“It’s a cemetery.” My voice was like weak tea.
He turned and looked at me, not quite making eye contact. “I know. And the last thing you need is a reminder of everything you’ve been through this year. But I think you’ll find that this place grows on you. It’s really peaceful and it has a lot of interesting history. Your mother loved it. And after being here almost seventeen years, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
His voice was hopeful, but I slumped back in my seat, a swarm of questions taking flight in my mind. If she loved it so much, then why didn’t she ever tell me about it? Why didn’t she ever talk about you until she got sick? And for the love of all that’s holy, what made her leave out the teeny-tiny detail that you’re my father?
Howard absorbed my silence for a moment, then opened his car door. “Let’s head inside. I’ll get your suitcase.”
All six foot five of him walked around to the back of the car, and I leaned over to watch him in the side mirror. My grandma had been the one to fill in the blanks. He’s your father; that’s why she wanted you to live with him. I probably should have seen it coming. It’s just that good old buddy Howard’s true identity seemed like the sort of thing my mother would have at least mentioned.
Howard closed the trunk, and I straightened up and started rifling through my backpack, buying myself another few seconds. Lina, think. You’re alone in a foreign country, a certifiable giant has just stepped forward as your father, and your new home could be the setting for a zombie apocalypse movie. Do something.
But what? Short of wrestling the car keys from Howard, I couldn’t think of a single way to get out of going into that house. Finally I unbuckled my seat belt and followed him to the front door.
Inside, the house was aggressively normal—like maybe it thought it could make up for its location if it just tried hard enough. Howard set my suitcase down in the front entryway, and then we walked into a living room with two overstuffed chairs and a leather sofa. There were a bunch of vintage travel posters on the walls, and the whole place smelled like it had been soaking in garlic and onions. But in a good way. Obviously.
“Welcome home,” Howard said, switching on the main light. Fresh panic smacked me in the face, and he winced when he saw my expression. “I mean, welcome to Italy. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Howard?”
“Hi, Sonia.”
A tall, gazelle-like woman stepped into the room. She was maybe a few years older than Howard, with coffee-colored skin and rows of gold bracelets on each arm. Gorgeous. And also a surprise.
“Lina,” she said, enunciating my name carefully. “You made it. How were your flights?”
I shifted from one foot to the other. Was someone going to introduce us? “They were okay. The last one was really long.”
“We’re so glad you’re here.” She beamed at me, and there was a thick moment of silence.
Finally I stepped forward. “So . . . you’re Howard’s wife?”
Howard and Sonia looked at each other and then practically started howling with laughter.
Lina Emerson. Comic genius.
Finally Howard got himself under control. “Lina, this is Sonia. She’s the assistant superintendent of the cemetery. She’s been working here even longer than I have.”
“Just by a few months,” Sonia said, wiping her eyes. “Howard always makes me sound like a dinosaur. My house is on the property too, a little closer to the memorial.”
“How many people live here?”
“Just us two. Now three,” Howard said.
“And about four thousand soldiers,” Sonia added, grinning. She squinted at Howard, and I glanced back just in time to see him frantically running one finger across his throat. Nonverbal communication. Great.
Sonia’s smile vanished. “Lina, are you hungry? I made a lasagna.”
That’s what that smell was. “I’m pretty hungry,” I admitted. Understatement.
“Good. I made my specialty. Lasagna with extra-garlicky garlic bread.”
“Yes!” Howard said, pumping his arm like a housewife on The Price Is Right. “You decided to spoil us.”
“It’s a special night, so I thought I’d go all out. Lina, you probably want to wash your hands. I’ll dish up and you can meet us in the dining room.”
Howard pointed across the living room. “Bathroom’s over there.”