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His eyes flash to me in confusion. “Run again?”
“For mayor. You serve for a term, like a president or a governor, right?”
“Oh, right. No, I don’t think I will run again. After this term is up, I think I’ll be happy to step down from public service.”
“Well, that’s good that you tried it, right? And now you can do something else, maybe something you’re more passionate about, and someone new can take over.”
“Yes, exactly.” His eyes drift to the fire. “I think it’s time for someone new to take over.”
Desperate not to lose his attention now that I have it, I rush to throw out a new topic. “Uncle Dom, would you tell me about my mom?”
His gaze whips back to me. “What do you want to know?”
“Anything,” I reply honestly. “I feel like the woman I knew until the day she died was a fabrication, a myth. You’re her brother. You clearly knew her better than anyone.”
He settles back in his seat with a thoughtful expression. “Yes, I suppose it would seem so. But let me ask you first: What was she like before she died? I haven’t seen her since she was seventeen. I always wondered what she was like as an adult. As a mother.”
I dredge up the memories of life before foster care and the streets. “She was strict, but loving. I had a lot of rules growing up, but we lived in a lot of crappy neighborhoods, so I knew it was for my protection. She and my dad were affectionate with me and with each other. I always felt loved and cared for, not like a lot of my friends whose parents were never around. There was always someone home, always someone waiting for me. We always had dinner together if my dad wasn’t working a late shift. They were funny together. Dad always lightened her up. He could make her laugh, no matter how mad she was. When he wasn’t there, she was much quieter. She never talked about herself, or where she grew up.
“Which is why I was so surprised to find outthisis where she grew up. I thought she had a rough life, maybe abusive parents. She basically implied that she had a terrible childhood, and she wanted to spare me the details. Which is why I want to know what her life here was actually like, since she clearly didn’t have the unfortunate upbringing I imagined.”
Uncle Dom sighs. “Thank you for sharing that. It pains me to hear she was quiet without Brandon—that was your father’s real name. They loved each other, of course, but your mom was always the life of the party, always outgoing, always happy. Well, until about a year before she ran away. But before that, she was like a light no one could extinguish.
“She didn’t have a dark or abusive childhood, at least to my knowledge. Our parents were loving and attentive, and we clearly didn’t lack for anything.
“But she was the eldest, and there were a lot of expectations about how she would live her life. I think that was probably the biggest part of what drove her away. Our mother had very high expectations for Lilliana. Nothing was ever good enough. And I think knowing they laid her entire life out for her is what drove her to run away.
“She wanted freedom, and our mother would not let her have it. Honestly, it shouldn’t have been such a surprise, but perhaps we didn’t really know her as well as we thought. I know I, like my parents, knew she was unhappy, but just assumed she would grow up and face her responsibilities head on.
Instead, the day before her seventeenth birthday she disappeared with Brandon and we never heard from her again.”
I listen with rapt attention as he relays the story. Sighing, he leans forward to fix himself a drink, and I ask the next question on my mind. “What about my grandparents?’
Dom’s eyes track back to me from his glass, and he smiles sadly. “My mom, your grandma, would have been so happy to know you. You really look just like Lilliana.”
“Thank you, but what I mean is, what were they like?”
“Oh, well, they were wonderful parents. They had high expectations, but I think that’s inevitable with a family like ours. They spent vast resources trying to find Lilliana, but she covered her tracks too well. Of course, they were devastated, but eventually they had to make new plans. They put their focus on making me their heir, and all the responsibilities my sister ran away from landed on me.”
“And how do you feel about that?” I wonder aloud. “Do you resent her for leaving?”
“Resent her?” shock crosses his face. “No, of course not. I understand why she did it. Well, maybe at first I resented her a little, because I was just a kid and suddenly my world changed. But as I got older, I realized I understood her motivation better, and I didn’t hold it against her.”
“That’s pretty generous of you, considering it sounds like she just shirked her family expectations and left you holding the pieces.”
Dom sighs again and takes a slow sip. “To be honest with you, Layla, it hasn’t been easy. And I’m tired. It’s way more than I can handle, and I’m really not cut out for this job. But I’m glad you’re here. It was even worse, knowing I didn’t have anyone to hand all of this down to. Now there’s someone to take over once I’m gone, and it is a relief.”
“Didn’t you ever want a family of your own?”
“I did, but my responsibilities here made it impossible for me to get out and find someone.”
“Surely you could find lots of women who’d love to live in a castle and be waited on hand and foot,” I snort. “Did you try a dating app?”
Dom answers with a snort of his own. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple, but I would have if I could. Regardless, you’re here now and that solves most of my problems. But it’s a lot of responsibility.” He eyes me speculatively. “Do you think you’re up for it?”
“Truthfully, Uncle Dom, I feel more at home here than anywhere else I’ve lived in my life. I’m just so grateful to have a family, to have a home, and a place that I belong. I’m happy to help and take it over one day.”
He sighs in relief. “Thank you, Layla. That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
