Page 54 of Little Bitter Truths
Tomorrow, I would start pressing harder, hoping someone would soon break.
21
Iwoke up feeling like someone was watching me and opened my eyes to find Giovanni leaning over the bed, holding a cup of coffee.
“Good morning,cara mia,” he said, setting the cup on the nightstand.
I rubbed my eyes, pushing myself up onto my elbows.“What time is it?”
“A little after eight.”
Eight.
An hour later than I’d planned on waking up, but after a restless night of sleep, I supposed it wasn’t that surprising.I needed the extra rest.
I brushed hair out of my face and noticed Giovanni had gone quiet.
“Is everything all right?”I asked.
“Your mother is in the living room.”
That woke me faster than the coffee ever could.
“My mother?”I asked.
“She wants to speak with you before you start your day.”
I swung my legs over the side of the bed.“Did she say why?”
“She didn’t, but she’s holding a quiche, which she refused to give to me.”
That answered nothing and everything.
If I had to venture a guess, she’d brought me a peace offering.
“Tell her I’ll be out in a minute,” I said.
I slipped on a robe, patted Luka as he stretched at the foot of the bed, and made my way down the hall.By the time I reached the living room, I had prepared myself for the usual—high energy, high volume, and a flair for the dramatic.Instead, I found the opposite.
My mother sat on the edge of the couch, the quiche balanced on her lap.Her posture was straight, her expression quiet, almost solemn.That alone told me something was off.
“Good morning, Mom,” I said.
She looked up, her eyes wet like she was trying not to cry.“Hello, dear.”
I stepped closer.“What’s going on?”
She stood and handed me the quiche.“It’s tomato, mushroom, and feta.Your favorite.I … umm, I stopped by this morning because I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”I asked, even though I knew.
“For interfering at the diner.That poor man you were questioning?—”
“Karl,” I said.
“Yes, Karl.”She clasped her hands together.“I got carried away.On the drive home, Harvey let me know I could have handled it better.”
“I assume Harvey said it in the gentlest way possible.”
