Chapter 22: New Terms

The families left the lake house by midnight, and the last of them was Allegra's mother.

She stopped at the door and kissed my forehead, on the little mark.

"Come to my house on Thursday," she said. "I'll teach you her lemon cake."

"Yes, signora."

"Call me Mama. She would have wanted it."

I could not answer her, so I nodded.

When the car had gone, the house was very quiet.

Vincenzo stood at the foot of the stairs with his hands in his pockets.

He waited to hear what I would say.

"Terms," I said.

He took his hands out of his pockets.

"Whatever you want."

"Don't say that yet. You haven't heard them."

I sat down on the third stair so that our eyes were level.

"One," I said. "There's no year anymore. I don't get a house and a pile of money for leaving."

His face went very still.

"You buy me a house anyway," I said. "I pick it, and it goes in my name."

"The money goes into an account that is mine, and it's there whether I stay or go."

"Mara."

"I'm staying because I want to. That's how it has to be, or it isn't worth anything to me."

His voice came out rough.

"And two?"

"Two. You tell me where you are when I ask, and I tell you where I am when you ask. Both of us."

"Yes."

"Three. We both keep our phones. Unlocked, if the other one wants. No locked doors between us."

"Yes."

"Four. No lies. About anything. Not the small ones either."

"I'll never lie to you again."

"Five." I took a breath. "If I ever need to run, I tell you first."

"I tell you where and why. You don't follow unless I ask you to."

He was silent so long that I thought I had gone too far.

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