But as she drove through the fading light, she realized she wasn't certain of those words at all.
Chapter Twenty-One
Celeste
That weekend, while visiting her parents for lunch with the children, Celeste sat in the backyard, looking out at the sky when her mother poked her head out.
“Honey, your siblings want to say hi. They're on FaceTime.”
Celeste took the phone, bracing herself as Lauretta and Enzo's faces filled the screen, both of them smiling. But Lauretta's smile faded almost immediately.
“There she is! How was your trip?”
“It was great.”
“You look terrible.” Oh, Enzo. Her brother was nothing if not blunt. “No offense.”
“Thanks. I'm just tired.”
Lauretta leaned closer to the camera. She could smell a story from a mile away, and Celeste was apparently broadcasting one. “Mom and Dad are worried about you. They said you've been really distant since you got back.”
“I'm alright. Are you still anchoring the evening news? I saw that piece you did on the education budget. It was very well done.”
Lauretta studied her through the screen for another moment, clearly debating whether to push. Then she sighed and let it go. “Thank you. It was a nightmare to put together. The superintendent kept trying to dodge questions, and I had to corner him after a board meeting.”
“That's my sister. Relentless in pursuit of truth.”
“Someone has to be.” Lauretta settled back, and Celeste saw her husband Marcus appear behind her, dropping a kiss on top of her head before disappearing again. “Marcus says hi, by the way. He's making dinner. His famous creamy lobster risotto.”
“Tell him I'm jealous.” Celeste said, and before Lauretta could circle back to her, she turned to her brother. “How's the family, Enzo?”
Enzo's face lit up the way it always did when talking about his wife and daughter. “Maya's teething but she's finally figured out how to clap, so she spends all day just clapping at everything ranging from the cat to her own feet.”
“That's adorable.”
“It's exhausting. But yeah, pretty adorable. Anna's handling it better than me. She has this supernatural ability to function on zero sleep. I'm pretty sure she's not human.”
“Send them my love,” Celeste said. “And tell Anna she's a saint for putting up with you.”
“Every day,” Enzo agreed. “We'll be home next month, all three of us for a family dinner weekend.”
“Looking forward to it.” Celeste handed the phone back to her mother. “I should go say hi to Nonna.”
She found her grandmother in the garden, tending to her roses with the same meticulous care she applied to everything. Vittoria looked up when Celeste approached, and she beckoned her closer.
“Come, sit with me.”
They settled on the wooden bench beneath the arbor, roses blooming overhead. The air smelled sweet, almost cloying. Celeste remembered sitting here as a child, listening to Vittoria's stories about the old country.
Celeste had spent her whole life trying to be worthy of that sacrifice.
“What's wrong, my darling girl?”
“Nothing's wrong. I'm just…”
Vittoria took Celeste's hand gently. “We share the same heart, you and I. I can tell when something is wrong with my precious granddaughter.”
The kindness in her voice thawed the icy block within Celeste. All those years of privately holding herself together, and one gentle question from her grandmother undid it all.
