Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

Author:Jennifer Probst [Probst, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2021-01-12T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Allegra

I didn’t get much sleep last night. Besides Nonni snoring, I kept thinking about Mom and how she lied right to my face. I’m not sure why this was the time that bothered me the most—she’d been ditching me for work my whole life—but I honestly felt betrayed. Like she told me straight up she was going to try harder, and then the moment the office calls her, she jumps.

I shouldn’t have believed her in the first place.

I promised myself for the rest of the trip, I’d keep her at a distance. It was the best way. Better not to expect anything and be surprised if it worked out.

David had finally Snapchatted, with Freda and Connor. We messaged back and forth for a while and they sent pics of him playing onstage. I noticed the tons of girls surrounding him, and he’d managed to book another gig at the same place. Freda said they’d found a supplier and were able to get a steady supply of weed, and that the Jersey beach town was kick-ass and cool.

The anger and frustration at what I was missing hit me hard. I’d lost the opportunity to bond with David, and even though I was enjoying Italy more than I thought I would, Mom had managed to dump me again. Maybe I should just concentrate on my grandmother. I’d study the food and art and come home a more well-rounded version of myself.

I was polite at breakfast and refused to let my mom see that I was hurt. I hated that Nonni looked sad as she studied both of us. Mom was hurting her too; she just didn’t realize it. The thought of the three of us staying in Tuscany for a week made me want to scream. I decided then I’d try to bail early, even if I had to fake an illness. The tour was enough. I refused to watch her work while Nonni and I tried to pretend it was okay.

We reached the marina and climbed onto the boat for our tour around the island. I’d hoped Ian would ask to sit with me again, but he spent the morning with his parents. I heard them laughing and joking around. Must be cool to feel so close to both parents. I’d never know.

When the boat cut its way through the water to head toward the Blue Grotto, I was struck by the vivid colors of blue ocean and sky, giant white yachts and earthy rocks spurting out in various twisted shapes. Droplets of water misted my face as we made our way around the island. In my peripheral vision, I spotted Ian whispering something to his mother, and then he was walking over to me with a smile. Dressed in white shorts, a blue polo shirt, and old sneakers, he looked comfortable yet confident. As if he was happy in his own body. His ginger hair was mussed from the wind and his blue eyes sparkled as bright as the sea.

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