born and raised in Sicily. They’d lived next door to each other their whole lives and got married when they were eighteen.”
Andy sighed, pressing a hand over her heart. “That’s so romantic.”
“That was my old man, a real sucker for my ma. She was …” Pops pursed his lips, sucked at his teeth, and shook his head. “She ran a tight ship, let’s just say that.”
“Well, she kinda had to,” Jen chimed in. Then, addressing Andy, she said, “She had ten kids, and all of them were boys.”
“Ten boys!” Andy exclaimed, grinning widely. “Oh, my Lord. That poor woman.”
“Right?” Jenna laughed, jabbing me in the ribs with an elbow. “I have to deal with him and Zach. I can’t imagine putting up with eight more.”
“Oh, please,” I grumbled. “Like dealing with your crap was a walk in the park.”
Jenna’s jaw dropped with mock insult. “What did I do?”
“You think I liked finding your bras all over the damn place?”
“They wouldn’t have been all over the place if you hadn’t stolen them for yourself and your giant man-boobs.”
I scoffed, grabbing at my chest. “You’re just jealous ‘cause I wouldn’t have to stuff ‘em.”
Jenna rolled her eyes while Pops groaned. He turned his exhausted eyes on Andy and said, “My mother had to be a drill sergeant to keep all of us in line. I get why, lookin’ back, but at the time, growin’ up with her was, uh … it was a little tough.”
Andy nodded slowly, her eyes softening. “You have a lot of resentment toward her.”
My Nonna had been your quintessential grandma when I was growing up. She had always gifted us with baked goods and affection, and although she and Nonno couldn’t afford much in the way of presents, what they could give was always more than enough. And while I had always known that the woman we knew, wasn’t the mother my father grew up with, he had never talked openly about his youth. Yet, Andy made this statement, introduced it as a fact, and Pops pinched his lips, drew in a deep breath, and nodded once, revealing to Jenna and me a piece of a puzzle we never knew existed.
“You shouldn’t hold onto those feelings,” Andy replied gently. “You know she was only trying her best.”
Pops didn’t respond. He only glared at her, his lips still pinched, and to my horror, his eyes welled up. Andy seemed unfazed as she reached out, laid a hand over his, and looked him right in the eye.
“Ten kids was a lot to handle,” she said quietly. “But she loved you all, you know that.”
Rapidly, he nodded and cleared his throat, pulling his hand out from beneath hers. He hurried to stand, grabbed his cane, and looked toward the counter. “Junior, you better walk Andrea over to Penn before it gets too late,” he said, his voice strained under his emotion.
I swallowed before saying, “Yep. Just grabbing my stuff now.”
After collecting my phone, wallet, and keys and taking off my apron, I headed out with Andy, leaving Pops, Jen, and Moe to lock the place up. We walked with her arm wrapped around mine, casually strolling through the littered streets and avenues toward the train station. All the while, my mind was reeling. I was shaken by what had happened with Pops, the conversation and his reaction, and before long, I couldn’t bite my tongue any longer.
“What the hell happened back there?” I asked, firing the question into the night without a second thought.
“What do you mean?” Andy replied innocently.
“That shit you were saying to my dad,” I said, stifling my groan. She knew exactly what I meant. “How did you know that, about his mom?”
A siren blared through the night, adding a soundtrack to Andy’s hesitation. I didn’t like her silence or the way she chewed at her bottom lip, like she was hiding something.
Finally, she said, “Vinnie … this is all a part of my job.”
“What is? Knowing random shit about some old guy’s past?”
I glanced down at her face to see her tight mouth and the firm set of her eyes. Now, she looked more like she was offended and less like she was lying to me, and I felt like an asshole.
“Sorry,” I said hastily, so scared of fucking up.
She sighed and rolled her eyes up to the lights, guiding our way. “No, it’s fine. But you have to understand, I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I can read people. And when these people,