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Her grandmother swats her arm.

“Ow!”

I laugh.

Then Nora looks at me and her expression changes.

“Jude.”

“Yeah?”

“Come here.”

I glance at the pot. “Why?”

“Just come here, Grumpy.”

I push away from the table and walk over.

She scoops up some sauce, blows across the spoon a few times and holds it toward me.

“Taste this.”

I look at her.

She's holding out the spoon, waiting for me to taste it, and there's something almost hopeful in her expression.

It shouldn't feel important.

It does.

“Did you make it?”

“Nonna made it. I interfered.”

Her grandmother says something behind her.

Nora rolls her eyes. “Apparently I ruined it.”

I smile, then open my mouth.

She feeds me the spoonful and, fuck, a groan comes straight out of me.

Nora's eyes widen.

“Damn.”

Her smile comes slowly, not the big laugh from before, but something smaller. Proud. Almost shy.

And for some reason that one hits me harder.

“Good?”

I look at the spoon, then at her.

“That's fucking incredible.”

Her grandmother gasps.