“No, but I can’t leave here without him knowing about it.”
“I’ll find out when I get back.”
I can hear footsteps out in the hall. I’m guessing he’s on his way back. “I’ve got to go. He’s coming.”
“I’ll find out if Nico’s telling the truth or not. You keep him sweet for now. I’ll get in touch with Giovanni the minute I get back.”
“How will you find him?”
“I’m sure my mom will have his phone number somewhere. She knows everyone. Listen, please don’t think you need to do all this for my sake. I can get to college without help.”
“How? Who’s going to pay for it?”
I look up. Nico is standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. “Pay for what?” he asks.
“I’ve got to go,” I tell Cara. “Speak to you when you get here.”
I hang up, holding the phone out toward Nico.
“Keep it,” he says. “It’s yours. Pay for what?”
“Nothing. Listen, I want to thank you.”
“What for?”
“What do you think? For bringing Cara back. For agreeing to put her through college.”
He wags a finger in the air. “Only if you stick to your side of the deal.”
I nod at him, thinking about what Cara just told me. Am I lying to him?
I’m withholding information. That’s not the same thing.
I think he’s telling me the truth but I need to be sure. If Cara is willing to speak to Giovanni for me, I’ll be able to make up my own mind about this.
I’ve spent too long having my mind made up for me. Listening to men telling me what to think.
I could roll my eyes at the situation I’m in. I’ve gone from having my parents planning a marriage for me to Nico Casella planning my marriage. I still get no say in things. “I want to be clear about a couple of things,” I tell him.
“Go ahead.”
“This is just to get you what you want, right? You don’t want to stay married, do you?”
He looks at me and he seems on the verge of saying something. Then he shifts his arms slightly. “No,” he says at last. “I’m not the settling down type.”
“You sure about that? You look like you’d suit a Labrador and a pair of slippers?”
He frowns at me but I see a flicker of a smile on his lips when he answers. “You want a gingham dress and a picket fence? You don’t seem the type for that, sneaking out to nightclubs and fucking total strangers.”
“Is that what being married to you entails?”
“The picket fence or the nightclubs?”
“You’re teasing me.”
“You cook the apple pies and take care of the kids. I go out drinking and smoking and come home to find my dinner on the table. That’s marriage.”
“Wait, hold on. 1952 called. They want their husband back.”