“Too much.” She chokes out a laugh, and I can hear that it’s mixed with a sob.
“How much?”
“To save the house, we need to buy it back from the county at this point. It’s gone into foreclosure sale. We had four months to buy it back, but time is up. It’s two hundred and eighty thousand dollars. That’s the minimum payment. With all the medical debt and other past-due bills, I don’t know. It’s probably around seven hundred thousand by now. With no insurance, it could be a million by the end of the year. We are in a hole we can’t crawl out of, and it just keeps getting deeper. Besides that, now that there’s no insurance money, they are going to move your father out to a Medicaid-run home. He won’t get any of the therapy, he’ll just sit there. He’ll never get better.”
“We’ll figure it out, Mom. Please, don’t cry.”
“It’s so much money, there’s no way. I’m going to claim bankruptcy, but it’s too late to save the house.”
“Just…don’t worry about that. Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you back. Just don’t give up.”
“I love you, baby. I’m so sorry.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
I end the call, and my heart is in my throat. I’m an unpaid intern living on the savings from a waitressing job. How can I possibly find that kind of money?
I choke back the tears, trying to focus on what I need to do right now—which is to get as far away from Vito Vitaglia as possible.
As I start dialing the number for A2B Taxis, I look over and notice a guy sitting in an open-top sports car just at the corner of the restaurant parking lot where I’m standing, staring at me.
When he climbs out and starts to wander my way, I figure he’s going to ask me for a light or why I’m standing behind the restaurant with no shoes on, but instead, he meets my eyes and pulls his lips to one side looking concerned.
“You okay?” he starts as I swipe away the tears running down my cheeks. Before I can answer, he adds, “Hey, I know you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”
He smiles, and it’s genuine when I expect it to be creepy. “Yes, I do, but you don’t know me. You’re Esme.” He sticks out his hand. “I’m Malcolm Fideri. I work with Vito. I saw a photo of you on Vito’s phone, but it’s good to meet you in the flesh. Hey, I’m so sorry, but I overheard you talking—”
“Leave methe fuckalone!” I scream as I step back, throwing my arms up between us like they’re some sort of force field. My mind is spinning.
“Hey. I’m not going to—”
“You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. Just get back, or I swear to God…”
He throws his arms up. “Okay, okay, this is me stepping back. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m trying to help. I can help you. Vito can help you.”
“I don’t want your help.” I turn and glance down the road. There’s a cab, and I stick my arm out, but it drives right past. “Damn it.” Turning back to the parking lot, I see Malcolm disappearing inside the back door of the restaurant, and I know where he’s going. I need to get out of here.
Running in my bare feet isn’t much better than running in the heels.
I just have to hope a cab comes along before it’s too late.
Chapter Twelve
Vito
“Vito, I need a word.” Malcolm leans down close to me at the table, and I turn his way, lowering my voice.
“What are you doing here?”
“Just wanted you to have a friendly face nearby.” He glances around the table, smiling at Salvatore. “Besides, I’m hungry.”
Salvatore laughs. “Hey, Malcolm, you know if you want to join the winning team there’s always a place at my table for a man of your…specific talents.”
Malcolm shoots him a look but doesn’t respond. There’s no love lost between the two of them. “It’s Esme,” he says, quiet enough that only I can hear it.
My hackles go up. “What about her?”
