Why are you doing this then? a voice whispered from the darkest recesses of my mind.
But the answer was simple. I felt like I was about to lead a lamb to the slaughter, but if I didn’t, the slaughterer would come to my office, and it would become a public spectacle I desperately wanted to avoid.
I had dressed for the occasion, too. I was in all black from head to toe. It seemed fitting.
Serious misgivings about the evening swarmed around my mind as I headed out. This was an awful idea. A horrible one that was sure to backfire on me, even if it didn’t happen tonight.
Addy was waiting for me outside her apartment building when I arrived. She held an oven dish covered in tinfoil in her hands, and a wide smile lifted her lips when she spotted my car.
She seemed overly excited for someone who knew she was headed into the lion’s den. Waving as I pulled up to the curb, she made her way over to me.
“Hi,” she said cheerfully when I climbed out to get her door for her. “I made lasagna. Is your mom going to be okay with that?”
“It depends on how good it is,” I replied honestly. “Lasagna is a specialty of hers, though. She’s bound to be a harsh critic.”
Some color faded from Addy’s cheeks, but then she rallied. “Let her bring it on. Elena’s mom helped me perfect my recipe. It’s really good. I feel good about it.”
I reached across the console and squeezed her hand after we’d gotten into the car. She turned in her seat to face me as she clipped in her seatbelt. “It’ll be fine, Marco. Relax. I’ve got this.”
“No. No, you really don’t got this. There is no such thing as got this with my mother. Not for us.”
A soft smile spread on her lips before she lifted our joined hands and planted a kiss on the back of mine. “Just the fact that you’re this freaked out by it means it will be fine. I see how uncomfortable this situation makes you, and that means that you actually care.”
“Of course, I care. I’ve just found you. Do you know how difficult it will be to explain to clients why my brand-new and beloved liaison left after such a short stint at the company?”
“Stop worrying,” she said confidently. “I’m not going anywhere. Whatever your mom dishes out, I can take it. Trust me, I’m tougher than I look.”
I caught the tightening of her jaw as I pulled out of my parking spot. “I’m sure you are, but do you care to tell me why you suddenly look like you could punch someone?”
“Nope.” Her voice was cheerful again, singsong almost. But her posture was still stiff. “It’s not something we should get into on the way to your mother’s house. It’ll only put me in a bad mood to explain why I’ve had to be tougher than I look.”
A thought hit me that was so unexpected and so infuriating that it made red dots swim across my vision. My hand tightened on the steering wheel until it felt like it might disintegrate beneath my grip.
“Did someone hurt you?” I gritted out. I’d never really questioned her motives for leaving the States and not having any intention of moving back. She’d claimed it was because she’d always wanted to travel, but was there more to it than that?
Addy let out a humorless chuckle, then shook her head. “Not in the way you’re thinking. I’ve been hurt a lot but never physically.”
Some tension melted out of my muscles but not all of it. “I won’t push you for details now because I really don’t want to put you in a bad mood, but can we talk about this later?”
“Sure,” she said with a flippant wave of her hand. “Later. Much later. Like months from now later.”
I expelled a soft breath, but I didn’t argue. If she wanted to tell me in a few months’ time when she was ready, I was just going to have to suck it up and wait.
As we entered my mother’s neighborhood, nerves skittered across my skin. It felt like I had touched a live wire, and it was as unpleasant as it was foreign. I never felt like this. Not anymore anyway.
“Just so I’m clear, no matter what happens, you won’t quit your job, right?” I asked as I rounded the last corner to the house.
Addy sat up straighter, seemingly sensing that we were getting close. “No matter what happens, I won’t quit my job.”
“Good,” I said. “That’s good. I’m holding you to that.”
“Please do.” She smiled and reached out to me, running her fingers along the scruff on my jaw. I hadn’t shaven earlier. The black stubble matched my mood. “I think I like this. It’s prickly, but it suits you.”
“I’m prickly?” I risked a glance at her. “That’s strange. I didn’t think I was prickly around you.”
“Not usually, no,” she agreed. “But you have been these last couple of days.”
I swallowed past a dry spot in my throat. I was going to need so much Grappa when we got there. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be. I’d also like to apologize in advance for anything my mom might say.”
“You don’t have to apologize for her.” Addy’s voice was quieter now, barely audible above the hum of the engine. “She’s your mom. She raised you, but that doesn’t mean you can be held responsible for her actions. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you nervous.”
“Don’t get used to it,” I grumbled. “I don’t do nervous. I haven’t been truly nervous for years.”
“Why are you so nervous about this then? You already have my word that I won’t quit. What else is bugging you?”
Releasing a huff of air, I leaned into her
