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"My mother told me Lucinda inspired her to become an artist, but my mother was born after Lucinda died, so she never met her.I don't know how or when my mother got this sketch book.Grandma said my mother probably dug it out of their attic when she was a girl.Same with the loose canvas.She said my mother was always drawing, so she encouraged her to study Lucinda's work, what little of it was left."
He'd never met her mother, but his grandmother had told him that Sylvie and her husband had gotten into trouble with some fraudulent scheme that sent them both to jail.He'd never asked for more detail, but now, having met Isabella, he was curious.
"Your mother went to prison, right?"he asked.
She stiffened."I'm sure you already know the answer to that is yes."
"But I don't know more than that.How old were you?How long was she in jail?What did she do?"
Isabella gave him an irritated look, and he thought she'd refuse to answer, but after a moment, she said, "I was sixteen when she was convicted.She was in jail for a little over two years.And the charges were part of a long, complicated story."
"What happened to you when she went to prison?Did you live with your dad?"
"My biological father was never in my life.My stepfather also went to prison.I would have been sent to foster care if Gloria hadn't come and rented an apartment in my school district so I could stay in school.The house we'd been living in was taken back by the bank.With Gloria there, I was able to finish out my junior year.Then she brought me back here for the summer, where I had the not-so-delightful experience of spending time with my grandfather, who didn't want me here at all.I was a symbol of his daughter's sinful ways," she said, a bitter edge to her voice.
"That sucks.My summers with my grandparents were a great break from life with my parents."
"Well, I couldn't wait to leave.At the end of the summer, my grandmother took me back to Chicago, where we were living, and stayed with me until I graduated.She did that against Paolo's wishes.It might have been one of the few times she stood up to him."Isabella paused, her brown-eyed gaze reflective."She saved me, and I can never thank her enough for that.I don't know what would have happened to me if she hadn't been willing to stay with me."
"What did you do after high school?"
"I went to college in New York, and my grandmother moved back here.Paolo died two months after she arrived, and my grandmother blamed herself for not being here when he first started getting sick.Not that he told her.He was such a proud, arrogant man.She'd made her choice to stay with me, so he froze her out."
Nick could imagine Paolo doing that.He hadn't spent a lot of time with the man beyond being in the same room when there was a dinner or a party."Paolo always seemed cold and rigid to me.I don't remember him smiling much.He was such a contrast to your grandmother."
"I don't know how the two of them got together or why they stayed together, except that my grandmother is religious, and she took her vows seriously.She'd married for life, which probably ruined her life.Not that she'd admit that."
Isabella had told her story in harsh, icy tones, but he could see the emotions brimming in her eyes.No wonder she had built such a defensive wall around herself.She'd done that to survive, and he felt a rush of sympathy for what she'd had to deal with as a teenager."I'm sorry you had to go through all that."
"Me, too.But I've moved on."
He wondered if that was true."Are you close to your mother now?"
"Not at all.When she got out of prison, I was living in New York, and she was in Chicago.I would sometimes see her on school holidays, but I was so angry with her I didn't try very hard to make that happen.As I got older, I thought about attempting to mend our relationship, but then she got involved with another man, and I just didn't see the point.I've texted with her a few times a year, but that's about it.I love her and sometimes I hate her."She bit down on her lip."I shouldn't have said that out loud.My grandmother would be sad to hear me say that."
"Well, Gloria isn't here, and I like honesty."
She gave him a skeptical look."A guy who spends his life undercover likes honesty?"
"Maybe that's why I do.It's a rare commodity from what I've seen."
"It is rare.Most people have hidden agendas.I've learned not to take anything at face value."She cleared her throat."Speaking of parents, where are yours?Why aren't they here checking on Anna?"
"They're on tour.She said she spoke to my father, who didn't really care that the painting was gone, which is no surprise.He cares about little that doesn't involve him or my mother or music."
"It doesn't sound like you care much for your parents," she commented, interest gathering in her eyes.
He shrugged."I don't think much about them anymore.They haven't been in my life for a long time."
"Why?Were they abusive?"
"No.They were fine.They just didn't care very much.I was an accident.I was raised by nannies, and when I got older, they dropped me off here in the summers while they traveled.Those were some of my happiest days.I might have struck out in the parent department, but the grandparents were great."
"What about your mother's parents?"
"They were divorced and lived in different places, so I saw little of them."
"Hmm," she said, her gaze speculative as it met his."I thought we had absolutely nothing in common except our love for our grandmothers, but maybe there's a little more."
