Surprise widened her eyes. I rarely complimented my mother. Our conversations always revolved around petty arguments or day-to-day discussions that barely scratched the surface. No wonder I hadn’t known anything about her childhood or her losses, her true story.

I’d never asked.

She squeezed back and smiled. “Thanks, Frannie.”

I felt the vibrations of texts pouring in from my phone, the flicker of the iPhone light going on and off like a pinball machine. My head throbbed. It must be bad. They probably needed me. I could be making a huge mistake by waiting to get back to them until later.

I dragged in a deep breath and focused on Allegra, who began chatting about the crazed pigeons from our dramatic incident, making us laugh all over again.

And I didn’t touch my phone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Sophia

There was a faint knock on my door. I left the private balcony where I’d spent the last half hour relaxing and gazing at the busy Venice street and opened it.

“Hi, Mom. How are you doing?”

I smiled at Frannie. She looked nice. The bright yellow shirt she’d picked highlighted the lighter blond streaks in her hair and the spark in her eyes. I’d noticed she’d been taking a bit more time with her appearance lately and I was glad. She was beautiful, but she hid behind her profession, always telling me she needed to dress conservatively, avoiding colors other than black, gray, and navy. Her hair was growing longer, and silky strands clung to her cheeks, accenting her wide dark eyes. She’d changed, but I still wasn’t sure if it was the time away from work, Italy itself, or something else I’d missed.

“Good. I took a long nap and I’m going to read for a while. What about you?”

She shifted her weight. “Well, I’m going to stay up until Allegra gets home safely at eleven but figured I’d go out for a little while. Grab a drink with the tour group. Is that okay? Do you want to come?”

“Oh, no, honey, go ahead and have fun. I’m perfectly happy to stare out my window and relax tonight. If you’re out, do you want me to text you when Allegra gets home? That way you don’t have to rush back.”

“Thanks, Mom, that’d be great.” She nibbled at her bottom lip. “You think it was a good idea to let her go with Ian, right?”

This was the first time she’d asked for my advice. It felt good. “Yes,” I said firmly. “You already spoke with his parents and she’s eighteen, honey. She needs a bit of freedom. She made a mistake but we need to allow her time to rebuild the trust. Let her have an adventure in Venice.”

Frannie smiled. “Okay, thanks. I’ll see you in the morning.” She kissed my cheek and disappeared.