Don’t rush things, Dr. Wily said, poking her so hard, she physically flinched.
Until she realized it was Sofia, handing her some roasted peppers. And she thought,You were about to blast this girl and all of them, these warm-hearted, joyful, wonderful, welcoming people to smithereens just so you could have sex, rolling around in the roasted peppers, crusty bread, and olive oil.
If there is a hell, surely it was made for you. To burn for all of eternity.
The snake curled around her leg.
Fast-twitch. Slow-twitch. Yes-twitch. No-no-twitch.
She stared into those warm caramel eyes.
Burn for all of eternity.
It might. Be. Worth it.
“Nico has a pet rat named Templeton,” cried Beatrice.
“She found him like Uncle Rocco found Cat and Dog,” added Sofia. “Not in a dumpster though.”
His mother smiled. “Really?”
“Yes,” Nico said. “When I was a kid in the apartment we were living in. The mother got caught in a trap and died.”
“I didn’t know rats could live that long,” said his grandmother.
Nico swallowed. “The one I have now isn’t the same one I found as a kid.”
“But it has the same name?” asked Sofia, gazing up at her.
“Yes, actually, I’ve had a few pet rats, and they’ve all been named Templeton.”
All of them were looking at her, but it was his gaze that felt like hands on her body.
“I know,” she said, looking down at her plate. “It’s—it’s strange.”
“I don’t think it’s strange,” his grandmother said.
“I don’t either,” agreed his grandfather.
His father nodded. “Me neither.”
“It’s like Templeton never leaves you,” said his mother.
“That’s it,” said the grandfather.
That’s exactly it.
When dinner was over, Nico made a move to help clear the table, but Rocco’s grandfather put a hand on her arm and shook his head.
Rocco smiled as he collected a pile of plates before carrying them into the kitchen.
“Come on, Nico,” Rocco’s grandmother said, taking her arm and leading her outside. “We made the dinner, so the men clean up. When they make the dinner, we clean up.”
They sat on the terrace under a blanket of stars, drinking limoncello while Sofia and Beatrice were treated to hot chocolate before they ran off to play with Cat and Dog.
“Rocco’s a lucky man,” Nico said.
She blinked, surprised she’d said it aloud. She’d meant only to think it. Looking around at their smiling faces, she added, “I mean, to have all of you.”
