baby monitor. Marco had overheard her and Enzo’s little exchange.
“Hi!” Enzo said loudly, grabbing Marco’s collar. “Joos!”
“Hey, little man,” Marco said, rubbing his cheek against Enzo’s. “Did you miss Papa?”
Her chest tightened at the scene and at Marco’s words. She had no reason to feel guilty. She couldn’t have stayed any longer in a marriage that wasn’t working, one that had simply originated out of necessity because of pregnancy. Sure, it had been painful to take Enzo away from Italy and his papa. Not to mention the doting great-grandmother who adored him. But Brianna was slowly becoming a mere shell of herself there. That was no way to raise a child. Especially considering she was doing most of it on her own with Marco gone long hours for days on end.
“He likes to sit by the window and drink it while I get his breakfast ready,” she said, handing Enzo a full sippy cup.
Marco sighed and put his son down. Enzo immediately scuttled to the love seat in front of the bay window.
“Do you suppose he remembers me?” Marco asked.
“I’m sure he does.”
Marco looked skeptical. His eyes bored into hers. “I’m glad one of us is sure.”
The implication was clear. There was no doubt in her mind who Marco would blame if Enzo in fact didn’t remember him.
BRIANNA CHOSE TO try to ignore the tension in the air. Pushing her way around Marco to grab the bread off the counter, she dropped two slices into the toaster and stared at it, as if toasting bread took the utmost concentration. All the while she could feel Marco’s gaze on her back.
“I have to get to the restaurant today,” she said. “You’ll have to find a way to keep yourself busy.”
She moved to the refrigerator for the butter. Marco stood directly in front of it. He, of course, refused to budge. She brushed past him, the slight physical contact just enough to inflame her nerves.
“I’ll stay right here with my son,” Marco said.
Opening the door as wide as she could with him standing there, Brianna reached for the butter drawer. “I’m afraid not.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Enzo’s nanny will be here any minute. She usually has the whole day planned for him.”
He shrugged. “You can give her the day off.”
Brianna slowly shut the refrigerator door. “It’s too late to do that. She’s probably on the train right now.”
“So tell her when she gets here. I don’t see a problem.”
“I’m not going to tell her she’s wasted a trip. Or that she’ll have to miss a day of compensation.”
Marco looked up to the ceiling and sighed. His expression made him look every bit the part of a man holding on to the last of his patience. “I’ll compensate her for the commute and give her two days’ pay for her trouble. A week’s pay.”
That was so typical of Marco. “You think you can solve anything with money.”
“I’ve found very few issues money couldn’t solve,” he replied, his voice hard.
“Well, this is my home and I won’t allow it,” she declared just as the doorbell rang.
At the sound, Enzo jumped up and yelled “Ding-dong!”
Brianna barely caught him before he tumbled off the cushion onto the floor. He wailed in protest. The doorbell rang again. And again.
“I’m coming. I’m coming.” Brianna set Enzo down gently on his feet. Marco gave her another amused smirk.
She scowled back and opened the door. “Mrs. Schelling. You’re here.”
Her nanny trotted inside and let out a loud “humph” before turning to her. “I only came for one thing, and then I’ll be going.” The grim set of the woman’s lips sent alarms ringing in Brianna’s head.
Not now, not today. She forced a smile, almost certain she knew what was about to happen. “Oh. All right. Why don’t we go talk in the kitchen?”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I’ve come to quit.”
Brianna’s heart dived. Somehow she kept her smile in place. Putting her arm around the other woman’s plump shoulders, she tried to move her toward the kitchen. Away from Marco.
“Don’t even joke like that, Mrs. Schelling.”
Mrs. Schelling didn’t move. “This is no joke, Miss Brianna. I refuse to tolerate any more from that young man.” Squinting, she pointed to Enzo. Enzo in turn stopped sucking on his cup long enough to give Mrs. Schelling a wide grin.
“I don’t understand.” Brianna dropped her arm.
Mrs. Schelling held out her palm. “I quit and I’d like my remaining payment.”
“But why?”
“I can no longer take care of your son. Life is too short. And I’m afraid I’ve already lived the bulk of mine at my age.”
Brianna didn’t dare look at Marco. She had no doubt what he had to be thinking. In his eyes, she had failed him as his wife and now she was clearly failing as a single mother.
This was the last impression she would have hoped to give upon seeing him again. Rather than proving her independence and abilities, she was instead coming off as flighty and in disarray, unable to get her act straight.
All she’d ever wanted was a stable home, some roots. With the arrival of her son, that had seemed like a real possibility. But now it was all going to rot somehow. She may have ended up with a family but it had come about in a random and haphazard manner. Now even that was falling apart.
“I’ve been thinking about this all night. Agonizing over the decision,” Mrs. Schelling was saying. Listening to her was like trying to focus as the walls crumbled around her. Brianna had tried so hard to lay the groundwork perfectly for her return to the United States. All to watch it implode now. And just her luck, Marco was here to witness the latest catastrophe.
The older woman paused to take a deep breath. “Your son is simply too much for me to handle. I dare say he’s too much for anyone to handle.”
Now that was a bit much. Brianna looked directly into the older woman’s eyes. “He’s barely two. He just doesn’t know any better.”
Mrs. Schelling took a tiny step back. Maybe it was the edge that had crept into her voice. It was a small source of satisfaction.
“Nevertheless, I don’t have to put up with his behavior. Not for any amount of money.”
Brianna
