“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
She laughed. “No need for that, my dear boy. You can call me nonna or Angela, if you prefer.”
“Yes, of course,” Nate nodded. “Is there something I can help with?”
Maddy’s grandma pierced him with a scrutinizing look. “Do you actually know what you’re doing or is that your way of trying to get into my good graces?”
Nate was suddenly feeling fidgety. “Both?”
Angela chuckled at his words and Nate felt his shoulders relaxing.
“At least you’re honest,” she said.
Madison had been suspiciously silent throughout the whole exchange. A brief glance at her confirmed she had been following their interaction with an expression akin to open curiosity, fascination and trepidation.
Nate subtly pinched her side, to which she squealed before covering it with a cough.
“You know how to cook?” Madison asked him, rubbing her side.
“Well, I’m not going to be the next Top Chef, but I think I fend well for myself. It’s come in handy throughout the years,” he said, his eyes tracking Madison’s look of barely contained astonishment.
He really liked being the recipient of such a look from her.
“Over the years?” Angela asked, frowning. “Aren’t you only 17?”
Nate hoped he’d done a good job of covering his sudden panic effectively. He cleared his throat.
“Yes, it’s just that sometimes it feels like I’ve lived for much longer.”
Angela pinned him with her stormy eyes before nodding in what appeared like understanding.
“What are you waiting for, then? Grab a knife from that drawer and start chopping those cherry tomatoes over there.”
Nate went over to the sink to wash his hands and got to work, happy to be of help to this tiny drill sergeant. Angela was making pasta, an authentic Italian recipe, and the aromas were getting stronger by the minute. Their easy back and forth gave them the chance to chat over the preparation of several ingredients, of the setting of the table, and the exchanging of cooking tips.
She made talking to her comfortable and Nate could see why Madison adored her. She was a sharp woman who looked to be fiercely protective of the people she loved. And she looked at Madison with the kind of love that moved worlds not just mountains.
A quick glance over his shoulder found Madison stacking up several boxes of board games with a serious frown of concentration more appropriate for disarming a bomb. He couldn’t help the soft chuckle that escaped him. Which of course wasn’t lost on nonna Angela.
“She’s a piece of work, my Maddy.” Angela’s gentle voice drifted over to him over the simmering sounds of the food.
Nate nodded, feeling his lips tilting upwards. “That she is.”
“I hope for your sake that you can handle it.”
Nate turned to look at Angela and held her gaze steady and unflinchingly.
Angela seemed satisfied with what she saw there because she nodded and simply said, “Okay.”
The afternoon went on just as well as it had started. The pasta had tasted as delicious as it had smelled, Nate helping himself to seconds embarrassingly fast. After cleaning everything up, they settled for several turns of Monopoly, Cluedo, and Scrabble, to which he had first class seat to the family’s competitive spirit. Italian television game shows were next, of which Nate unfortunately did not understand a word but seemed to entertain both grandma and granddaughter immensely.
At some point, he excused himself for a few minutes to use the bathroom, only to find Madison in the corridor afterwards.
“Hey,” she said, smiling up at him. “I hope we didn’t bore you too much tonight. Nonna might not tell you, but I think she had a great time.”
Stepping closer to her, he reached out and threaded their fingers lightly, rubbing his thumb on her pulse. “I’m glad she did, and I did, too. Plus, she promised me the recipe before I go and that is a huge win in my book.”
Madison grinned, her eyes sparkling.
