Page 5 of Love You, Mean It

“It’s just a matter of time. They’ve ‘been in talks’ for months,” Mimi said, crooking her arthritic fingers into derisive air quotes.

“What did he say about the timeline?” I pressed.

“Hedidn’t say anything, the chickenshit.” Mimi’s lips pursed with disgust. “He sent his son to do his dirty work.”

“Wait…do you mean Trip?” Bella blinked, tilting her head to the side. A hazy memory of Trip Taylor briefly stepping into her relentless rotation of high school boyfriends breached the roiling waters of my mind.

“He called himself Theo, but I’m sure that’s him. Slick as can be. Rain would probably bead up and slide right off that smile. Do youknowhim?” Mimi narrowed her eyes at Bella.

“He was the year above me in school,” Bella said, eyes darting to mine for a fraction of a second,Don’t you dare say more.

“Yeah, everyone knew Trip Taylor,” I said. Bella would never hold up under concerted interrogation, and the fact that their romance lasted about a minute more than ten years ago wouldnotcount as a mitigating factor with Mimi in her current state. “He was on lacrosse, right? King of the bros? I think there was a brother a couple years behind me, too. But forget the douche report, the town is letting this happen?”

“The town was practically drooling at the prospect. Moira Lythikos didn’t even mention the parking issues.Moira.”

“But even if they do come in, it’s not the end of the world, Ma,” Auntie Susan said, glancing around for support. “We don’tknowthe deli would go under.”

“You don’t know the business, Susan. Ask Ellie,sheknows I’m right.”

Everyone turned to me. I was still so gut-punched I couldn’t fully process.

“There’s no way to stop this?” I finally managed.

“It was a preliminary vote, but if it’s any sign of the way the wind’s blowing…” Mimi blinked hard and wriggled her nose against the sparkle of tears filling her bright brown eyes. “Half of them have shopped at our store since they were kids. They didn’t even take five minutes to decide that wasn’t worth a slice of old bologna if it meant getting some fancy-pants food mall. Fivegenerations in this town out the window,” she spat, rubbing fiercely at the crepey skin around her eyes with a knuckle.

“Nothing’s decided yet,” Ma said, stretching to lay her hand over Mimi’s. The fact that Mimi allowed it without so much as a sniff spoke volumes about how deeply this was wounding her.

After a few long moments, Mimi shook off my mother and exhaled a sharp breath.

“Nothing we can do about it, I suppose. Ellie, I hope you brought something besides bread to serve with the lasagna. Green salad gives me the trots.”

Dinner was a subdued affair (at least by Greco standards), and by the time Bella stood to go, conversation had mostly tapered off.

“Thanks for the lasagna, Mimi. It was incredible, per usual.” She bent to squeeze my grandmother’s shoulders. Mimi patted her hand distractedly, not bothering to return the hug. “Grandpa, you owe me a cribbage game next week.”

“Only if you promise not to skunk me,” he said, rising from the head of the table to wrap Bella in a warm hug, voice characteristically quiet. Where Mimi was sharp, Grandpa had always been soft, the one to slip you a candy after a scolding with a finger to his lips. A yin and yang thing, I suppose. “I’m too old to bear the shame.”

“Pretty sure I’m the one who needs to worry about the skunking. Alright, I should go before it gets too late. Love you all.” I followed Bella to the door, slipping my feet into the black chef’s clogs I wore on workdays—hopelessly unfashionable, but I was way past the point of valuing trendy footwear over a functioning lower back. I tilted my head at the door, widening my eyes,Let’s talk outside.

I waited until we reached her car to speak.

“Mimi’s right. If Mangia comes in, that’s it for the deli.”

Bella heaved out a huge sigh, leaning against the vehicle and wrapping her arms around herself for warmth.

“We don’t know that…”

“Bella. Weabsolutelyknow that. I need to stop it somehow.” I shook my hands at my sides, bouncing on my toes, anxiety buzzing through me like a physical current. Mimi was right, the deli wasn’t just a job, it was our family legacy. It was the reason I’d moved back from New York after Dad died. Mimi and Grandpa had insisted they were up to running it themselves until they found a replacement, but I knew how relieved they were when I straight-up ignored that and broke my lease. How could I do anything else? It was the strongest, most tangible connection I had to Dad, every corner the site of some happy memory. Even five years later, it was the one place on earth that he still feltpresent. And other than the house we’d just walked out of, it was the only place that really felt like home. I swallowed hard, forcing the thoughts down. Bella didn’t need to know how maudlin I was getting over astorefront.

“For Mimi,” I added. “You know what it would do to her and Grandpa if this went through.” I frowned as a bulwark against the threat of tears.Theywere who I was really worried about…right? God, how much wine had I drunk?

“It sounded like things were pretty far along,” Bella murmured, tugging at the tip of a curl and letting it spring back into place once, twice, three times.

“I have to at leasttry,Bella.” I jutted out my lower lip, trying not to let it tremble, and she nodded.

“Okay. What’s the plan?” Gratitude surged through me. Bella might not think this was possible, but she would be in it with me until the bitter end.

“Getting in touch with Trip Taylor is as good a place to start as any. Do you still have his number?”

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