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As Vinny and Massio go to his office, I clutch Bonnie tighter against my chest, giving her a hug. “You’re such a clever girl.” She squeezes my cheeks and brings her lips to mine, delivering me a sloppy kiss and making me giggle. “You walked for Papa?”

“Papa!” she shouts, clear as day, and my heart hammers, and tears fill my eyes.

“She does love Vincent, that’s for sure, and I’ve never seen him so attached to a little one.” Hazel smiles in our direction. “I made us some hot cocoa.” She tilts her head toward the patio, and I smile. She reminds me of my mother, but an older, wiser version, one I wish I could keep.

“Thank you.”

“Come”—she gestures—“I have a blanket laid outside for Bonnie too, and there’re some toys the grandchildren have left.” As we step outside, she motions toward the plastic toy box, and I place Bonnie down on the blanket while she turns the outdoor heater up .

I take a seat on the huge sofa, with fluffy blankets and cushions, luxuries I’ve only ever witnessed on television.

When I first arrived here for the Halloween party, I couldn’t understand how this was someone’s home, and a family member’s at that.

My father never spoke a good word about Vinny or his relatives, and even at a young age, I heard the jealousy in his tone.

“How’s your day been?” Hazel asks, and I wrinkle my nose.

She lets out an almighty chuckle that makes her chest bounce and causes Bonnie to jolt. “That good?”

“I don’t like malls.”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “Well, that’s different. So, what do you like? What did you do for fun at home?”

My mind wanders when I consider her question.

“When I lived with my mother, it was on a ranch.” Hazel nods along to my words, and excitement builds inside me as I tell her about my childhood.

“We had stables and horses. Mine was Minnie, she had the glossiest brown coat and most brooding eyes. I’d ride her bareback until the sun went down.

Even on the hottest of days, she’d ride for miles. ” I smile at the memory.

“Are the horses still at your mama’s ranch?”

I shake my head. “I’m not sure. My father assured me he was caring for them, though.” I play with the hem of my T-shirt, and she eyes me skeptically.

Then she clears her throat. “What else did you like, honey?”

“The church. I’m not religious, not like my mama anyway, but I like helping people. ”

She sits forward. “I go to church, and we have fundraisers, is that something you’d like to help with?”

I bite into my lip, looking at my lap, unwilling to commit to anything. “I’d have to ask Vinny.”

She smiles and pats my leg. “You leave Vinny to me.”

When I meet her eyes, I mirror the smile on her face. Something tells me Hazel is trying to get me to stay, and as tempting as it is, I want to go home.