“Your mother is making lunch. We shouldn’t keep everyone waiting.”
That’s it? Nonna is done? She’s going to try fixing Fiona up with Gabe?
Gabe isn’t right for her.
“Are you coming?” Nonna turns back to me, waiting for me to open the door for her.
“Yes, Nonna.”
Irritate Me
Fiona
It turns out that when a baby boy naps all afternoon, he doesn’t sleep very well that night and wakes up fussy.
Fussy boys don’t like to be put down.
Baby wearing is going to have to happen until I can convince the kids to play with him instead of working. That shouldn’t be too hard.
At least my body doesn’t hurt half as badly as it did yesterday. This would be miserable if it did. I step out of my apartment building. The Street is quiet, like it always is before the sun rises. It’s a whole different vibe at this time of day.
Kind of like a movie set before the imaginary world comes to life. Streetlamps keep away the shadowy darkness, making the world feel almost romantic, which is silly because I don’t believe in romance.
If anyone could make me believe in it, it would be Max. Though yesterday was weird. Very, very odd.
Why did he act so serious about lying to me? People lie all the time. It’s a skill. One that literally saved my life.
What’s he doing there? Across the street, sitting on a bench, staring out at nothing, is Everett.
Something is definitely going on.
Max asked me to trust him.
Can I?
Not with something as important as a child’s life. I don’t know him well enough for that.
But my gut says I can.
The pain on Everett’s face makes the decision for me. I can’t walk away from a child in pain without trying to help. Even if that child is a teenager prone to drama. “Morning.”
Everett jumps a little in his seat. “Morning, Fiona.”
“Mind if I join you?” I nod to the empty part of the bench.
“Um…I guess not.” He probably does. No one sits out in the dark alone because they want company.
What in the world do I say? It’s not like I can ask. Street kids don’t like people prying into their lives.
Though lately, many of them have a tendency to overshare. I’ll take oversharing any day of the week. “Was Max able to answer your question?”
“Huh?” Everett looks baffled by my question.
“Yesterday, you were having a problem with a girl.”
He shakes his head. “Oh yeah. I forgot to ask him.”
That’s what I thought. Whatever they talked about, the conversation with Max definitely messed with his head. “Would you like to ask me? I have some time before work starts.”
