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“You mean, besides the fact that my husband is on the other side of the world doing God only knows what, and I’m stuck here waiting and twiddling my thumbs with nothing more than a prayer that I’ll actually see him again?” I pull myself out of the water and grab a towel. “I’m sorry, Gloria. I didn’t mean that.” I turn to her and apologize for my outburst.
“Yes, you did. And it’s okay, darling. It’s a lot to deal with. Trust me, I know.” She pivots to Neo. “Where exactly is my son, and who is he doing business with?”
I can’t help the snort that comes out.Business.Yep, let’s just pretend that Theo is over in Italy on a regularbusinesstrip.
“Ah, I’m not too sure, Aunt Gloria.” Neo squirms. Interesting. What is he hiding?
“Neo? Who’s he meeting with? Why do you look so nervous all of a sudden?” I ask.
“Look, T’s fine. I just talked to him. He’s meeting with Donatello as we speak.”
Gloria gasps before quickly schooling her features. “Donatello? Are you sure?”
“Yeah, why? He’s fine. He’s smart and more than capable of taking care of himself. You two need to stop worrying so much.”
“I’ll stop worrying when I have no reason to worry,” I counter.
“Holly, darling, I’m feeling drained. I’m going to go lie down for a while. I’ll see you at dinner. I’ve been cooking my special sauce all afternoon—you’ll love it. I’ll teach you the recipe one of these days.” Gloria walks off in a rush.
Neo stares after her with a confused look on his face. “What the actual fuck? You’re going to get that sauce recipe? She hasn’t shared that with a single soul in all the years I’ve known her.”
“Well, I guess she just hasn’t had a wonderful daughter-in-law before.” I smile, then drop it. “Shehasn’thad a daughter-in-law before, right? I mean, I should know if Theo has been married before… Why haven’t I asked these questions until now?” I’m talking more to myself than Neo at this point.
“Holly, relax. You are literally the only woman for that man. He’s never even thought of marrying anyone else.”
“You mean, other than Lana,” I say, not able to hide the jealousy in my tone.
“Nah, he was never going to go along with that. If L didn’t stopthatcatastrophe, T would have found a way.”
“Mmhmm.” I walk inside. Maybe a nap is in order for me too. After a day of shopping and the extracurricular activities T coaxed me into doing, I’m exhausted.
* * *
I wake up in a dark room. I must have slept longer than I planned. Rolling over, I feel the emptiness of the spot next to me, and all of those negative feelings hit me at once. I went twenty-five years without sleeping next to someone (other than Reilly). Withoutneedingsomeone next to me. How did everything change so quickly? How did I become so emotionally dependent on this man?
I swear I’m going to tie him to this bed when he actually comes home. I’m never letting him leave me again. I need some water. Or something stronger—something that will help me sleep through the night. I throw on one of Theo’s shirts and exit the bedroom. The place smells like spaghetti, but not the crappy kind that I’d make. No, this kitchen smells like it’s straight out of Italy, or what I imagine Italy would smell like.
Opening the fridge, I see a container with my name on it. I smile. Gloria must have set some aside for me. I can’t believe I slept through dinner. I pull out the leftovers and pop them in the microwave. Then I spot an uncorked bottle of red wine on the bench, and after searching through four different cabinets, I finally manage to find a glass. It’s not a wine glass, just an ordinary cup, but I’m not picky. I pour to the halfway point and take a sip.Mmm, now THIS is wine.I pick up the bottle and fill the rest of the glass. The beep of the microwave is loud, especially in the silence. I can hear crickets chirping outside. I turn around to grab my bowl and run straight into a brick wall.
“Shit, sorry. You good, ma’am?” Sonnie holds my arms to steady me.
“Ah, yeah. Sorry, I didn’t hear you,” I say, taking a step back.
“I heard some noise down here and wanted to make sure it wasn’t a racoon.” He smiles, though I don’t miss the fact that he’s tucking something into the back of his pants at the same time.
“We don’t have racoons in Australia.” I laugh.
“No, but you do have big-ass fucking spiders.” He shudders.
“Aw, are you afraid of spiders, tough guy? Don’t worry, I’ll kill ‘em all for you. It’s easy. You just have to be fast.”
“I don’t know if you’re being serious or not, but the next spider I see, I’m screaming out for you.” He walks over and fills a glass with water from the tap.
“No worries, mate.” I grab my bowl.
“You know, every man in this house tried to bribe Mrs. Valentino to get that last bit of pasta. Threatened she’d cut the hands off any of us if we eventhoughtabout touching it.”
“Huh, I’m starting to like my mother-in-law more and more each day.” I take a forkful of the pasta. “Oh my God, scratch that. I friggin’ love her. Have you tried this?”
