La Serenissima

Pancakes

"I can't believe you're almost done, honey. I am so proud of you."

Ally blushed at her dad's compliments. She had called Lester earlier in the day and after shoving every customer out of the way and put his new employee into the line of fire with them all at the store, he had dived into a conversation about anything and everything. She had told him that she was almost done with everything and there were only a few more weeks until she was coming home.

Home. It was a strange thing to call Miami home still. For the past few years, home had been in Venice or in New York, not Miami. But who was she kidding, any where that her dad was would always be home to her. Lester had practically raised her after her mom, Penny, took a research fellowship in Africa and then subsequently Thailand, where she was right now. Her parents had divorced somewhere in the middle of everything and Ally really hadn't seen her mother in years. The last time she had really spoken with her was just before she decided to go back to school herself after getting her Masters.

Her dad was just always there. Supporting her, loving her, letting her follow her hearts desire and Ally would never ever forget that. If he had asked her to rob a bank for him, she probably would. There was absolutely nothing she wouldn't do for her dad. So in the middle of going on and on about packing and making sure everything she owned could still fit inside the three suitcases she brought, she asked him about his life and the store, and found that he was dating.

Dating. Her dad, Lester Michael Dawson, was dating.

Blinking her eyes and shaking her head, Ally leaned forward and was very interested in finding out all she could about her father's new girlfriend. Name, age, height, weight, if she had any priors...nothing was off topic.

"She's beautiful, honey. You don't have to worry about me. She's teaching me not to be such a cheapskate."

"You?"

"Yes, me. And don't knock me saving money. That money helped you out with Columbia," Lester pointed out.

It was true, it definitely had. She had gotten a few scholarships and grants along the way, but the rest was definitely her dad's doing and she was immensely grateful for it. She wouldn't have been able to apply for this program at all without him.

"But, she's good to you?"

Lester smiled back at her. "Yes, honey, she is. You'll get to meet her when you get home. Speaking of...I may have rearranged your room a little."

"Define a little..."

The hour went on and before she knew it, it was nearing five at night and looking around her room, she needed to clean it. Not that that was on the top of her list, but it still needed to be done. Saying goodbye to her dad and promising to call him again next week, Ally closed down her computer and started on sweeping up all the mess of clothes to launder and cleaning up the dirty plates sitting on the tables and her desk and somehow, inside her open wardrobe.

But just as soon as she started to clean things up, the bell echoed throughout the house. Ally threw the clothes back on the floor and furrowed her brow. No one should be coming around now. The Nicoletti's were gone on their annual Naples trip, and took Rico with them for good measure, Lazzaro was on his annual trip with friends to Pescara, and it was Sunday...wait, it was Sunday. Sunday.

"Crap," Ally muttered, as her eyes went wide and she raced down not just the main staircase, but the visitor's one as well. Out of breath and stumbling over her own feet, she pulled open the door and started apologizing immediately. Her words were fumbled and she was rambling and if he understood anything she actually was saying, she wasn't ever letting him go.