Page 119 of The Woman in the Hollow
It had taken a while, but I’d convinced them to let her come up to Navesink Bank with us, so she could attend an intensive in-patient treatment center for her eating disorder, followed by staying with us until she went back to college.
She wasn’thealed, per se. But the much healthier food culture of the Grassi family was helping her work toward that end.
“What’s that for?” I asked, looking at the pumpkin.
“Someone got… inventive with their carving of it,” she said, glancing around, making her black ponytail swish, then turning the pumpkin to face me.
Inventive, alright.
It was a mini penis with massive balls.
“Kids,” I sighed.
“And, yet, you’re still making one,” she said, looking to my belly.
Hannah had been pretty firm about not wanting kids of her own. Sure, she was young. And maybe she would change her mind. But for now, she was focused on herself and her big career goals once she got back on track with her college career.
Luckily for her, while she waited for the next year to start, she had access to some brilliant businessmen and women. She was currently bouncing around between all of the Grassi Family businesses to soak up everything she could about business.
“Hopefully this one won’t feel the need to carve phalluses into private property.”
“I don’t know, there’s a certain artistic…” Hannah started, turning the pumpkin around. “Nope. Just a dick. Oh well. We can cut it open for the squirrels in the woods.” She set it down on the pile of other pumpkins that had gotten crushed or broken. Someone would set them out for the wildlife at the end of the shift. “Do you need me to drive you home?”
“Nope. Dante is coming to get me so we can go get some pizza.”
“You’re going to turn into a pizza.”
She wasn’t wrong.
My cravings were for three things and three things only: pizza, mashed potatoes, and white cranberry juice.
I was rolling with it after a truly horrific bout of morning sickness in the first and part of the second trimester where I couldn’t eat anything but dry crackers and tea, I went ahead and let myself eat whatever I wanted now that I could.
“Don’t worry. Giulia is going to stuff me full of roasted vegetables tomorrow night. Are you coming?”
“Would I miss it? I’m actually going early. Giulia is on a one-woman mission to teach me how to cook.”
“Considering you’ve burnt everything you’ve tried to make so far, I think she has her work cut out for her.”
“I’m on peeling duty. And pasta-stirring. I may or may not have almost burned down her kitchen last week. Okay. I’m out. Therapy,” she said, giving me a happy wave then rushing off to her car.
I watched her pull out and wave to Dante as he turned into the lot.
Pressing a hand to my stomach, I felt a smile spread across my face.
I had a healthy sister, a growing baby, a loving family, and the best husband a woman could ask for.
Everything was perfect.
“That is… oddly fitting,” Dante said, eyeing my shirt with the garden center’s logo on it.
“What does that mean?” I asked as he opened the car door for me.
“You’ll see.”
I didn’t bother to ask.
When he wanted to be, Dante was annoyingly good at keeping a secret.
