“What’s that?” Phoenix asked, curiosity sparking in his gaze.
“Oh, baby, it’s one of the best homemade meals one can cook. A special soup from Tuscany, it’s where my parents came from and where I was born. Vegetables, beans, herbs—”
“Mamma, enough.” I touched her shoulders and tried to guide her toward the door, but she slinked out of my hold and walked furiously toward the kitchen. Before I could attempt to catch her, she was already rummaging through the paper bags.
She waved her hand at us. “Go do what you need to. There’ll be hot food for you when you get home, and I’ll come over to teach Phoenix how to cook sometime soon.” I opened my mouth to argue, but she held up a finger, and I knew when to shut up. She raised her eyebrows at me. “He wants to learn how to cook.”
I sighed because there was no winning against her. “Yes, Mamma.”
She grinned in triumph. “Also, it’s Nicolo’s birthday next week. Did you remember?”
How could I forget? My younger brother was turning thirty, and he made sure no one forgot about him. He was the most egocentric person in our entire family. I crossed my arms. “No, I didn’t.”
She nodded. “Ric suggested we throw him a party, and Nic liked that idea.”
I narrowed my eyes. Ric never cared about birthday parties, and as far as he was concerned, Nicolo was a pain in the ass, so that meant he was doing it for other reasons. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know his motive or not.
“And he said you should bring your new boyfriend.”
Of course, he wanted to know my weakness.
I groaned. “Mamma—”
“Per favore.” She raced around the kitchen counter and grabbed my hands, kissing each of them. “For your brother. Bring Phoenix, everyone wants to know him.”
It didn’t matter how much I told her he wasn’t my boyfriend, she’d never listen. Not until he was no longer around. But Ric.... The idea of him knowing more about Phoenix terrified me. At this point I would do anything to keep him protected.
“Fine.” I clenched my jaw. “For a short time.”
“Grazie.” She hugged me tightly. “They’ll love him.”
That was what scared me.
I retreated and took hold of Phoenix’s hand, heading toward the front door.
“Lock up when you leave,” I said over my shoulder, and she tutted in answer. Once I had Phoenix outside, I groaned and turned to him. “I’m sorry about her. She’s a lot to handle.”
His smile was genuine. “I like her, and I want to learn how to cook. For you, Daddy.”
I sighed. I wished I could tell him the truth about Ric, warn him to stay away, but I couldn’t, and that frustrated me. Instead, I grinned in return.
“Let’s go get your life back on track, okay?”
“Full steam ahead!” His laughter made my heart soar.
9
PHOENIX
Outside the buswindow the world flashed past. Everything seemed vaguely familiar—houses, wrought iron lampposts, glimpses of the glittering river on the left-hand side of the street—as if I’d been in this part of St. Loren many times, but I couldn’t pinpoint when. Everything felt fuzzy in my mind, as if there was smeared glass between me and the thoughts about my past, and they were right on the other side of it, but I couldn’t quite get through. It made me nervous to try, so I let myself fall into the present. I fixated on the small sounds of Daddy shifting beside me, the wheels on the road, and the way the driver chuckled at something.
The bus chugged past a large Rouses grocery store. As a kid I’d been in there, but it had been so long since I’d stepped foot inside. At a stop the driver let a pregnant woman and her three kids on, all clutching grocery bags. They took up several seats at the front, while Daddy and I were sitting together in the back near the rear doors, and every time they opened a warm breeze brushed my face. I smoothed my hand over my hair to make sure it still looked okay. I jiggled my knee and took deep breaths as happiness kept right on shocking me. The vehicle lurched forward again, knocking me against Daddy, and he grinned when I smiled up at him.
“You seem to be having a good day,” he said with a chuckle.
I nodded. “Yes, Daddy. Thank you.”
He glanced around, and I wondered if I should follow the Father Rule, but we weren’t in the church, and I didn’t want to have to keep track of any rules right now. Guilt swamped me, but I tried to ignore it. My heart raced. Was I not anticipating what I should be doing? I didn’t want to get into trouble. But Daddy smiled at me, and I let out a long breath.
