Jude asked. Out of respect for Italy and the rest of the world, Riley had been trying to keep her nonstop smiling to a minimum all day, but it was proving to be difficult. Especially when she knew that in five minutes’ time she’d be home from the library and seeing Will again. His habit of meeting her after work had been broken because of a meeting with his investors, but he’d just sent her a text message saying that he was in his apartment with a surprise. She smiled again, getting caught in musing about what the surprise could be before realizing that Jude was waiting for an answer. “I just want to make sure that you’re not doing anything you might regret,” Riley said, trying for tact. But it was hard not to just come out and ask her mother what she was doing, remembering the continuous mentions of the gallery owner, not to mention the fact that Jude had once again called to say that she was going to have delay Will and Riley’s trip to see her.
