Page 2
The self-deprecating voice in my head viciously mocked me. Move south? Me and what money?
I cracked the driver’s door and was greeted with another blast of snowy, frozen wind. Dio mio! That cut straight to the bone.
But it wasn’t the winter chill that made me pause.
It was a feeling.
Prickles raced down my spine. Something shifted in the air, the very darkness seemed to swallow the streetlamps, muting their glow. I could have sworn someone was out there, watching our arrival. But a quick glance down the street assured me that no one was crazy enough to be out in this weather.
A warm yellow light bloomed from the front of the house as Nonna stepped onto the front porch. Her old-fashioned black dress cut a mean picture, but the smile on her face nearly stole my breath. It had been far too long since we’d seen her.
“Rosetta! You’re here!” Her petite body was practically vibrating with energy. “Dolcezza mia, my crazy, beautiful girl, you made it! Come inside, come inside! I’ve got a nice dinner for you. There’s a bottle of red decanting on the sideboard—”
And then…she saw the boys wrestling in the snow.
“Che cosa state facendo?” she demanded, voice filled with authority. “You’ll catch your death of cold!”
Her words fell on deaf ears as the nine-year-old boys continued to lob snow at one another with their bare hands. Nonna turned her look of disapproval on me.
“Why they no listen? Are they deaf, Rosetta?”
I shrank into my coat but managed to lift my hand. “No, not deaf. Just stir crazy.”
“Stir crazy?” she tasted the words. “What, no! They need to come inside. Come inside this instant, ragazzi!” She pursed her lips. “Get those boys inside, Rosetta! They don’t have hats on!”
“Mat! Oli!” I called, knowing it wasn’t likely to do much good. They’d been cooped in the car since noon. If they didn’t get the wiggles out now, they’d only race up and down my grandmother’s quiet halls until they ultimately broke something.
Boys….
They never warned me how much energy children had. No, they handed me two swaddled bundles in the hospital and told me how brave I was to push them out without medication. As if that had been my choice. I would have taken the drugs if there’d been time.
“Boys! Come grab your bags,” I shouted, hoping the command would jog their memory. I bent and released the trunk lever before collecting my phone and purse to hurry around the car. I tugged a small suitcase out, lifted a duffle bag, and with the last bit of energy, reached for the boys’ luggage. The sooner this stuff was inside the better.
“Ragazzi! Help your mama,” Nonna ordered.
Maybe it was the ancient tone of command, or maybe they were finally feeling the cold, but the two balls of energy rushed through the snow straight toward me. I locked my legs, ready for impact. If the driveway wasn’t salted, they would have slid right into me, and we all would have gone down. Oli ripped the suitcase handle from my hand, tearing off for the house with enough speed the luggage seemed to fly behind him like a cape. Mat stopped to grab his coat through the open door. He bent farther into the car, searching.
“I can’t find my glove!” he shouted.
“It’s there,” I assured him, pausing to look over his body.
“Oli took it! He probably threw it out the window.”
“He didn’t.” He didn’t, right? I would have heard that.
Then again, I’d been trying to keep the car on the road through a blizzard.
“Mom! It’s not here.”
I leaned forward, plucked his glove from under the seat, and handed it to him. He tugged it on before surprising me by taking the duffle bag. That left me with only their large suitcase.
Once he charged the front door, I paused only long enough to grab his brother’s winter gear before slamming the door and following.
We were safe. We were together. And as I climbed the smooth, dry steps, I finally felt like we were home.
Nonna studied me from her post in the doorway. Those sharp eyes missed nothing. But as she looked me over, the stern expression softened into a warm smile.
“Cara mia, stai stanca?” she breathed, pulling me in for a hug.
