“Yeah, he feels better now. Don’t you, baby?”
I heard a tiny “Yeah.”
“I think I’d better head out,” I said. “Tommy deserves a break.”
“Thanks, Sunny,” Mimi said. “We’re going to have ice cream and then bedtime. It’s been a long, difficult day.”
“It has.”
She lowered her voice. “You asked me about a Porsche, when you first came by.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I decided to be honest. I knew her now. “When Melanie Joan and I went by your daughter’s house, I saw it parked outside.”
“That same car.”
“Yes.”
“My God…”
“Did Tommy…Has he said anything about the car? Did he tell you why he was crying?”
“Just ‘bad,’ ” she said. “He kept repeating it. ‘Bad, bad, bad.’ ” Her voice cracked. I could tell she was trying to tamp down more tears. “Poor little boy.”
“He loves you very much,” I said. “Take good care of him, Mimi.”
“I will,” she said. “And if I see that car again, I’ll call you and nine-one-one. In that order.”
“Call nine-one-one first,” I said.
“All right.”
“Can I just ask one more question?” I said. “Did Leila ever mention somebody named Edward Piro?”
“No,” she said. “Never.”
“Do me a favor. If you happen to be going through your daughter’s things, let me know if that name turns up?”
“Edward Piro.”
“Yes.”
Mimi told me she would. “I should have gotten more involved in Leila’s life than I did,” she said. “Maybe if I had, she wouldn’t have—”
“Stop,” I said. “You’ve done great. You’ve done the best you can. We only have so much control over the people we love. And unfortunately, that’s not a lot.”
Mimi drew a long, shaky breath. In the background I could hear Tommy’s small voice, asking for ice cream. “Stay safe, Sunny,” she said quietly.
“You, too,” I said.
—
After I was driving for a little while, I called Blake’s cell phone. Not surprisingly, he was still at my loft, playing with Rosie. He’d always found it difficult to say goodbye to her, and who could blame him? I missed her already.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I made myself dinner here,” he said. “I bought my own keto-friendly food. I’m eating dinner super-early these days because I’m doing intermittent fasting and I like to eat after my morning gym run. Tomorrow morning is leg day, and I’m extra-starving after leg day, so I knew Icouldn’t eat a late dinner, because that would mean skipping breakfast, am I right?”
