Love in the Vineyard (Tavonesi #7)(50)

“He was great,” Natasha said. “He has the most positive outlook of anyone I’ve met in a long time.”

Mary eyed her. “That’s the key, a positive outlook.” Her eyes twinkled. “I found him a job at your vineyard.”

“It’s not my vineyard.”

Mary laughed. “He starts next week. He’s smart and works hard.”

“You’re an angel in disguise.”

“Hardly.” She handed Natasha the box. “It took some doing, but I finally dug these up. Consider it a house-warming present.”

Natasha opened the box and pulled out an old yellow Walkman. She hadn’t seen one for years.

“I know how the screens of new players are hard for you to work. All you have to do with this is put a tape in and hit this button.”

Natasha pulled out one of the cassette tapes.

“The tapes are old,” Mary said, “but the exercises are effective.”

“Exercises?”

“It’s a program for overcoming dyslexia.”

Natasha found it hard to return Mary’s beaming smile. Everybody had their quick-fix remedy. Even with new stories coming out in the press and with Hollywood stars owning up to being dyslexic, most people still believed that if a person with dyslexia just tried harder, they could overcome their disability.

Mary dug in the bottom of the box and came up with a yellowed pamphlet.

“You just play the tapes and follow along in this book. It worked great for my nephew.”

Natasha hugged Mary. “Thank you. For this”—she nodded to the box of tapes—“and for this.” She swept her arm to the open door of the apartment.

“Let me help you unpack.”

If it had been anyone other than Mary, she would’ve refused. But Mary knew her secrets. There was nothing more to hide. Well, almost nothing. Eddie was one secret she didn’t need to share.

They made quick work of placing the boxes in the appropriate rooms. One big room held the kitchen, eating counter and living room. Tyler had his own bedroom in the back, adjacent to hers.

“You need a sofa,” Mary said. “I’ll have Enrique bring the one over from storage at Inspire. It needs a good home.” She turned to gaze out the big window overlooking the lawn. “And you need some flowers out there.”

“The project rules don’t allow for planting except in the boxes dividing the apartment lawns and by the mailboxes.”

“That’s a silly rule.” Mary took Natasha’s hands in hers. “Though I already miss you and Tyler, I love it when my girls move out and get their own places.”

Natasha hugged Mary. And held her. There was truth to the reports that peace could come from a hug. Tears threatened, but after her outburst at Adrian’s, she had them under better control. Or maybe something in her had shifted that night. She felt different, that was for sure.

“I’ll miss you too,” she said as Mary broke off their hug.

“Well, you’re just a few minutes down the road. I’ll be expecting a dinner invitation.”

Mary crossed her arms and tilted her head, holding Natasha in the eagle-eyed gaze that told her a lecture was coming.

“You know, you don’t have to make things so hard for yourself.” She nodded toward the box on the counter. “Those tapes, they’re good. But not as good as working with an expert. You could take a class at the community college, work with one of their interns.”

Natasha knew this routine too. Petey had tried to get her to take a class. But classes weren’t for hopeless cases like her. They were for people who transposed the occasional number or letter, not for people who had the dissociation problems that she did. She’d seen a documentary just before Tyler was born. Nothing worked for people like her.

“I’ll think about it,” she said. “And I’d love the sofa.”

Her phone rang in her pocket. Her first thought was that something had happened to Tyler. His class had gone into the city to visit the Academy of Sciences. Her hands shook as she clicked to take the call.

“Natasha?”

Adrian.

“Yes.” She looked over to Mary.

“I’ll just be going,” Mary mouthed and sailed out the door.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch,” Adrian said through the static of a bad cell connection. “I was called away to Rome. My brother’s in the hospital.”

“Oh,” was all Natasha managed since her heart was pounding in her throat.

“Nothing serious, he just inhaled too much straw while mulching a vineyard and got heat stroke on top of it. He’s bullheaded and forgets that we have people to do those kinds of things.”

People. She was one of those people.

“Oh,” she repeated. Adrian. Calling from Rome. Calling her.

“I’ll be back midweek or by the weekend at the latest. I have a surprise for you,” he said in a cheery tone. That he could switch emotions so quickly disturbed her. Frightened her. Made her warier. She wasn’t a toy.

“Adrian. No more surprises.” The date for the ballet and finding out his identity had been enough surprise for a lifetime.

“I think you’ll like this one.”

“No.”

“Don’t worry. It’s perfect.”