AllFreeNovel
Share Us
One of her final wishes, I added to myself.
“I am named after her mother, Serafina, the woman Nicolo spoke of. My family in America has always regarded her so highly. I knew nothing but wonderful things about her when I was growing up. But I was surprised when my aunt Rosie left me a deed with her name on it. Probably as surprised as all of you are to see me here.”
That, at least, got a few chuckles from the crowd.
“I visited a lawyer in Palermo yesterday to confirm what Signor Raguzzo has told you. He validated the deed and ran a check of records from the original bank. I have all the documents for you to review.”
I placed the sheaf of papers in front of the town council before returning to the mic.
“I know that I have come here under strange circumstances but I’m grateful that those circumstances finally brought me to this beautiful place.”
Kill them with kindness was another of Aunt Rose’s favorite sayings, though she often added the caveat, and then cut wind as you walk away. I could feel her in the room, could almost smell her musky drugstore White Diamonds perfume.
I had no idea how to end my speech. I almost bowed, but that would have been weird, so I just muttered, “Grazie.”
The mayor replaced me at the podium, announced that the town council would review all the relevant documents, and declared the matter closed for public discussion with the bang of a gavel. He said there’d be a break and then other topics on the agenda would be discussed. I walked to the edge of the room as most of the crowd dispersed, uninterested in the rest of the meeting. Giusy turned around to meet the mangy journalist’s eyes. He stood and made his way to the sheikh’s crew, who had yet to exit. He pulled an old-school reporter’s notepad out of his pocket, which gained him a tad more of my respect.
Giusy grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me to the door.
“You didn’t tell me you were going to a lawyer,” she spat out.
“You didn’t tell me your cousin owned the land. Clearly we don’t tell each other everything.”
Neither of us blinked until I spoke again. “I wanted to come prepared. I wanted to find out for myself that the land was mine.”
“Well, you did that. Good for you.” Giusy kept looking over her shoulder at the reporter. “He’s doing exactly what we need.”
“Should we be over there talking to the potential buyers, introduce ourselves properly?”
“You are so American! Absolutely not.” She pushed me out of the building, lit a cigarette, and drew in a deep drag before continuing. “These are businessmen. They want this land. But they don’t want a ton of press and they definitely don’t want their names linked to any of the Sicilian crime families, which is what Luigi should be asking them about as we speak. The Arabs don’t care if you own it or if my prick of a cousin owns it. They want this sale to be easy. Luigi will tell them he’s writing an article about a young American woman coming to Sicily to claim her family’s legacy and how the Cosa Nostra has been trying to stop her. The sheikh, or his people, will get spooked, they’ll tell the mayor to rule in our favor, in your favor, and the money is yours.”
I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but none of it could be so simple.
“Why would Luigi kill a good story?”
“Because there are millions of stories in the world and if we win I will give him some money and some sex and I also know a few terrible secrets about him that I could tell his mamma. Luigi belongs to us.”
The last sentence made my heart skip a beat. Giusy collected secrets the same way she collected the trinkets she stole from hotel rooms. She liked to keep people indebted to her.
“Should we go celebrate?” Giusy stubbed out her cigarette and lit a second. This time she offered me one, but I refused.
“There’s nothing to celebrate yet. I gotta call home,” I said. “Can we talk more in the morning?”
“Sure. You OK to walk back by yourself? I’m going to have a drink with Luigi. You will have money, Sara. All your problems will be solved.” Suddenly her arms were around me in a too-tight hug. “Your aunt Rosie would be proud.”
I hugged back and gave her the smile she needed. “I can make it to the hotel on my own. But I’m starving. Is the kitchen open?”
“It’s unlocked. Make yourself something,” she said over her shoulder. “My home is your home.”
—
The hotel was quiet. I couldn’t find the light switch in the kitchen but the full moon outside the window lit the path to the old fridge. I pulled out a beautiful cut of sirloin steak that I assumed Giusy was saving for a braciole and cooked it in near darkness, letting my old instincts kick in. I heated some butter and oil in a cast-iron skillet and sliced the meat into thin strips so it seared quickly, shaking some sea salt and pepper over it as it crackled. I savored the waves of invisible heat rising from a sizzling pan, stroking my cheeks, and I ate the steak straight from the flame the second it went from red to pink. Since I’d arrived on the island people had been feeding me. Pippo, Giusy, Luca, Agata. I desperately wanted to feed myself. The steak disappeared in less than a minute. I was exhausted, but also a little high on the possibility of selling the land and getting the money, of reopening my restaurant in a new location, of having enough to hire a good lawyer. I’d be one step closer to being with Sophie whenever I wanted. I pulled out my phone. The Wi-Fi was working down in the kitchen. I dialed Jack.
“You finally figured out the time zones,” he said instead of hello.
“Put Sophie on.”
“She’s about to go swimming with my parents.”
