I snorted. “As if I could ever get away from this life.”
“You can take a break for a couple of days,” she said. “I have a place no one knows about. Not even your father.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Do you want to take a break from all of this and recharge for a few days?” she asked, ignoring my disbelief.
“Can I even leave? Won’t Dad . . .” I was trying to wrap my head around it.
As far as I knew, my father was leaving for Connecticut today and Italy for a business trip soon after. My stomach clenched at the thought of my father realizing something was missing from his office. I wasn’t stupid. Dad had cameras everywhere. I knew, at some point, he’d watch them as soon as he noticed. I placed my hands on my lap, twisting them together. Now that it seemed to be coming true, I felt the pressure to leave.
“I already told you not to worry about your father.” She reached out and set her hand on the table, palm facing up.
I looked up at her as I slid mine onto hers. Her eyes held love and compassion. My mother had always been too kind. She lent a hand to anyone and everyone who needed it. I always thought it was her way of counteracting all the bad shit my father did. I never understood why she’d married him, to begin with. I’d heard how they met, but it was always told through my father’s lens. He was in the Caribbean, meeting with some important people when my mother walked by, and sparks flew. I’d never heard the story from my mother’s angle, though. I took my hand back and popped a piece of the croissant into my mouth.
“Oh, my God. This is so good.”
My mother laughed. “I can buy it for you if you want.”
“The cafe?”
“Yes.” Her eyes twinkled. “You’ve always wanted your own coffee shop.”
“Mom.” I looked down at the croissant and indulged the idea for a moment. I could own and run this little cafe, ordering dough and everything else we might need. It would be a dream to do it, but how would I? I wasn’t even going to live in this country. Still, out of curiosity, I asked, “Is it for sale?”
“No, but everything has a price.”
Everything. Including her. Including me.
“Where will I go? If I want to get away?” I kept eating the things on my plate.
“I have a condo in Naples.”
“Naples?” My brows shot up. “Mom, by the time I get to–”
“Florida,” she said. “Naples, Florida.”
“Oh.” I felt my brows pull. “And you’re sure he doesn’t know about it?”
“He doesn’t.”
“He’ll know about it if I go. He’ll have me followed. He always does.”
“I’ll get you there without his knowledge.”
“He has all the resources in the world.”
“But I have more.” She kept drinking her coffee, watching as I sat back in my chair. “How do you think your father and I ended up together?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Because your father wanted you to marry someone rich?”
“Oh, Nora.” She laughed. “My father has more money than Giuseppe will ever have. I did not need to marry your father.”
“So you love him?” I asked, frowning. “You guys don’t act like. . .I don’t know, like other couples I see.”
She smiled softly. “Your father and I have . . . an interesting relationship, but yes, I loved him then, and I love him now.”
“Why?” I asked.
