“Mom, it’s not a relationship,” Marino said into the telephone. “I’m only trying to help her.”
“Tony, do you think I don’t know what’s going on?” his mother scolded. “I know you better than you know yourself. And don’t try to tell me differently.”
“But I’m telling you the truth,” he said, even though his heart was telling him otherwise.
“I think you care about this woman,” his mother insisted.
Marino was quiet. His mother had a knack for being right, but he wasn’t sure how. “I’ll see what happens,” he said softly. “She’s a nice person, attractive on many different levels.”
“You’ll see,” his mother said. “I’m right and you know it. You haven’t realized it yet, but you will.”
He smiled, imagining her face as she talked on the phone. “I’ll let you know what happens,” he said.
“Is she c
