Page 61 of Sleeping with the Frenemy
Now Leo was left with a chicken versus egg scenario. What had come first? Her not thinking she could count on him or his actions making her think he was unreliable. Did it even really matter? The main point was that she felt she couldn’t trust him to be there for her, take care of her, or place her needs above his own. That was something he was going to have to change and he would. He was going to do whatever it took to make sure Sofi knew she could rely on him.
15
Sofi titled her face up to the sun, took a deep breath, and released it. She hadn’t felt so at peace for a minute. It wasn’t just because of the gorgeous weather, La Lupe—the queen of Latin soul—playing from the speaker next to her, or her dog cuddled up on her lap. It was the fact that she wasn’t stuck in her office juggling a bunch of projects she couldn’t care less about. After a long week and a half of late nights trying to get ahead on her work projects so she could focus on the wedding without guilt, she was living for the Fourth of July weekend.
Sofi turned her head to the side to look at Abuela Fina and her mom, who were in their own lounge chairs next to hers. “This is nice. I’m glad I get to hang out on the roof with you two.”
Mami was leaned back in her chair taking a drink of her mango jalapeño margarita. “I’m happy you made me take off on my day off, because this is a definite step up from hanging out on the fire escape of our apartment building.”
They were on the rooftop of the Vega/Kane building which at some point in the recent past had been changed from a place where Valeria hung clothes to dry and the family roasted pigs on a spit for their famous lechón to a casual but cozy hangout space with comfy chaise loungers, little café tables, and even a small pergola. Sofi had asked if the plan was to change this space into a rooftop bar and deck for the new Kane Distillery Tasting Room and El Coquí, but was told that this was going to remain for family use only. She loved that she, Mami, and Abuela Fina were considered family. She’d never really thought about how much the Vega family meant to her on the whole. She’d of course thought about Kamilah and Leo a lot, but at some point she’d begun to see them all as her family. It’d made it even more difficult when she’d been alone in Paris. She’d taken them all for granted and she refused to do it again. She didn’t want to lose the Vegas again ever.
“I’m moving into Casa del Sol,” Abuela Fina announced randomly.
Sofi shot up from her spot reclining on the chaise lounge. Nearly dropping her own margarita on Tostón’s head. “What?”
Her grandmother gave her a look. “What’s wrong with you? Is your brain not working from the drinking?”
She shook her head at her grandmother’s question. “I’m fine,” she told her abuela. “I’m just confused. Why would you want to move into Casa del Sol when you can stay with Mami?” She turned to her mom. “Did you know about this?”
Mami nodded. “She mentioned it to me.”
“I’ve been on my own for a long time now,” Abuela Fina pointed out in Spanish. “It took me a long time to get used to it. After your abuelo and tío died, I didn’t know what to do with myself. But time went on and I learned to be independent. Not only that, but I discovered that I liked it. I liked having my own space where I could do what I wanted. I liked being beholden to no one. If I wanted to walk around my house naked, I could. If I wanted to not do laundry or mop for a week, I could. I want that again.”
Sofi could understand that. She knew that her grandma loved her mom, but living with someone was just not the same as living alone. “You want freedom,” Sofi said.
“Exacto,” Abuela Fina agreed.
Sofi looked at her mom. “You probably want yours too.”
Mami nodded. “I have such crazy hours sometimes that I feel like when I am home I have to tiptoe around. Plus, I want to walk around my house naked whenever I feel like it too.”
Sofi couldn’t argue against that. It was one of the things she missed about living alone. She wondered briefly what it said about the three of them that they liked being nude at home. Whatever. It didn’t matter. They were three badass independent women and they could do what they wanted. “I get it,” Sofi said. “I’m just going to miss your cooking when I visit. Back to soggy rice and bland beans I guess.”
Her abuela laughed when her mom whacked her arm with the towel she’d been using to wipe the sweat from her face as they sat in the sun. “You little brat,” Mami said. “You know that’s a lie.”
Sofi grinned. “You know I love you, Ma. You’re the Puerto Rican Barefoot Contessa.” She paused. “But Abuela is the Boricua Paula Deen. Minus the racism and plus the sofrito.”
Her mom simply harrumphed because she knew it was true.
Her mom was a good cook, but her abuela was better. No doubt about that.
“And who does that make you?” Abuela asked.
Mami jumped at that opportunity. “She’s that muppet who doesn’t talk and just throws a bunch of stuff in a pot.”
She and Abuela cracked up.
“Damn, Ma. You went all the way to Swedish Chef? You couldn’t even give me the rat fromRatatouille?”
“No, because that rat could cook.”
There they went again, cackling like a duo of witches.
“See, now here I so generously brought you two up here to enjoy the beautiful day with me and you treat me like this. Que malagradecidas son.”
Her mom snorted. “You should talk. I didn’t sleep for the first five years of your life because your needy butt wanted to cry about anything and everything. The least you can do now is help me entertain your abuela and enjoy my time off.”
“So now I’m in debt for the rest of my life because you decided to have sex without protection? Where is the justice in that?”
