in, check the time, and haul ass down the stairs.
Just as I skid to a stop at the base of the stairs, my sister Grace raises an eyebrow at me and grins. “This little nugget has been asking for you for the last ten minutes.”
“Gracie.” I lean down to give my sister a kiss. “And look at you, little man. Got my hands full today, buddy. Hang on.” I rush to the front door, drop my dress shoes, and gently set my magazine on top of them. Then I turn and open my arms wide to my nephew.
Gracie sets Ethan on his feet, and he struggles to make it all the way across the hallway. All thoughts about the time rush out of my head as I watch my nephew take shaky steps across the living room. His mouth is open in a thrilled grin, his arms in front of him as he reaches for me. I drop to my knees and inch across the floor just in time to catch him before his little legs buckle.
“What was that?” I ask, picking him up and blowing loud kisses into his belly. “You run better than I do, buddy.”
Little Ethan’s baby teeth show as he laughs and laughs. He clamps his mouth against my shoulder and squeezes me tight in a hug.
“So proud of you, little man.” I set my nephew down, and when I stand back up, he grabs my leg and tugs to be picked up again. “I got to run,” I say reluctantly.
Ma’s friends are gathered around the living room table, including Bev, who must have arrived while I was getting dressed.
