Osana rushed to Shad’s bedroom that night as he folded a shirt into a suitcase. “What’s going on?” She joined him by the king-size, sleigh bed. “Abby said you’re taking a trip?”
“I’m going to Italy.” He piled another shirt on the other in the suitcase.
“And you couldn’t tell me?” She plopped on the bed, grabbing at the silver and gray comforter.
“I didn’t know until yesterday,” he said in a firm tone. “I’m gonna stay with an old friend who lives in Rome. We met in college and he was an exchange student.” He gathered socks and ties from the reddish-brown armoire. “His mother’s dying of cancer and doctors feel it’ll be any day now before she—”
“I’m sorry.” She admired that he’d drop everything to help a friend, but she still didn’t want him to go.
“He’s an only child.” He stuffed the ti
