She shrugged and opened the bag, the smell of sugary goodness wafting up, and her mouth watered. “It’s okay,” she said, reaching in. “I’m relieved they know. I was going to tell them anyway, if . . .”

She trailed off, focusing on her head muffin. If you’d said you wanted to choose me, too. She was glad to have something to stuff in her face for the time being.

He set a hand on her thigh and checked his phone. “We should hear something pretty soon, I’d guess, judging by how long this surgery usually takes.”

Nora nodded and chewed, watching Marian and Emily across the way, watching as Will easily joined into their conversation—asking Emily about the plant in the corner (“It’s not a real plant,” Emily said, and Nora had a feeling Will already knew that but wanted to give Emily a laugh), talking to Marian about the next poetry night (“I’ve been getting into poetry,” Will said to her, and Marian gave him a look like he was 100 percent lying). She thought about all the things she’d feared that day Will had crashed the building meeting—all the ways she thought she was letting Nonna down, all the ways she thought she was letting her neighbors down.

But right now, in this bland, uncomfortable waiting room, Nora watched Will make conversation with two of her toughest-crowd neighbors, all the while waiting for a health update on the man who was, no doubt, the third toughest. She thought about Nonna and how she liked good manners and pleasant conversation and anyone who liked marinara sauce, and also anyone who liked Nora. Nonna would have been charmed, for sure. Real estate feuds aside, Nonna would have liked having Will as part of this little family.

He’s come around, she told herself firmly, and with a small sigh of relief, she finished the last of her muffin, rested her head against Will’s shoulder, and settled in to wait.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Eventually, Marian and Emily went home, too.

The doctor had called around nine, reporting that Jonah was out of the surgery on his leg, doing fine in recovery, no complications. Nora had sagged against Will, already reaching for her phone to call Benny. Marian and Emily had both pressed their hands together and closed their eyes, twin prayers of thanks before they’d turned to hug each other tight. It’d be a while longer before Jonah would be transferred to his room for the night, and Nora had insisted that Marian and Emily go, had promised that she’d stay the whole night through.

“I’ve got all my things, anyway,” she’d said, gesturing toward her suitcase, and Emily and Marian had both turned their eyes on Will expectantly.

“I’m staying,” he’d said, and it felt like their official seal of approval when they’d nodded and finally agreed to make their way home.