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M a slumps on to the plastic visitor’s chair, her legs sticking out in front of her like a doll’s. ‘Ten years ago...I looked into selling the bar.’

Giulio and I gasp. The bar is everything to Nina. It’s all she talks about. It’s her way of life, not just a job...and now, having worked there, I understand it in a way I never could before. It’s family, it’s history, it’s identity...it’s our piece of Rome.

What was Ma thinking?

‘Oh, it was a bit more than that, Caterina,’ Nina says coldly. ‘You and Bertolli had the contract all ready for me to sign.’

I think of the slimy way Bertolli prowled around the bar at the language swap. He doesn’t just want the Vespa. He wants the whole thing.

‘The bar was in bad shape,’ Ma protests. ‘You have to adm—’

‘You mean I was in bad shape,’ Nina cuts her off. ‘Just because I’d reached retirement age. That’s what hurt me the most, Caterina.’

‘That’s not true, Mamma.’ Ma clutches her forehead, as if to stop the memories resurfacing.

‘I didn’t know what else to do. The bar was struggling.

I’d moved away to Scotland, but I felt guilty every single day for leaving.

And then Bertolli – he made it sound like you would still manage it, that he just wanted to turn it around. ’

Nina doesn’t speak when Ma pauses for breath, but her stillness and the fact she’s not interrupting like she usually does gives Ma that extra bit of courage to carry on.

‘I’ve been trying to tell you I was wrong for years.

I thought I was doing it for you...but the truth is I wanted you with me.

I thought if you weren’t so tied up with the bar, you could spend time with us.

..in Scotland.’ Ma’s voice cracks then, and I see into it, to the pain of the past, how much she’s missed having Nina in her life.

Nina doesn’t look up, but there’s a shift – a softening in her tough exterior. ‘Well, Caterina...if Bertolli is serious about repossessing the bar...that may well happen.’

‘But we have to stop him!’ I look at the faces around me, each one tense and strained. ‘We can’t let him win. Not when the bar’s doing so well. You should see it, Nina. We’ve started up a language swap and it’s really taken off.’

Nina’s eyes find mine. ‘And my customers? Bringing in new people is one thing, but are they scaring away the regulars? Are these changes pushing out the people who’ve kept this place alive for years?’

The chill in her voice makes me hesitate, but I push through. ‘We didn’t set out to change too much. But I really think it’s been helping.’

‘They are enjoying it. Enrico has been in every evening, too, not just for breakfast.’ Giulio’s fingers brush the back of my hand and I don’t think it’s accidental.

He’s letting me know he’s there...for me.

A few weeks ago, he might’ve agreed with Nina, that I didn’t understand the bar or its history.

But now...now he’s on my side. We’re a team.

Nina’s expression softens slightly, but the protectiveness is still there.

‘I appreciate the effort, Livia. I do. But don’t forget what the bar means, and who it’s meant for.

I don’t want it turning into a fancy drinks venue that doesn’t value loyal customers.

And if Bertolli gets his hands on it, that’s exactly what it will become. ’