“Yes, you may,” Lydia says patiently. “But you have to be very careful. Can you do that?”
Violet nods solemnly.
The little girl sits back on the sofa and Lydia gently hands her the little bundle. Violet treats the baby reverently, cradling him in her arms.
“You are doing a fantastic job, Violet,” Lydia coos. “You are supporting his head perfectly.”
Lydia flashes Cassie a pointed look when she says it. To emphasize the point that a five-year-old is able to hold a baby more competently than Cassie can.
Cassie looks at Joel to see if he’s caught any of Lydia’s veiled insults. He’s still busy on his phone. He looks like he’s texting someone. And as his phone vibrates with a received message, a smile plays on his lips.
Could he be texting Francesca?
She’s not sure why that thought pops into her head. Except that somehow, Francesca is everywhere. She can’t even visit one of his friend’s apartments without being mistaken for her.
But he’s done with Francesca. For a long time.
Isn’t he?
Chapter 31: The Ex
I am in extended family hell.
Nonna has invited her younger sister for dinner, who came with her two children （both of whom are my parents’ age）， and we’ve also got their kids here. I didn’t approve any of this—Nonna simply announced they were all coming this morning. I was pretty annoyed. Just because Nonna is a social butterfly, that doesn’t mean I want to be. Why won’t she just let me wallow in my own loneliness and misery?
Then again, it’s her apartment, so what can I say?
I’ve spent the entire afternoon cooking. I’ve got three pots going on the stove, while my cousin Nick is running his mouth off and also getting in my way.
“I wanna see the great chef at work,” Nick says.
I shoot him a look. “I don’t usually have an audience.”
“Right. Isn’t it great?”
Nick is a couple of years younger than me, with greasy, close cropped black hair, a perpetual five o’clock shadow, and a New York accent several orders thicker than mine. He was a cop for several years, but I heard from the Mascolo grapevine that he left the force.
“Well, it smells good,” Nick says. “Your boyfriend is a lucky guy.”
I stare down into the pot of red sauce. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“No? Weren’t you always with that Joe guy? The doctor?”
“Joel,” I mumble. “And… we broke up.”
“Aw, that sucks. Sorry.” He pulls a face. “My girl dumped me a few months ago. But I always say, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone new. Am I right?”
“Maybe,” I sigh.
I still haven’t called Dean. I’ve picked up his card a hundred times, but I never manage to dial that number. And now it’s been long enough that I worry he’s moved on. A guy like that doesn’t stay single long.
But he is taking good care of Nonna. She’s had a few appointments with him, and he’s basically acting as her primary care doctor, since he’s the only one she’ll see. He even convinced her to take a medication for her blood pressure.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
“…and the business seems to be picking up, but a lot of it is word of mouth, ya know?” Nick is saying.
I lift my eyes. “Huh?”
Nick pauses mid-sentence and laughs. “You okay there? You seem a little spaced.”