Page 111 of Fish out of Water
The door dinged again and my mother joined the clusterfuck taking over my office.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Christ.”
I caught a bony elbow to the gut. “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.”
“You’re not making that easy.”
“Do you know his missing uncle?” Valentina didn’t miss the opportunity and I couldn’t blame her.
“It’s my brother.” My grandmother adjusted the tennis bracelet around her wrist. “He’s a pain in the ass too.” She looked my way, visibly sizing me up. “Must be genetic.”
“So his uncleismissing?” Valentina seemed a little relieved.
She shouldn’t be.
“My Uncle Vito is missing.” Somehow this day had taken a one-eighty. Less than five minutes ago I was deciding what to bring Julia today for her lunch.
Now I was trying to figure out how to explain the situation to Valentina. “But I would really like to talk to you in my office.”
My mother’s brows climbed up her forehead as she took in the scene around her.
“Whatever you have to say to Valentina, you can say in front of all of us.” My grandmother scooted in at Valentina’s side and crossed her arms. “Right?”
Valentina tipped her head in a nod. “Right.”
For fuck’s sake.
My best bet was to cut straight to the chase.
Keep it simple and on point.
“I don’t want to reschedule our dinner date.” I blew out a breath, mustering up the nuts to spit out the rest. “While I was looking for my uncle I met someone.”
Valentina stared at me. “Wow.” She huffed out a breath of air. “You could have returned one of my calls to tell me that.”
“I should have done that.” It was a dick move. One I’m sure I would be hearing about for years. “You deserved better.”
Valentina straightened, her chin lifting a little. “You’re right.”
“Want me to spit in his dinner?”
Valentina glanced at my grandmother. “No. I appreciate the offer though.” She turned back to me. “I hope you find your uncle.”
“Thank you.”
Valentina spun away to face my grandmother, putting her back to me. “It was lovely to meet you, Sylvia.” She patted her on the shoulder before standing tall and walking out the door, head held high.
My grandmother watched her go. “That one’s a class act.”
“She is.” I had to agree.
But she wasn’t Julia.
“Handled that better than I would have.” My grandmother went to the coffee bar and plopped a single-serve pod into the maker, flipping down the lid before pressing the button. “I would have kicked you in the nuts.”
I slid a cup under the drip right as it started to dispense. “You can’t get your leg high enough to kick me in the nuts.”
“I could have when I was her age.” She leaned to peek at me over the top of her glasses. “Used to be able to get my legs behind my head if you know what I mean.”
