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“Here?”

She nods. “I didn’t know where. Just Wyoming.” Her voice gets quieter. “But I think this is it.”

I look around.

Yeah.

D would like that.

“And the others?”

She looks down at her hands. “One stays with me.”

I nod.

“And the last?”

“Sicily.” Her voice cracks on the word. “He wanted me to bring him home.”

A tear slips down her cheek even though she’s smiling.

“Guess I’ll need to find a job soon.”

I frown. “A job?”

“Flights to Italy aren’t exactly cheap.” She wipes beneath one eye and lets out a soft laugh. “He should’ve known I’d be a wreck, that I’d lose my job and our apartment.”

Without thinking, I reach over and catch another tear with my thumb. Her eyes lift to mine.

“He knew taking him to Sicily would take time.”

My hand drops, and I look back toward the lake.

I don’t know how I’m going to do it yet, but I’ll find a way to help her get there, D.

CHAPTER 13

Eleonora

A week later, a knock on my front door catches me by surprise.

I put my coffee down and walk over, wondering if Jude forgot something, but when I open it, Lily Hawthorne is standing on the porch. Her light brown hair falls around her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes light up when she sees me.

“Hello, dear.”

“Lily! What a surprise.”

She laughs. “I hope you remember me. I’m Jude’s mama, and I practically raised that husband of yours whenever he wasn’t at home.”

I’ve always liked her. Not only because her smile is warm or because she looks at me without that awful pity I’ve gotten used to seeing in people’s eyes, but because she talks about Damiano like he’s still part of the family.

Like dying didn’t erase him from it.

“Oh, wow. It’s so nice to see you again.” I hold my hand out, but Lily looks at it for approximately half a second before taking it and pulling me into a hug.

“Oh, sweet girl. I wanted to come over sooner, but Jude told me you needed time, so I waited one whole month.”

She says it like waiting that month nearly killed her, and I can’t help but laugh when she pulls away.