“Uh-huh,” she nodded slowly, but I could see her mouth the word “work” to the girl beside her. Whatever that meant.
The two girls excused themselves and disappeared down some stairs and I felt someone watching me. I lifted my eyes only to be assaulted by black orbs glaring my way.
Jesus, all I did was shake her hand. Possessive much? I gave the older brother a quick wink anyway, because I thought it would stir him up, which it did as he turned on his heel and walked away with a scowl.
My fun was cut short by the brown that replaced him in his wake. Alta had just raised up from grabbing something out the oven. Two green oven mitts decorated her hands, and she was still biting on that lip as her doe eyes took me in with a sort of confusion I didn’t like, a serious look still adorning her face.
Because I couldn’t not talk to her when she looked so distressed, I took a step toward her. But Alta was suddenly distracted by a woman chatting animated by her side and she turned away.
I sighed. Family stuff, I guess. Stuff I had no business being a part of. I got it.
Being around so much family gave me hives. Being around a family as loving and happy-go-lucky as this one was threatening to put me into full anaphylactic shock.
Watching as Clay joked around with his brothers, not only the big one but the uptight looking one too, was hard enough. Seeing him poke fun at his mom and dad plunged the knife in deeper, not to mention the way he was constantly going back and forth with his sister. I could tell they were close, and it was ugly of me to be jealous of that, but I couldn’t shake it.
And all the while I couldn’t get away from the suffocating envy of Clay’s seemingly perfect family, she was avoiding me.
I could see her navigating the party, happily bouncing betweenaunts and uncles, greeting newcomers with hugs and smiles, and handling drinks whenever she could. Yet whenever those eyes fell on me, she disappeared.
I was resigned to theotheronce again. I’d fought so hard to become something to her. What had I done to be pushed just outside the door?
I realized now that I was stupid to think a little bit of her would ever be enough. That if I just had a taste of that brightness she gave to everyone else I’d be able to walk away when she eventually had enough of sharing it with me.
But what could I even say? We hadn’t agreed on giving our feelings in the arrangement. Only ourselves. Our bodies. And she was drawing her line in the sand. I had to respect it.
I wasn’t so lucky as to be needed for anything to prepare for dinner. Everyone told me to go enjoy the gathering and have fun. But what everyone didn’t understand was that none of this was fun for me. Standing around watching the demonstration of things I couldn’t have. Wondering if the best thing to enter my life even wanted me there in the same way I did.
Yeah, no. Not fun.
I’d rather sit alone at home with my store-bought meatloaf and too salty sides. But I would feel rude ducking out now, especially after having met the woman that could be none other than the Fernandez’s mother. Sweet and sassy was the woman who had been eyeing me from around corners since I first walked in. And I see where her kids got their personality from. When she spied me looking at her, she’d turned right on her heel and came up to introduce herself.
Martina Fernandez was a force to be reckoned with as she asked me straight out, “You like my girl?”
“Um?” I looked around myself for help of any kind, but she was smart. Cornering me where there were no other witnesses around.
“My Alta. You like her, yes?” she went on. “I see you watching her in every room.”
I cleared my throat. Welp, there was no one else around anyway. I might as well not lie to her mother of all people. “Yes. Very much so.”
She hummed, her eyes spearing me as she looked me over. Then she smiled. “She likes you too. I see her watching you just as much. I’ll save you a seat next to her at dinner.”
And that was it. Geez, these people were weird.
Later, I never felt more relieved to hear the simultaneous call for me than I did when I heard Clay and the broody brother’s voices.
“Montez.” Clay called, while Oaxaca gave an oh-so-warm, “Engineer.”
“Yeah?” I answered to both.
“We need some help.”
Following the two downstairs, I was led around the bend of the den-like lower level of the house and around a corner to a kitchenette. It was occupied by a disaster of a mess and two girls with frowns on their faces.
“Where’s the fire?” I asked, looking around warily. It looked like somebody stole something from those two.
“Nowhere,” a deep voice said as Clay’s younger brother rose from looking inside a little tabletop convection oven. “That’s the problem. Thing’s busted. They said you might be able to help.”
My chest loosened, relief brushing through me. Finally, something to do that wasn’t sitting around watching others be happy. And it was an easy one. “What’s wrong with it?”
