“Si,” he finally acknowledged in a fatalistic tone.
“Do you know what life was like for Lilly when they were with the man before you? Did Sabrina or Lilly ever talk about that situation?”
“Lilly did.Un po’—a little bit. The man with a blind dog.”
“Steve. The farmer.”
He shifted in his seat. “She’s already told you about him? That dog meant everything to her.”
“I got the impression she was happiest there.”
“I probably could have focused on her more,” he acknowledged. “But if it wasn’t going to work out with her mother...”
“You weren’t interested in being a father,” Charlotte finished. Clearly, the poor girl had been treated like extra baggage Sabrina had schlepped around. Maybe that blind dog had given Lilly something to love, an animal that had loved her unconditionally, too. Charlotte hated that Lilly hadn’t been able to stay in that situation.
Luca frowned as Mario finally brought their coffee and crepes. “So what will you do?” he asked when his friend told them “buon appetito” and hurried off to fill his other orders. “Will you take Lilly back to America to live with you and your rich and famous husband?”
To his credit, Luca thought she had a good place for Lilly. Apparently, he’d missed the news of her divorce, which wasn’t all that surprising, since he lived in Italy. “I’m not sure what I’ll do,” she admitted. “Not yet. Do you happen to have Steve’s number? Or his address or anything that will enable me to contact him?”
He scowled. “Why do you want to talk toSteve?”
“To find out what he’s like—and hear what he has to say about Sabrina and Lilly.” The only way she had of getting to know her birth mother—and what her sister’s life had been like before Sabrina passed—was through others and whatever Sabrina had left behind. She thought if she could establish a friendship with Steve, she could possibly take Lilly to see the dog. That could offer her some comfort at this difficult time.
“I don’t know how to reach him,” he said. “I remember hecalled Sabrina a few times while she was here, but I never spoke to him.”
“Maybe his contact information is still in Sabrina’s phone.”
“If she didn’t delete it.”
Charlotte hoped that wasn’t the case, but Lilly had indicated that her mother had a tendency to cut all ties when she moved on. “Does Lilly have her mother’s phone?”
“No. I was afraid to let her see some of the pictures and other things that are on it. I was surprised by what I saw myself.”
Charlotte hesitated with her cup halfway to her mouth. “What did you find?”
“She’d been communicating with other men since she came here, sending pictures, texting... sexual things.” He grimaced as he shook his head.
Charlotte sighed. “So you have her password?”
“It was easy enough to guess, since it was Lilly’s birth month and day.”
She supposed being able to access Sabrina’s phone was a good thing. At least it would enable her to see what her birth mother was like in a different way. “So where is it now?”
“With Sabrina’s other things at the house. There was too much to carry yesterday. I boxed it all up, though, and was going to ship it to you when you went back to America.”
“I can’t wait that long. I’d like to have the phone while I’m here, if you don’t mind.”
“Tutto bene—I don’t mind,” he said.
They discussed the logistics of getting those boxes to the villa. Apparently, there was a road closer to sea level. He could park on the lower road so there’d be only one set of stairs, instead of carrying everything down several flights from the street above.
“Can you tell me anything about Lilly’s father?” Charlotte asked as they finished eating.
“Not really.”
She couldn’t help being disappointed, even though she’d expected as much. After all, he’d hired an attorney for a reason—and that attorney had come toher. “Not even his name?”
He shook his head. “But it could be that you’ll find it in some of her journals or other papers.”
