right. Maybe it’s better this way.
Sure doesn’t feel like it, though.
30
Serena
Every night for a month, I stare at my phone and hope Kit calls. I don’t have the courage to dial his number myself, because I know I pretty much threw a grenade at the relationship and then pointed a flamethrower at the remains.
I ruined it—but for a good reason.
So why does it feel so bad?
Nonna’s new care home is nice. The nurses are friendly and she’s relatively comfortable, but I know she misses her old home. She can’t speak, but I see it in her eyes. The house is still on the market, and I know my mother’s savings are dwindling dangerously low. Stress is a constant in our lives, now, and I know I made the right decision to stay. This is where I’m meant to be. I care about my family, and I need to be here for them.
Whenever Robbie comes home, I want to ask him about Kit. The words dance on the tip of my tongue, but I reel them back in.
I have no right to ask after his friend. I pushed him away. Plus, life on my own isn’t so bad! It’s not as good as it was in Woodvale, and I’m pretty sure I haven’t laughed in a month, but it’s not as bad as it was with Angelo. Things could be worse.
Then, at the beginning of February, our real estate agent tells us there’s an offer on Nonna’s house. My mother gets off the phone and spreads her arms toward me, relief evident on her features.
“Five thousand over the asking price,” she says, tears glimmering in her eyes. “It’s a miracle, Serena.”
I smile, hugging my mother tight as she cries on my shoulder. I stand there, strong, holding her up. It’s a regular occurrence now. I prop my mother up as she gathers herself, wiping her tears and letting out a long breath.
“I told her to accept the offer. We’ll go through the paperwork this evening.”
“Nonna will be comfortable,” I say, squeezing my mother’s shoulder. “And we won’t have to take on more debt.”
“No.” My mother smiles. “Everything will be okay.”
Not everything, I want to say. Not me.
I’ve lost a part of myself over the last two months. I’ve carried my mother on my shoulders through the most difficult part of our lives, and I feel like a shell of the person I used to be. Just when I thought I was free of Angelo and ready to start a new chapter, life lobbed another bomb at me.
It never ends—but at least Kit got out before it dragged him down, too.
I watch my mother sing to herself as she bounces around the house, taking out food for a feast and cleaning everything she gets her hands on. When the real estate agent arrives at the house with a bundle of paperwork, my mother lets out a long sigh. It takes a couple of hours to go through the documents, and when it comes time to sign on the dotted line, my mother hesitates.
“It’s Nonna’s house,” she says softly as she looks at me. “I know I have to do it, but it just feels wrong.”
Our real estate agent looks at my mother with a serious look in her eye. “This is a very good offer, Mrs. Russo,” the woman says. “The buyer is paying cash, so there’s no need to wait for the bank to approve the mortgage. He’s waiving the need for an inspection and has the fewest conditions on a sale I’ve ever seen. This buyer wants your mother’s house.”
My mom stares at the agent with wide eyes, nodding. “I know. I know.” Mom flicks her eyes to me, smiling sadly. “Tell me this is the right thing to do, Serena.”
“It’s the right thing to do.” I reach across the table and squeeze my mother’s hand, then nod to the stack of papers. “Go ahead. You’re doing it for Nonna, so she can get the best possible care.”
My mother still hesitates, but then her phone rings. She frowns at the screen and steps into the next room. The pen lies against the sale papers, and I let out a sigh.
“She’ll do it,” I tell the real estate agent. “I know she will.”
“I hope so,” the woman says, giving me a sad smile. “This kind of offer doesn’t come around very often. Or ever, really.”
When my mother reappears, she looks like a different person. Her eyes are bright, and a hint