Page 48 of Heartache & Playdates
“Oh,” I smiled. Right, of course, he did. He brought Nonna flowers.
I knew that it shouldn’t make a difference, but I was so happy that they weren’t for me. Trent forgot that I didn’t like flowers and it didn’t bother me in the slightest. But if Maddox had made the same mistake, I would have been heartbroken. I didn’t want to dive into what those opposing reactions meant. Best to just ignore it.
“He broughtyouthose.” Nonna pointed to the small table beside her.
I looked down and saw a pink box that read Sweet Temptations on it. I opened it up and saw six cupcakes and a handwritten note. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face as I lifted it out.
He’d written it on Nonna’s stationary. It said:8pm Full Moon tonight. Anything on the menu. Maddox
Full Moon was an upscale restaurant that Maddox and I had always dreamed about going to when we were teenagers. At the time it seemed like an unreachable goal. Who would ever be able to afford to eat at a place where the appetizers were nearly a hundred dollars? But he promised me that one day, he’d take me there and I could order anything on the menu and not look at the prices.
Even though it had been twenty years, everything seemed to be happening so fast. The reunion. Moving back here. Seeing Maddox with another woman. Him showing up at Nonna’s. The cupcakes. The dinner.
I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath.
“He ask if you have plans tonight, I say no. She does nothing. No social life.”
“Thanks, Nonna,” I said flatly. I’d been here for less than a week, so I wasn’t sure what she was basing that on.
Her arms flew up in the air. “What? Is true! You don’t!”
I was tempted to point out that Ididhave a social life in Brooklyn. I had a group of friends. I had Leo. I had Trent. But there was no reason to.
“But is no problem, because you do now.” Her eyes twinkled. “You not tell me that you talk to Maddox again.”
“I don’t. I mean, I hadn’t talked to him for years. Since I moved away. But I saw him at the reunion.”
“You did, huh?” Nonna’s eyes lit up. “See, I tell you go and you see il tuo cuore.”
“He’s not my heart,” I lied. “He’s just an old friend.”
“Pfft. He is amore della tua vita.”
“He’s not the love of my life.” If I were Pinocchio, my nose would have just grown another inch long. “What did he say to you?”
“We talk about life, he tells me about his business, his little girl draws pictures.” She handed me a picture of what looked like Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
Nonna pointed. “That’s you. That’s for you.”
Tears began to prick the back of my eyes. This was too much. His daughter had drawn a picture of me.
“You meet him tonight? Yes.”
“It’s been a long day, Nonna. And I need to make us dinner.”
She shook her head and tsked. “No, no. I had dinner. Joanna brought casserole.”
I glanced at the time. It was already ten past seven. If I was going to make it to Full Moon, I’d have to leave in the next twenty minutes.
“It’s late.”
“I know.” She started to stand, I got up and held her elbow to steady her. “I’m going to bed. You go to dinner.”
“Okay,” I agreed even though I felt like I was going to throw up.
As I helped Nonna get ready for bed, she continued talking about how handsome Maddox was, what a good father he was, how sweet it was that he remembered her favorite flowers because they reminded her of Italy, how nice it was that he brought me cupcakes, and how lucky any woman would be to be loved by him.
I didn’t need reminding of all of Maddox Cruz’s amazing qualities, and Nonna didn’t even know half of them. She didn’t know how loyal, kind, smart, and funny he was. She didn’t know the struggles he’d been through, and how he’d used that to fuel his success. She didn’t know the loss and rejection he’d felt, but how he’d managed not to let that harden his heart.
