10. Riley
CHAPTER TEN
RILEY
A fter spending a few hours at the flower shop, I left the rest of the work and closing up to Bethany. She started working for me right before I found out I was pregnant, and I’ve been relying on her a lot these past two months. I honestly don’t know where I would be without her. She’s helped me immensely to keep the shop up and running and she’s going to handle everything for me after the baby comes.
As I pull into my driveway, I notice a sleek Mercedes Coupé parked on the street out front of my house. My eyebrows pull together as I don’t recognize the car. I’m on high alert as I climb out of my car, my eyes glancing back and forth between my house and the unfamiliar vehicle. Just as I’m about to turn to head inside, I see an older woman climbing out of the front seat.
My anxiety lessens as soon as I realize that it’s Nonna Rosa, but I’m equally confused about what she’s doing at my house. For being in her late sixties, she looks exceptional for her age. Her days on the pickleball court keep her in impeccable shape. Relaxing my expression, my lips lift upward as I abandon my trek to the side door and walk around the front to meet her by my front porch.
“Hey, Nonna. What are you doing here?”
Her eyebrows pull together and she adjusts the weird-shaped bag on her shoulder. “Nash didn’t tell you?”
Now I’m the one whose eyebrows are scrunched together. “Tell me what?”
Nonna waves her hand, motioning toward the front of the house. “Never mind. I thought I would stop by and bring you dinner.”
“Did Nash put you up to this?”
She simply smiles, but she doesn’t confirm if he did or didn’t. “Let’s get you out of this frigid air, honey. Come on,” she says as she starts to walk up to the front door, leading me to my own house. A smile drifts across my own lips and I shake my head, laughing softly as I follow after her.
Nonna stands off to the side as she waits for me to unlock the door and she holds it open as I step inside first. She follows behind me, following suit as we both shrug off our winter coats and kick off our shoes. She waits for me to lead the way before she follows me into the kitchen.
“How was your day?” she asks me as she walks up to the counter and sets her bag down.
“It was good,” I tell her as I go over to wash my hands at the sink. She pulls out a few glass dishes with already prepared food inside. “How was yours?”
As I attempt to reach for a dish, she swats at my hand. “You sit down and let me handle all this.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say with a smile, knowing better than to argue with her. If there’s one thing I know about Nonna Rosa, it’s that what she says goes. And right now, this kitchen doesn’t belong to me.
Nonna starts to tell me about her day as she busies herself, pouring herself a glass of wine before heating up the homemade lasagna and dish of vegetables she had prepared. My stomach grumbles in anticipation and I didn’t realize how hungry I was until right now. I ate lunch and snacked throughout the day. Remembering to do so seemed to help my overall physical feelings.
I think my stomach just knows that if it’s a meal prepared by Nonna, it’s going to be the best damn thing it gets all day. Nonna walks over to the counter where I’m sitting and sets a plate in front of me, the aroma of the sauce and cheese drifting to my nostrils. My eyelids instinctively flutter shut and I inhale deeply, savoring the smell.
“Mmm, your lasagna is probably my favorite thing ever.”
Nonna smiles at me as she grabs her own plate and walks around the counter to sit next to me. “A little bird may have told me.”
I raise an eyebrow at her as I cut a piece and slide my fork through the layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese. “Does this little bird talk a lot?”
“It depends on the topic,” she says with a wink as she takes a sip of her wine. “You’re a topic that’s always been hot, although as of late, you seem to be on fire.”
My heart flutters in my chest as the butterflies spring to life in my stomach. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
She turns her head to look at me, her blue eyes twinkling beneath the lights in the kitchen as she stares at me. “I think you do.”
“I’ve always been a topic?”
“Oh, honey.” She lets out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “That boy has always talked about you. Lately he seems to be quite worried about you. He called me this morning and I told him I would bring dinner and stop by to check on you.”
There’s a part of me that is annoyed at the thought of him feeling like he needs to have someone come and check in on me, but at the same time, I’m also flattered. It creates that warm, fuzzy feeling that tingles all the way down to your toes. In a way, the thought is like a soft embrace. He hasn’t been bothering me to see how I am, but clearly he’s been thinking about it.
“I appreciate you stopping by, Nonna. I really do.” I pause, taking a sip of my water as I give her a soft smile. “Nash has been helping me out lately and I know he’s been a little concerned, but everything is fine.”
“Has your pregnancy been rough? He didn’t tell me the specifics but I know from experience that pregnancies can really take a toll on you.”
I don’t have to tell her our secret, but I’m also not sure I want to tell her what is going on with me and my pregnancy. The last thing I want to do is have her worrying about me when she doesn’t need to. Nonna is an extremely caring and attentive person. I don’t want to scare her at all.
“I’ve just been getting tired really easily. I have to be careful and make sure I don’t overdo things.”
That answer seems to be enough to satisfy her, although I can see the unasked questions burning in her eyes. “If you ever need anything, I’m only a short drive away. I would personally love to help you with anything you might need. Believe it or not, retired life gets a little boring sometimes.”
“But at Christmas you were talking like you really have been enjoying it.”
“Oh, honey, trust me, I do.” She laughs, her eyes crinkling along the sides. “If I don’t keep myself busy, that’s when I tend to get bored, and honestly, I think staying busy is what keeps me young. If I sit around for too long, what happens if it becomes hard for me to get up? A woman at my age has to do whatever she can to stay young and spry.”
“Nonna, you’re hardly that old. I think you’re the one who keeps us all young.”
She purses her lips, giving me a knowing look. “Not many people can say they were alive to see their great-grandchild be born, let alone getting to watch them grow up.” She gives me a small smile, but there’s a sadness to it. “Sometimes it feels like I’ve lived multiple lifetimes and too many of them have been without Lorenzo.”
Lorenzo is her late husband who was taken too soon. He was Nonna’s partner in crime and her best friend. It’s been at least ten years since he passed away, but I still remember the way he used to look at her. That man looked at her as if she hung the sun in the sky.
“He’s the one thing that makes me look forward to whatever comes after this life.” Her eyes grow misty, yet wistful as she stares at me. “I’m not ready to go anytime soon, but it’s comforting knowing that when my time is over here, he’ll be waiting for me.”
“I can’t even imagine,” I tell her, my own throat growing thick with emotion as I feel her sorrow seeping into my bones. “I’m sorry, Nonna.”
“Don’t be sorry, honey. It’s all a part of life.” She waves her hand at me and then reaches for mine, giving me a gentle squeeze. “Just promise me you’ll do something for me.”
“Of course,” I tell her, nodding as I hold on to her hand.
“When you find the one who makes your heart sing, hold on to him and don’t let go.” She pauses as she looks at me with her soft and kind eyes. “Life is such a precarious thing that we never truly know how much time we have with the ones we love. Hold on to him and let him love you, because there’s something indescribable about loving someone while being loved.”
I stare at her for a moment, my eyes bouncing back and forth between hers as I let her words sink into my soul. “What if I never find him?”
“I promise you will,” she says softly, a smile finding her lips once more. “He’s already there, Riley.”