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She looked as shocked as I was. I never kissed a woman, aside from my nonna’s cheek. It was too personal. Too intimate. But it felt natural to kiss Effie. Her lips were warm and soft under mine. Sweet—like her. I did it again as if to check and affirm the feeling I got when we kissed.

It felt the same.

“Please,” I said against her mouth. “Pick something.”

She blinked. “Okay.”

Then she looked around. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh. I’m on the way out. I wanted to make sure you’re okay. I’ll be back later.”

“I’m fine. Vi has stuff planned.”

“I bet she does.” I studied Effie. She looked a little pale. “Don’t overdo it.” I glanced at Vi, who was watching me with an indulgent smile and a gleam in her eyes. “She is still recovering. I don’t want her tired.”

“We’ll be done shortly. She can nap after lunch.”

I focused on Effie again. “Take it easy.” My eyes dropped to her mouth, and I bent, kissing her for a third time. “I’ll see you later, Little Tiger.”

She nodded.

I stopped at the register. “Anything she likes,” I stated again. “Got it?”

Gerry nodded, his eyes dancing. “Got it.”

In the private elevator, Aldo grinned, not saying a word as we headed to the garage. The door opened and we stepped out. “Where are we headed?”

“To the diner and to see Nonna. She called earlier and said she was lonely. I wanted to go see her and thought she’d enjoy seeing you too.”

“And the diner because?”

“She loved the bagels and wants some different types to try as well. And I want to look for something for Effie.”

“Your ‘little tiger’?”

“Fuck off,” I ordered, not understanding why his words made me smile.

We checked on the diner, and I was pleased to see everything was in order. I was surprised how many people came up to me asking about Effie. She was obviously well-liked by staff and customers alike. The fact that they even approached me was a bit disconcerting, but perhaps they had no clue who I was. Normally, people avoided me like the plague.

We got Nonna some bagels and headed upstairs to the apartment.

“We breaking in?” Aldo asked.

“I took a key when I left.”

“Of course you did.”

Inside, he looked around. “Wow. Someone destroyed the place.”

“Marianne. She was looking for something, but Effie wasn’t sure if she found it. I thought I would look for her.”

He blinked. “Okay. Where?”

“Taped to the back of a drawer. You look in here and the kitchen. I’ll look in her room.”

I pulled out the drawers in her dresser, then the bedside table. I went into the bathroom and tried the two drawers in the tiny vanity. I found it on the bottom drawer, taped well with duct tape. I carefully peeled it off and opened the lid. A necklace was nestled on the faded velvet. Nothing vastly extravagant and probably not worth a huge amount, but I knew the emotional attachment to the piece was deep. The long gold chain held a pendant containing a blue sapphire surrounded by filigree and set with pearls. It was pretty and delicate.

Aldo came in.