“You should give it to Lilly.”
“She’s too young for a phone,” Charlotte said, closing the door behind them.
“I don’t think so,” Sloane argued. “I googled it just this morning. Most guidance says thirteen or fourteen is the appropriate age for a smartphone.”
“Lilly’s only twelve.”
“She’s twelve and a half. What’s a few months? Besides, thanks to the kind of life she’s lived, she’s probably older than her years. She doesn’t talk much, but there’s a lot going on behind those big eyes of hers.”
Charlotte had so many decisions ahead of her she wasn’t particularly interested in making this one right now. “We’ll see,” she said and lifted the top box out of the storage closet.
“That phone is all her mother left her,” Sloane continued as she took a different box and carried it to the table. “It might give her a feeling of independence and power at a time when she really needs both. Who’s she going to call, anyway?”
“It’s not about who she’d call, Sloane. It’s about what she might find on the internet.”
“She already has a tablet for her schoolwork. She can go on the internet whenever she wants. And there are restrictions you can put on phones that block children from certain sites.”
“Even if that’s true, a smartphone will give her greater access to social media, and social media is so unhealthy for young girls. I don’t want her to compare herself to other kids her age who seem to have everything—or constantly feel left out because it appears as if everyone’s having fun except her.”
Sloane opened her box. “She has to be feeling pretty left outnow. I think a smartphone would reconnect her. Make her feel less vulnerable. Besides, we can teach her the proper perspective.”
Charlotte looked up in surprise. “We can teach her the proper perspective?In a month?”
“Probably not in a month, but...”
Charlotte set the curling iron and other hair care products she’d found in her box to the side. “I thought you were against me keeping her.”
“I’m just being more cautious than Julian. I want to be sure it’s what’s best forbothyou and Lilly. But since you lead with your heart, just like my brother, you’ll probably do it, regardless.”
Charlotte started to laugh.
“What?” Sloane grumbled with a scowl.
“Lilly’s growing on you already, isn’t she?”
Sloane responded with a sheepish shrug. “She’s not a bad kid.”
Charlotte was about to say Lilly was agoodkid. She was truly beginning to believe that, despite Luca’s take. But the words caught in her throat. She’d thought it might take an hour or more to dig through all the boxes and was frustrated that Luca would mix something as important as Sabrina’s cellphone inwith all her other belongings. But Sabrina’s purse was right beneath the hair tools—and the phone was inside it.
“So would it be okay if we talked about your mother a little bit?” Julian asked as he watched Lilly pick at the chocolate-filled croissant he’d just bought her. They were sitting at a table on the narrow street that went through the heart of Praiano, taking in the sights and sounds of the quaint little town. A few cars and several Vespas zipped by, but most people were on foot. Tourists were scarce this early; it was mostly locals buying groceries, sweeping sidewalks and opening shops.
“What do you want to know about her?” she asked, keeping her gaze on her plate.
Julian took a drink of his oat-milk latte. “Nothing too personal, just general stuff.”
Her expression still wary, she glanced up. “Like...”
He shrugged, keeping it casual. “Was she a happy person?”
Lilly seemed to be okay with that question. “Most of the time, I guess.”
“What kinds of things did she like to do?”
“Shop. Go to the beach. Shop,” she said again with a fond smile.
Lilly had a sense of humor, Julian realized and smiled back. “What kinds of things did she buy?”
“Clothes, shoes, makeup.”
