Page 39 of Tessa's Trust

I held my ground and tried to step slightly in front of my grandmother. “I think maybe you shouldn’t be here,” I said.

“Huh.” He moved beyond me and peered inside the broken window. “At least the so-called bird hit from the outside and sprayed glass inside.” He looked over his shoulder at me, his brown eyes intense. “Did you cut yourself?”

“Of course not.” Nonna patted his shoulder. “How would she cut herself? She wasn’t anywhere near the window when the terrible tragedy occurred.”

Nick looked across the snow-covered porch. “Where’s the bird?”

“He flew away,” Georgiana said. “Well, he fell back, hopped a few times, and then flew away. I think it was a robin.”

“I would say owl,” Nonna added.

I just kept silent. There was nothing to say. Then a thought hit me. “Wait a minute. What are you doing all the way out here?”

Nobody lived out this way, or at least hardly anybody did. Most of the residents resided along the major river and lived to the west. We were far south right now.

“Looking for you,” he muttered.

“Isn’t that sweet?” Nonna said. “Nicolo, how did you know she was out here?”

That was a good question.

Nick shook his head. “I stopped by the county recorder’s office because I had a thought about the deeds, and they told me you’d just been there. Then I stopped by Sunshine Eats, and they told me that you had just been there. Mrs. C saw you head this way, and I just had a bad feeling, Contessa.”

“Well, now.” Nonna smiled at him, beaming. “It’s as if the two of you are on the same wavelength. How lovely.”

I was getting a headache. The pain crawled from the base of my neck into my skull. There was no question about it. “We should probably get going.” I turned to look at the window. Although considering we’d broken the window, I couldn’t just leave it. More bad weather was on its way, and it wasn’t fair to Sadie.

Nick shook his head. “I’ll tear out the carpet in the back of my truck, and we can use it to cover the window.”

“Oh, no, we can’t let you do that,” Georgiana said.

“It’s all right,” Nick said wryly. “My brother chose a bright purple for some reason, and I was going to get it replaced anyway.”

Nonna clapped her hands together. “Well, isn’t that a wonderful idea?”

“I’ll assist you.” I gave in gracefully. The poor guy was only trying to protect us, even though he no doubt regretted his decision to follow me to Sadie’s house.

I helped him tear out the carpet, and we managed to attach it well enough to protect the window and the inside.

“Should we leave a note?” Nonna asked.

“That’s not a bad idea.” I headed back to my car for a notepad. I left a quick note, explained about the bird, and said that if she had any questions to call me. Then I added that I needed her to call me anyway.

We opened part of the flap, threw the note in the window, and then refastened it.

“Well, then,” Nonna said. “We should probably get going. Nicolo, will you be a love and take Tessa to lunch? I know she missed breakfast, and it’s well after lunchtime. Do you mind?”

“Not in the slightest,” Nick answered. “Your granddaughter and I need to talk.” His voice was a low rumble that affected me in inappropriate places, but even so, there was a hint of a threat in it. I couldn’t blame him. He’d just helped us cover up a crime and could get into trouble.

I would have to play nice, at least for the moment. “I’ll meet you back in town,” I said.

“I’ll follow both of your cars to make sure you get there safely.” He held out his arms to assist both of the seniors across the icy porch and to their car.

“Thanks, Nick,” Nonna murmured. “You are a true darling.”

“You have no idea,” Nick muttered.

Nordeliano’s was located one street over from the sheriff’s office and had been a Silverville staple for as long as anybody remembered. The food was authentic Italian, and they poured the house red with every meal, whether you wanted the wine or not. I had never thought the place romantic until I sat across from Basanelli near a roaring fireplace with candles flickering on the table.

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