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But the dark-haired woman sitting on a gray bench in the middle of the lemon grove is crying all kinds of tears. She moans as she cries and rocks back and forth like she’s got a bad stomach ache. I’ve seen her before but I can’t remember her name. She must be part of Matilda’s family.
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” I tell her.
She’s so surprised to see me that she stops crying and stares. “Oh. You’re Stuart’s daughter.”
“I’m Contessa Arabella Ballerini.”
She wipes tears from her cheeks. “Your father calls you Tessie Belle.”
Only when he’s happy. Most of the time he’s not happy.
“My father usually calls me Tess like everyone else.”
“Well then, hello Tess. I’m Olivia. How old are you now?.”
“I’m six. You knew Micah’s dad?”
I forgot I wasn’t supposed to ask any questions today.
Olivia’s pretty face gets all scrunched up and she rubs her hands on her legs. “Yes, I’ve always known Ethan.” Her voice sounds funny.
“I’m very sorry for your loss.” I’ve said that already. I hope it doesn’t hurt to say it again.
Olivia looks me over with a frown. “What happened to you? Did you fall?”
“No.”
She pats the bench. “Come here and I’ll fix your shoe.”
Olivia knows my father and she seems nice so I sit on the bench beside her.
She takes my foot in her hand and pulls on the shoe strap. “The tooth of the buckle is broken but it should hold for now.”
She releases my foot and gives me a smile. She’s not as pretty as Matilda but she’s still pretty. “Us motherless girls have to stick together, don’t we?”
Olivia is not really a girl. She’s a grown up.
“Yes.” I’m trying not to be rude.
She points to my dress. “Tell your father to soak that in cold water before the stain sets.”
“Okay.” I think of Micah smearing the rose petals on my dress. My chest feels tight. “Boys are terrible.”
I didn’t mean to say that out loud to Olivia.
Olivia thinks about this. “Terrible, yes. They can be.” She smiles again, this time not at me but at the lemon trees. “But we can be so much worse.”
Suddenly, I don’t want to sit here with her anymore. I hop down off the bench.
“Thank you for fixing my shoe.”
“You’re welcome, Tess. And watch out for those terrible boys.”
I’m glad she doesn’t follow me out of the lemon grove. I’m not sure why I don’t like her but I don’t.
Once I’m out of the lemon grove I can see my father again. He stands in a group of people and I can’t hear what he’s saying but those people listen while he talks.
Until Matilda and her sisters come running out of the house. They are all angry. They shout the names of their sons and now I see why.
