Page 16 of Come Back to Me

He’s not always dumb.

Nonna eyes me over her espresso—the only one she’s allowed in a day since the doctors told her it makes her excitable.

They haven’t seen her without caffeine.

See, I’m not dumb either. Not once have I pointed that out today.

“You’ve been eating junk. That’s no substitute for good heart food like this.” Mom dips down to press a kiss to Nonna’s temple. “You need something, Mama?”

“No,piccola?*.” She pats her hand. “I’m good now myconiglios?* are back under the same roof.”

“I’m not here forever, Nonna.”

“You’re home. That’s all that matters to me. Why did you have to go so many kilometers away, huh?”

“Because of that fancy school.” Mom tsks again. “Why you couldn’t stay here and teach music like your father and then take over?—”

“Mom, I’ve been back two minutes and you’re already trying to rearrange my life!” I stab the fork in her direction. “One of the reasons, I think you’ll find, that I went to New York instead of Saskatoon, and it had nothing to do with how fancy schmancy Juilliard is.”

You’d think they’d be proud, but nope. Anthony didn’t go into teaching either—he works for the local garage, Ravenly & Daughters—but he still gets less shit than I do.

“You’rehome.” Nonna magnanimously decrees, “That’s all that matters.”

I beam at her. “Exactly!”

“What are you going to do with yourself?” Mom pesters.

“Mr. Ravenly needs help with admin in the office,” Anthony inserts, sly as ever. He studies me over his bottle of water, a smug glint in his eyes.

“That sounds like as good a place as any to start!” Mom takes a small sip of her cappuccino. “Anthony, put in a good word for her?—”

“Uhhh, nope,” I butt in with an attempt at stabbing my fork in my brother’s hand. “I don’t need to get a job. My official job title is Zee’s entertainer.”

Nonna frowns. “Like... a court jester?”

“Christy! You can’t be serious!” Mom cries.

Honestly, you’d think I told her my main source of income was an OnlyFans account!

(Now there’s an idea.)

“Sure, I can. Colt’s clearly deranged because he thinks Pigeon Creek will send our girl running, and it’s my job to superglue her in place.”

“Saw them in town last week.” Nonna knots two gnarled fingers together. “Like that, they were.”

“I told you he was deluded, but I’m not afraid to take his charity,” I say brightly. “I don’t have to pay rent and I don’t have to clean or cook. It’s heaven.”

Nonna leans into the table. “Is it true what they say about the bathrooms?”

“You could fit this kitchen into my connecting bath. And the restrooms they have for visitors belong in five-star hotels. But the toilets aren’t gold like Mrs. Browne said.”

“When was the last time you stayed in a five-star hotel?”

“Then, I don’t blame you for staying with them,” Nonna declares, whacking Anthony’s hand with a spoon.

Cutlery is a weapon in our house.

“Mama!” Mom complains. “Don’t encourage her. She’s bad enough as it is.” Her gaze turns even more disapproving. “I washoping that all that time in New York would have made you a tad more sensible.”

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