Page 427 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

then she pulls me into her chest,

murmuring Italian.

She smells like Vicks Vapor rub

and meatballs

and something else.

Mother, maybe.

It makes my throat tight.

When I pull away, she grabs my chin. “Ah, Allison,” she says, eyes scanning my face. “You came here with that face.”

“I have one face, Maria.”

“No. This one is lost.”

“I’m not lost,” I assure her.

Her thick brows narrow as if I offended her by lying. “Look at me, amore,” she whispers raspy. I do, and her grip around my chin tightens. “You got pain sittin’ right here.” She smooths her thumb under my eye. “And here.” Her fingers brush my chest. “But you still came,” she says, patting my cheek. “Brava ragazza. Brave girl.”

Next, Aunt Fran squeezes me tight, swinging me side to side. Aunt Lisa soothes her hand up and down my back, then makes a comment about the purple carving my eyes.

I bend down to Gabby,

she gives me a half-hug.

But I pause at the women I don’t know.

Paola waves her wine between them.

“My sister, Sabrina. My niece, Sera.”

Sabrina lifts her hand,

wiggling five fingers,

all while sipping from her wine,

eyes floating back to the movie.

Sera doesn’t look at me at all.

She sits on the floor with her wineglass—twenties. Freakishly round brown eyes. Big teeth. Big chest.

Big who-the-hell-is-this-bitch energy.

Lovely.

“I didn’t mean to crash your Christmas,” I say, stepping around a tray of Santa cookies. “but I’m gonna need everyone to listen carefully and not panic.”

Aunt Fran freezes,

only her eyes moving across the room.

“Why would we panic?”