I made it home in record time.
I expect to find my mother and daughter curled up on the couch watching a movie. Instead, I almost bump into my daughter’s bright pink luggage.
“Oh, great. You’re home now. Anna, come greet your father so we can be on our way.”
“Hold on. What’s going on here? And why is Anna’s bag packed? I thought you were sleeping over tonight,” I say as my daughter gives me a quick squeeze, eyes fixed on the movie she was watching before I got here. “And hello. Can a dad get a better greeting than that? I’ve been gone for almost a week. What am I, chopped liver?” I tickle her sides and finally get her full attention.
“Sorry, Papi. We were just finishing the movie before we went to Grandma’s house to play with puppies!”
I give my mother a stumped look. “Care to explain, Ma?”
She waves me off. “My neighbor fosters dogs, and one of her pups just gave birth. She’s up around the clock bottle feeding these little cuties. I remembered when I got here and thought that Anna might want to come to my place instead and help her out.”
“Right.” I know my mother well, and I know there’s something she’s not telling me. “Looks like I’ve got the place to myself tonight, then. Come here and give your old man a hug before you abandon me, mija.” I give Anna another big squeeze, then let her run off to the TV.
My mother sidles up beside me as she says, “You know, maybe it’s a good thing that we’re out of your hair tonight.”
“Oh yeah? And why’s that?” I ask suspiciously.
“Let’s just say that you weren’t here when Isabella left for the night. Had you seen her, you’d know exactly why it’s best we go.” She taps my chest twice and calls Anna over and gets her ready to leave.
I’m slightly disturbed by the insinuation my mother just dropped on me.
But I’m a helluva lot more interested in seeing what Isabella’s got on that’s sent my mother running with my kid in tow.
I’m about to text her that I’m home when my phone starts to ring in my hand.
“Torres, I saw you on the damn plane. How are you already having separation anxiety?” I make my way up the stairs, on my way to take a quick shower to wash off the travel day.
“Yo, you home yet?” His tone catches me off guard. He sounds abnormally chipper, like he’s got something up his sleeve.
“Yeah, why?”
“Uh, I was over here thinking that we’re due for a night out. You know, grab a drink or something somewhere. Just the two of us. I know a place. Think you can be ready in twenty?”
I shake my head even though he can’t see me. No way am I leaving my home, especially knowing that Isabella could walk through that door at any moment. “We spent all week together. I even went out for beers with you and the guys.Twice. I’m sorry that you interpreted that as me being open to bar hop in the city.” Seems like Isabella’s rubbing off on me, since I decided to follow her lead and spend more time out with my team while we were out of town. It was a media circus, as anticipated, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle.
“C’mon, man. I really think you should come with me. It’s… it’s important.”
I stop as I get to my bedroom door. “Torres, what’s going on? You’re putting me on edge. Even more than usual.”
I hear him groan on the other line, then curse under his breath before he finally speaks. “Okay, but don’t shoot the messenger, all right?”
I’m instantly on alert. “Spit it out.”
“Fine, and before you get mad, watch your mouth. It involves my wife.” He waits for my confirmation. A grunt is the best I can do at the moment. “So the women are all out at girls’ night. You know that, right?”
I sigh. “Yes, I’m aware.”
“Well, I just got an SOS text from my wife, basically saying that she messed up. Bad. She apparently invited an old colleague to crash girls’ night and to take Isabella on a blind date.”
My body temp skyrockets, a blind rage threatening to take over my senses.
“Say that again.”
“Listen, man. She was only trying to be helpful, since Isabella’s apparently been telling the women that she’s open to date now.And that’s huge. Denise never thought she’d see the day, and she got a bit ahead of herself. Her heart was in the right place, man,” he defends. “But apparently, she knows she’s fucked up majorly, because the second Isa got to the table, she started talking about you.”
I lean my hand against the wall for balance.
