Page 82 of Kill Your Darlings

She indicated a blue sofa near the window and I sat down.

“You have a lovely home, Mrs.Argyros.”

She sure did.And that familiar yellow cardigan?This edition was lambswool, not rayon.

She took the chair opposite and looked around the living room.She smiled a well-satisfied smile.“I do.I’ve been very blessed.I’ve got eleven grandchildren now.”

“Whoa,” I said.“Eleven.”

She chuckled.“And another on the way.Though I expect it’ll be a while before I get to hold that one.”

“Congratulations.”

“And how are you?You moved back East, didn’t you?Went to live with your mother’s family while you went to school?”

Was that the story?I’d wondered what my father told people.Assuming he bothered to tell them anything.

Mrs.Argyros was still talking—she’d always used to run on in an almost stream-of-consciousness fashion, and it seemed that hadn’t changed.“I would never have recognized you!Such a tall, gangly boy.I told Milo once that you looked like a hungry scarecrow, and he said, ‘Ma!Don’t you ever say that to him!’ But you were such a sweetheart.Always so polite.”She leaned forward and studied me intently.“If I didn’t know, I’d think you were French now!”

Huh?

“French now?”I asked cautiously.Did she think I’d moved to France?

“You know how French people take such nice care of themselves.Their hair and their hands are always just so.Such nice skin.”

I deduced thatFrenchwas a compliment.“Thank you,” I said.“How’s Mr.Argyros these days?”

Her face fell.“Constantine passed away four years ago.He’s in heaven with our grand-baby Andrew now.”

In heaven with the grandbaby?Not with Milo?She didn’t think Milo went to heaven or she didn’t think he was dead?But then, dead would be hard to accept for any mother.

“I’m so sorry to hear that.He was a real force.”

Kind of a bull in a china shop, to be honest.He and Milo had argued furiously and constantly.

“Yes.His heart.It was sudden.That’s the best way, I think.Now my boy Georgi runs the restaurant with his sisters.Still the only Greek food in Steeple Hill!”

“Certainly, the best Greek food.”I smiled.

She gave a merry little laugh.“Yes!We have wonderful food.”

I didn’t want to waste time talking about the restaurant, given that Finn was already over there checking things out.

I said gently, “Seeing that I was in town, I thought I’d stop by.I was wondering if you’d ever heard from him.From Milo.”

Mrs.Argyros’s shiny dark gaze fell.Her smile tightened.She reached for a tissue from the square floral box on the living room table and pressed it to the corner of her eyes.

“No,” she said softly.“Not since he left.Nothing.Not a word.”

I nodded slowly, studying her.She dabbed her eyes again, but I couldn’t see any trace of wetness.Her voice didn’t waver.Her fingers were steady.The tissue didn’t tremble.

Granted, she wasn’t crying over Constantine, either.Milo had been gone a couple of decades.Maybe she’d finally made peace with his disappearance?

Could you ever really make peace with something like that?

Maybe she was lying.

“I’m sorry,” I said.“I’m always hoping I’m going to hear some good news one day.”

---