Chapter 11
The morning sun was spilling through the open shutters when Glenna blinked awake, disoriented for a heartbeat before the events of the last twenty-four hours crashed over her like a wave.
Kelsey is here.
She is safe.
She rolled over, half-expecting the bed to be empty, but Kelsey was still curled beside her, one small hand tucked under her cheek, her dark lashes fanning against her skin.
Glenna’s chest tightened. She reached out, brushing a finger over her daughter’s temple, just to reassure herself this wasn’t another dream.
Kelsey stirred, her lips parting in a sleepy sigh. “Mommy?”
“I’m here, baby.” Glenna’s voice cracked. She cleared her throat. “Go back to sleep.”
But Kelsey was already rubbing her eyes, blinking up at her with that same wide, trusting gaze that had always made Glenna’s heart clench. “Are we still at Ember and Jules’s house?”
“Yeah.” Glenna smoothed her hair back. “We are.”
Kelsey sat up, suddenly alert. “Can we see Uncle Zorro today?”
Uncle Zorro.
She hadn’t missed the way Kelsey had clung to him yesterday, the way she’d burrowed into his side like he was already family. Or the way he had looked at her as if she was something precious, something he’d die to protect.
She swallowed hard. “I don’t know, sweetheart. Maybe.”
Kelsey bounced out of bed, already rummaging through the dresser. “I wanna wear my new shirt. The one with the birds on it.”
Glenna forced a smile, trying her best to mask the whirl of emotions within her. “Okay, let’s get dressed,” she said, her voice steady despite the uncertainty creeping in.
She helped Kelsey into her clothes, a playful routine they had developed over time.
She refused to cry just because Kelsey remembered every single step.
That’s what she’d been so afraid of when the state had taken Kelsey away, that her daughter was so young that she’d forget all the little things that made their relationship special.
Twenty minutes later, Kelsey was tugging at her sleeve, practically bursting with excitement as they stepped outside into the sunlit courtyard. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and pastries drifted invitingly from the direction of the main kitchen. Glenna paused, taking a deep breath.
God, that smells amazing.
These kindhearted people had opened their home to her and her daughter, showering them with unmatched hospitality.
Despite that warmth, a lingering feeling of being an intruder gnawed at her.
Glenna couldn't shake the impression that she didn't quite belong here, in this beautiful space filled with laughter and kindness while battling her own demons every day.
She glanced down at Kelsey, whose bright eyes were filled with joy and wonder, then toward the welcoming kitchen, before she took a hesitant step forward, clinging to the hope that maybe today could bring a sense of belonging they desperately craved.
But you don’t belong here, do you?
At some point you and Kelsey will have to go home.
What home? You don’t have one. At. All.
She almost stopped and ran back to the apartment they had been given, but before she could the kitchen door swung open, and a woman with warm brown eyes and a wide smile stepped out, wiping her hands on a dish towel.
“Buongiorno! You must be Glenna.”
“That’s me.” Glenna shifted Kelsey slightly behind her.
“Buongiorno, Ms. Rissa.”
The woman crouched down to Kelsey’s level. “Ciao, Kelsey. Bella, come stai?”
“Bene. Grazie, e tu?”
Kelsey speaks Italian?
When on earth did that happen?
She was so confused. How did her daughter learn Italian and when?
The woman obviously recognized her confusion and straightened.
“I’m Marissa—Rissa. Marco’s wife. We have been teaching the beautiful Kelsey Italian along with the other little ones.
We did not know how long she would be here…
” She trailed off and extended a hand, then seemed to think better of it and pulled Glenna into a quick, firm hug instead. “We’re so glad you’re here, too.”
Glenna stiffened, then reluctantly hugged her back. “Thank you. For… everything.”
For teaching my daughter another language, when you didn’t have to.
Rissa pulled away, her dark eyes shining. “No thanks needed. Family takes care of family.”
There’s that word again. Family. They keep calling me family.
Rissa smiled. “Well, I was just about to make pancakes. You two hungry?”
Kelsey nodded eagerly.
Glenna hesitated. “I don’t want to impose?—”
“Nonsense.” Rissa looped an arm through Glenna’s and steered her toward the kitchen. “You’re not imposing. Besides, if you don’t eat, Zorro will have my head. My husband, he likes my head where it is. You don’t want to cause problems with my husband and Zorro, do you?”
Glenna’s stomach twisted. Zorro.
“Um, no let’s not do that.”
She let Rissa guide her inside, where the warmth of the kitchen wrapped around her like a blanket.
The long farmhouse table was already set with mismatched plates, and the scent of coffee and cinnamon filled the air.
Serena was flipping pancakes at the stove, while Jorja leaned against the counter, sipping from a mug.
“Morning,” Serena said, glancing over her shoulder. “Grab a seat. Syrup’s in the middle.”
Glenna slid onto a chair beside Kelsey, who was already chattering to Ember and Jules. Little-girl giggles soon drowned out the sizzle from the pan.
It was all so… normal...Yet somehow, this overwhelming sense of normalcy made Glenna’s throat feel tight, as if something deep within her was struggling to break free.
Memories of past struggles clawed at her heart, but this morning, enveloped in the warmth of laughter and the comforting smells of breakfast, a flicker of hope ignited beneath the surface.
An hour later, with their bellies full and the little girls bouncing off the walls from the sugar-induced high of syrup-laden pancakes, Glenna found herself cornered by Jorja.
“So, you holding up alright?”
With a soft exhale, Glenna shook her head slightly, feeling the weight of her uncertainty wash over her like a tide.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, each word laced with the complexities of her emotions.
It was almost like there was a tightrope and she was walking it.
One side had hope and the other despair and in each moment she fought to reclaim her life and the life of her little girl, she had no idea which side she would fall off.
“Fair.” Jorja pushed off the counter. “How about we get you two out of here for a bit? La Spezia’s got great shops. Kelsey could use some new clothes, yeah?”
Glenna hesitated. “I don’t have?—”
“Zorro left you money.” Jorja’s tone brooked no argument, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she could intimidate any hesitation out of Glenna. “The envelope’s on the table by the door. When Gunnar told him we were going to go to town, he said to get whatever you and Kelsey need.”
“Oh. I—” she began, but the thought of taking anything from Zorro twisted in her gut.
“Don’t.” Jorja held up a hand, effectively cutting through the rush of her emotions. “He’s not the type to offer if he didn’t mean it. Trust me, he meant it.”
Glenna pressed her lips together in a thin line, fighting against the swell of conflicting feelings that rose to the surface.
The very notion of accepting his generosity sat uncomfortably with her.
She didn’t like the way her pulse quickened, racing ahead of her thoughts as memories of him flooded her mind—his voice, rough and warm, as it had been when he’d handed her that nightlight for Kelsey, the way his fingers had brushed achingly close to hers, lingering for just an instant longer than they should have.
Stop it.
She chastised herself silently, pushing the thoughts back into the recesses of her mind. She was here for Kelsey. That was all.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the envelope and opened it, revealing the crisp stack of euros inside. “This is way too much.”
“It is better to have too much than too little, no?” Rissa chimed in. “Spend what you need and give him back the rest. No biggie.”
“Momma?” Kelsey tugged at her sleeve, her wide, innocent eyes brimming with a mixture of excitement and impatience. “Can we go now?”
“Yeah, baby. Let’s go.” The words came out steadier than she felt, and she took Kelsey’s tiny hand in hers, and followed the others out of the kitchen.
By the time they made it into the cars and downtown, La Spezia’s streets were a riot of color—terracotta buildings, cobalt shutters, flower boxes overflowing with geraniums. Glenna sniffed deeply, inhaling the smells of salt and espresso, of fresh bread and something citrusy. Kelsey skipped beside her.
Jorja led the way, with Serena, Siobhán, Petra, and Chari falling into step around them. Ember and Jules rode in a double stroller pushed by Marissa, who was explaining something about gelato flavors to the girls.
“First stop,” Jorja announced, “clothes. Kelsey, you need everything.”
Kelsey gasped. “Even a dress?”
“Especially a dress.” Chari grinned. “With pockets. Because pockets are non-negotiable.”
Kelsey giggled.
Glenna trailed behind. She didn’t belong here. Didn’t belong in this easy, laughing group of women who moved through the world like they owned it.
“You okay?”
She jumped. Petra had fallen into step beside her, when she wasn’t looking and her sharp eyes missed nothing.
“Yeah. Just…” Glenna exhaled. “I don’t like taking his money.”
Petra’s lips quirked. “Zorro’s not the type to throw money around. If he gave it to you, it’s because he wants you to have it.”
Glenna’s face heated. “It’s too much.”
“It’s not.” Petra’s voice softened. “Look, I get it. Pride’s a bitch.
But you’re not taking charity. You’re letting him do something for Dwight’s family.
Trust me, that man’s been carrying the weight of not knowing about you two for years.
This?” She nodded at the envelope. “This is him trying to make up for lost time.” Petra bumped her shoulder.
“Now come on. We’ve got a kid to spoil.”