Page 73 of It's Always Sonny

“I hope so.” Nonna says. “So what did you do? Did you take the money?”

“No! I wrote a massive review of my experience on every recruiting site in the country, and started a marketing firm with my best friends.”

“And you forfeited the money.”

“Every zero. And it had a lot of zeroes.”

Nonna laughs and slaps her knee. “That’s a girl after my own heart. Good job, sis. You took the harder road, but it’s working out for you.”

“I hope it does.”

“It will. You’re showing yourself your worth step by step. It’ll catch up to you soon enough.”

They go silent for a moment, and I worry the pride and awe bursting from me must have alerted them to my presence. But no, Nonna has given PJ a hug.

Nonna is hugging PJ.

PJ is hugging her back.

PJ saying she loved me was the best moment of my life, but this may be better.

“I thought we were talking about you?” PJ says with a sniff. “How did you switch it up on me?”

“Oh, give an old lady a break. I have two fake knees and got put on a No Fly List for fighting with a passenger.”

“What happened to the other guy?”

“He’s doing just fine. He called me a few days later, and we hashed it out. He’s not so bad.”

“He got you put on a No Fly List.”

“No one’s perfect.” Nonna is patting PJ’s hand again. “I’m proud of you, sis. You’ve been through a lot and you keep coming out stronger. You should give my grandson another chance.”

“Nonna—”

“Don’t worry so much about your parents. They’ve made things more important than people, and they’ll suffer the effects of that sooner or later. But you don’t have to keep suffering because of them. They’re the ones missing out on not putting you first. From the sounds of it, you’re not missing out on anything.”

She squeezes PJ’s arm, and I hold back my tears because I can’t stay away another minute. I make a loud shuffling sound and they both turn at the same time.

“There he is,” Nonna says. PJ looks so sweet and exposed, I want to hold her tight and kiss every pain better. “What were you thinking, letting this girl go?”

“She let me go,” I say. “I’m not as good a catch as you thought, Nonna.”

PJcloses her eyes tightly. “I should go.”

“Good thinking. Mary and I wanted to play that life-size Jenga set. I have half my blackout bingo done already!”

“Nonna, you’re more than the Ultimate Luciano,” I tell her.

“Wait until I’m holding that trophy,” she says. “Now you hold on a sec and we’ll come with you,” Nonna says, pushing herself to a stand. She’s wearing a puffy coat and gold sunglasses, and she looks like she could hit the mean streets of Boca Raton.

“I should check on the others—” PJ starts, but Nonna isn’t having any of it.

“Oh, what’s going to happen? You think someone’s going to faint on a ropes course, or something?”

“Nonna!” I groan. “That’s not nice.”

“Like she doesn’t know she fainted?”

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