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Franco scoffed, uncomfortable. “You didn’t know her.”
“All mothers have the same heart. You made a terrible mistake. I don’t know how you come back from this.”
“I already did. It’s over.”
“Because Roberto decided not to move to Mussomeli? Because you think it worked?Bah!Roberto’s love for you blinds him.” Signora Esposito pushed the cheese plate at him. “You want bread?”
“No.”
“Olives? I got the ones you like.”
“No.” Franco took a bite of cheese, which tasted strong, salty, and deliciously herbal.
“Do you know what blinds you? Your selfishness. You don’t see what your men see. They’re not stupid. They know you didn’t like Bruna. You killed your brother’s wife.”
Franco hated hearing it aloud. “They don’t know.”
“They suspect it and always will. What do they think of you now?” Signora Esposito arched a sparse gray eyebrow, wrapping the cheese. “What does Sebastiano think of you now?”
“I did what a boss does.”
“You won’t be the boss for long. The men respect you, but theyloveRoberto. They feel for him. They cried for him. I saw at the funeral.”
Franco had noticed it, too. Roberto’s men had mourned with him.
“Now they’re not sure what you’re capable of. They’ll side with him over you. The wives are nervous, too. They thought they were off-limits, but now they can’t trust you. They sleep with their husbands. They talk on the pillows.”
Franco had seen the wives clucking around Roberto and Patrizio.
“Franco, after you lose the women, sooner or later, you lose the men. Do something to fix it, right away.”
Franco waved her off. “They’ll get over it. They know I put food on their table.”
“So put more food on their table, especially Sebastiano’s.”
“Why? Has he said something?”
“No, but he wouldn’t, to me. Use this time, while Roberto’s with Don Bruno, who looks daggers at you.”
Franco set down his cheese, his appetite gone.
“Franco, win the men back. Show them your appreciation. If they think Bruna was an exception, they’ll let it go. They’ll tell their wives to shut up.” Signora Esposito wiped her hands on a dish towel. “You’re the boss of Palermo, and power blinded you. You made the same mistake as Baron DiGiulio. Remember him, my old boss? Power blinded him, too. Buthismen didn’t have guns.”
“Thanks.”
“So, are you going to do what I say?”
“I don’t take orders from you.”
“I’m trying to help you. But if you don’t listen to me, I quit.”
Franco felt hurt, which made him angry. “Then quit!”
“Are you sure about that?” Signora Esposito met his eye. “If I quit, then everyone will know you killed Bruna for sure. There would be no other explanation for my leaving, and I wouldn’t explain.”
Franco realized she had him.
“Do what I say. Or I quit.” Signora Esposito turned on her little heel and headed for the door. “Your choice.”
