An involuntary smile pulls across my face as I watch him disappear through the bathroom door. I don’t know what version of him this is, but I kinda like it.
Elle Kissinger: Oops I did it again.
Celia Huckabee: *facepalm*
Celia Huckabee: WTF is wrong with you
Elle Kissinger: Obviously a lot.
Back in the formal dining room of the main mansion, it’s just me, Colin, Fortuna, and Ernesto at the long table, and I keep my head down. Seated next to me, Colin keeps his arm around me in a way that feels protective. I can’t tell if he’sactuallybeing protective of me, or if his obvious displays of righteous indignation over the whole outburst are just what he would be expected to do given that I’m his “serious girlfriend.”
Regardless of his motive, I’m grateful for him holding on to me like this because Ernesto Reyes is one scary mother fucker.
After a few minutes of polite, yet stilted conversation and food being dished up by a member of their household staff, Ernesto clears his throat and speaks in a much less scary voice than the night before.
“Mijito, I owe you amends for my behavior last night.”
Colin is silent for a second or two, and I attempt to cut my downturned eyes toward him without lifting my head. I can’t see much of his expression, but his chin is held up, and a muscle in his jaw does a subtle pulse like he clenched and released his teeth.
“The amends you owe is not to me,” he says placidly. “Given my relationship with your family and—”
“You are part of this family, Colin,” Fortuna cuts in, reaching across the table as if trying to touch his arm, but he’s just out of reach. “Please do not take Ernesto’s outburst as meaning you somehow aren’t.”
“Understood,” he acknowledges, his thumb giving the side of my shoulder a tender brush. “And I’d like to underscore the fact that my respect and gratitude for you both permits and even welcomes guidance and admonishment that originates from a place of love. That sort of thing helped me grow up, and it is valuable.” He gives a weighty pause and gently folds his fingers around my upper arm. “However,even with a language barrier, it was clear what you said about Elle right in front of her face. You demeaned her, and I won’t tolerate that. So the amends you owe is to her.”
Even though this is basically an act to keep up the charade we’ve put on, I can’t help but feel a little warm and fuzzy inside. Colin is one-hundred-percent in my corner right now, and nobody’s ever been in my corner. And I’m suddenly in dicey territory, lest I allow his performance to seep into my heart bury a seedling of possibilities there.
“You are correct,” Ernesto returns. He heaves a hearty, but quick chuckle. “I got quite a reprimand frommi cielolast night.” He pauses and sighs. “I am not happy with Isla. She had an outburst of her own yesterday regarding the engagement, and I was sure Malachi would call it off. Then Lili was pouting all day about you, so I was being too muchpapálast night. I want the best for my girls. When I can’t give them that for whatever reason, I lose my temper.” He clears his throat. “Señorita.”
I don’t know a lick of Spanish, but I do know that word refers to an unmarried woman. The only one of those in the room is me, so I turn my eyes up to meet Ernesto’s. This is a much more even-keeled version of him than the only one I’ve been acquainted with this weekend, but believe me, Reader. This guy is scary AF.
“I owe you my deepest regrets and most sincere apologies for the way I spoke of you,” he says, his bulldog jowls pulling downward in a serious frown. “You are a guest in my home, and also clearly very important to a young man I have taken in as a son. I should not have behaved in such a manner. I hope it will not cause any complications in your relationship with Colin, or deter you from joining us with him again.”
Oh, don’t worry, Ernesto. The complications have nothing to do with whatever it is you called me.
This is suddenly the most awkward and uncomfortable position I’ve ever been in, and I’m really ready to just leave.
I offer him a gracious, but natural smile. “I appreciate that. No need to worry. I understand the circumstances. All is forgiven.”
“Muchas gracias,Miss Elle.” Ernesto sucks in a breath and adjusts his deep maroon blazer as he turns to Colin. “Now, Colin, I do owe you amends as well. I will not punish you for my own frustration with things that have nothing to do with you.”
Colin lifts his fingers off the table in a dismissive wave. “All is well.”
“Well, not entirely,” Ernesto returns. “If you have that paperwork, we can go ahead and commission the fleet. I don’t need to speak to your superiors about it. You were looking out for me by bringing this to my attention, so you should be rewarded for a job well done.”
Colin offers a single, slow nod as though he’s not at all surprised by Ernesto’s sudden change of heart. I, on the other hand, have to drop my head low again to squeeze my eyes shut and fight the urge to cry out in unspeakable relief.
“I do have it right here,” Colin says easily, reaching into the bag on the floor next to his chair. He pulls out the iPad, taps and swipes the screen, and then stands up to move to the opposite side of the table to sit next to Ernesto.
The rest of the breakfast is a blur, and Fortuna engages me in conversation that I have to fight to pay attention to. Half of my hearing is occupied by the nuts and bolts that Colin is going over with Ernesto regarding the sale. The quantity of planes, the upgrades, the customizations, the expedited delivery dates, the concierge service add-ons, the extended warranties and on-site maintenance, all of it clanging in my mind in a cacophony ofka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching,and I see myself writing that check to pay off the loans that have beendrowningme foryears.
I see myself taking my delayed social work licensure exam, and going on interviews, and sitting in an actual office where I never have to sell anything again, other than talking an addict into checking themself into rehab.
I see myself standing in front of the six-year-old version of me while she sits alone on a bench in the middle of the night, and making a promise to her.
“One day, I will make a right out of this abhorrent wrong.”
Eventually, Colin and I say our goodbyes to the Reyeses and make our way out of the mansion to his car. We pause next to the passenger door, and he turns to me, firmly grasping my upper arms while he looks at me with an expression of etched-stone restraint, but the thrill of victory is written all over his crystalline blue eyes.
