Page 77 of Look on the Bright Side

He glanced at her but didn’t comment.

Traffic was bad enough that they didn’t talk until they were in Plymouth. “My grandparents live here,” Lark said. “My aunt, too.”

“Oh, yeah? You guys close?”

“Well…not really,” she said. “We see them a few times a year, but they’re kind of disinterested in us. My other grandparents are great, though. Grammy died a few years ago, but my grandfather is still around. He works at the bookstore with my sister, and he’s the best.”

“Nice.”

Lark hesitated. “Are you close with your grandparents? Other than Noni, I mean?”

“Well, we see Noni all the time,” he said. “But as you can tell, Lorenzo’s her favorite.”

“He said he grew up with her.”

“He did. Our other grandparents live in New Hampshire. Mom’s folks. They’re more normal.” A grin flashed and was gone.

“Lorenzo told me about how she kind of raised him,” she said.

“Yeah. He went to this school for supersmart kids, and that was kind of the end of that.”

“Of what?” she asked.

Dante shrugged. “Of him being one of us. He never really fit in once he left. He became almost like an only child, and that school didn’t help. I mean, it was a great education and all. But it made him feel pretty superior to the rest of us.”

“St. George’s, right?”

“That’s the one. Where excellence is expected and rewarded. That was their motto.”

“Pretty heavy burden for a seven-year-old,” she said.

“He was meant for that school,” Dante said. “He was speaking in full sentences on his first birthday. Mom and Dad had his IQ tested when he was five, and it was like a hundred and eighty or something. Way past genius level. So he fit right in, let me tell you. Became their king by the end of the first year.” He glanced at her, amused. “Can you imagine?”

“I can, actually. How old were you when he went?”

“Three.”

Her heart squeezed at the thought of two little boys being separated. “You must’ve missed him.”

Another glance from his dark chocolate eyes. “Cried myself to sleep for a month, according to Mom.”

Remembering her conversation with Lorenzo about that time in his life—and also her promise not to talk about it—Lark said, “Bet he missed you, too.”

Dante laughed. “You’d be wrong. Lorenzo was always too good for the rest of us. Thought he deserved everything. And everyone.”

“Everyone?” she asked.

Dante shrugged, not looking at her. “I mean, he definitely got Noni. Sofia pretty much worships him. Mom and Dad are in awe of him, a little dazzled with everything he’s done. It’s Izzy and me who want to smack him.” He gave her a quick smile. “You might feel the same way the longer you date him.”

She laughed a little. “There have been moments. Let’s change the subject. Do you like being a firefighter?”

“Of course I do. Best job in the world.”

“The shiny trucks and universal adoration?”

“You nailed it.”

“How often do you save kittens and babies?” she asked.

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