He smiled. “Motorcycles, mainly.” He winked.
“No.” I shook my head. “That’s Mitch’s thing.”
“Ace Holden,” he said.
“Ah…?”
“My name,” he said. “Mitch told me you go by Scarlett.”
The name made me gulp down a burst of hot air and I choked for a second before I was able to swallow some water. I had some history with an Ace years ago. Fortunately, this Ace and the other only shared a first name.
Right as Guido chucked his chin toward Ace, my phone rang, and I held a finger up. He motioned for me to go ahead while he stood, carefully side-stepping Guido. When Ace got close enough to the water, he threw the football to Mitch.
“Mamma?”
“Matteo?”
“It is me.”
“My baby!” I said, so excited to hear his voice. “How long have you been gone?” I teased, smiling. “You sound so grown up.”
“Not that long, Mamma.” His laughter was raspy. His voice was the echo of his father’s. Before long, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between him and Brando. But his laugh was more like Romeo’s. Whereas Mariano had Brando’s laugh to the bone.
Brando, Brando, Brando.
We made small talk about all his adventures. He loved spending time with his grandfather, cousins, and all his uncles, but there was a difference. Above all, he adored Brando, and it seemed like they were spending quality time together.
Matteo made sure to call me every day, promising that even when he was grown and married, he’d still talk to me almost every day, even if his wife didn’t like it. But up until this point, I hadn’t told him where we were, and Guido hadn’t told Brando.
Matteo asked about what we were doing, and I told him, but with hesitation. It was hard having him there and us here—no matter what, either side was going to feel some jealousy.
As I was telling him not to worry, we’d visit again whenever he came home, I heard feminine laughter in the background. A voice I didn’t recognize.
Matteo got quiet, and so did I.
No, I told myself. Brando would never…and I left it there, choosing to ignore the sound and all that it could imply. It didn’t stop all my insecurities from scuttling out from the deep darkness, making my skin crawl, though.
“You are in Austin?” Matteo said, real low. Almost whispered.
“Ah, yes, we are,” I said.
“Where are you now, Mamma?”
I told him, and then he asked me to explain in more detail what it was like. I was sure he could hear the kids laughing, and the water running from the waterfall. I did so on autopilot, looking around and giving him specifics.
“Don’t forget to tell whoever that is that the water looks like green gems,” Ace said, choosing that moment to stop next to Violet and Mitch’s cooler. He pointed to his mouth. “Want a root beer,Scarlett?”
The way he said my name…it made me narrow my eyes before I shook my head. No, I didn’t want a root beer. Silence met me on the other end, and then a deep breath came through.
“Where is my brother?” Matteo said in Italian.
“Swimming,” I responded in the same language. I knew he meant Mariano. “Why?”
“Can I speak to him, Mamma?”
His voice took on an edge that I didn’t like for a boy of his age. He wasn’t being disrespectful, but severely to the point. Agreeing, I asked one of the guards to get Mariano from the water. He came, but almost begrudgingly. He had joined in the game Mitch had going with the football.
He looked at the phone before he put it to his ear with a tentative “ciao.”
