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“I know, but why are you here with Benedetto in Boston?” She spreads the napkin on her lap.
“It's a long story,” I pick up a napkin to busy my hands with something.
“Benedetto told me you will be staying a while so if you ask me, we have all the time,” She leans forward and I'm thankful for Evelyn’s timing as she pushes a cart to us.
“He…” I clear my throat, I don't know if she is goading me but whatever the case, I can't say why I am here, especially if she doesn't know.
“He?” She leans back, picking up a cup of latte from the cart as Evelyn serves us breakfast.
“I am in a fix, and he offered to help with accommodation,” I clear my throat, at least that is close to the truth.
“What kind of fix?” She drops the cup of latte and picks up her cutlery.
“It's personal,” I pick up my cup of coffee, take a sip, and almost spit out the cloy liquid but I force myself to swallow it. I'm too hungry to revolt or be picky about the fact that I like my coffee black with lots of sugar, not creamy.
“I want to know what this personal fix is,” she takes a slice of bacon to her lips, “I'm his mother and I need to know what you are doing with my son,” she takes it into her mouth and starts to chew very slowly.
I can feel her eyes on me but I'm looking down at the plate, second-guessing my decision to eat what she is offering, now that I can sense the threat underneath her words.
Evelyn finishes by setting a third plate with a Danish and a cup of what happens to be my favorite way to have coffee, if there's sugar in it.
“That will be all Evelyn, thank you” Maria throws a quick smile at her and she leaves after a curt nod.
“We have company?” I point at the extra dish with my fork, before stuffing my mouth with waffles.
“Hopefully.” Maria shrugs.
I'm eating while waiting for her to say something that will take us back to what we were discussing but she doesn't. She continues eating, but I can feel her eyes on me as I dig in to my bacon and waffles.
She is as wise as her honey-brown eyes portray her to be. She knows I'm hiding something and she knows she won't like what I am hiding. But more than that, she is not so interested in what I am hiding, except for what it has to do with her son. I can burn for all she cares, as long as I am not taking her son with me. And I understand her. It is how every parent would act.
“I mean no harm to Benedetto.”
“It doesn't feel like it,” she scoffs.
“It's the truth.”
“I haven't seen my son in years and he shows up out of the blue with you, a woman who was engaged to his cousin…”
“Nothing is going on between us,” I assure her, if that's what she is thinking.
“For your sake, I hope not,” she chuckles, “You don't want to have something going on with Benedetto.”
“There will be nothing of that sort,” I can think of having something with a troll more easily than I can think of Benedetto that way. Despite his looks.
“Good for you,” she clips.
“I mean it, and besides he is Ro…” I swallow my words as Benedetto brings his brooding self to join us.
“He is what?” He takes the seat with the set breakfast in front.
“Romano’s cousin,” I grumble and continue eating.
“It's me you were talking about then?” He smiles his usual dimpled smile. The one I knew him with before last night.
He looks different. No. He looks normal, like the Benedetto I know with Romano. His downy husky voice is back to being mellow. He has changed into a white t-shirt and navy-blue loose cotton pants, and his unbearable smell of oak is now mixed strongly with that of cannabis.
“Benedetto, tell me why you have the lady who cheated on your cousin publicly here with you in Boston?” Maria says casually, then dabs her lips with a napkin.
