Mia choked another raspy noise from her throat before waving a hand at us. “No, it’s okay.” Her eyes fell on Cruz. “You’re right. I am lucky to be in a position to help the Center. I won’t apologize for that. But just so you know, writing a proverbial check is actually a pretty cheap way to contribute, all things considered, since the real work is done by people like Cori and Marisol. I’m only grateful there’s a way for me to be involvedat all, because lord knows I couldn’t put up with what the kids throw at them every day. So I’ll keep making donations and leave thesaving kidspart to the staff here.”
Cruz's lips flattened. He eyed her carefully before neutralizing his features.
“It’s nothing personal, princess. Sorry I made you cough.” He looked at me. “I’m going. I don’t fucking belong here.”
I dipped my chin as he walked away. He’d been incredibly disrespectful, but Mia didn’t seem offended. Only thoughtful.
I apologized anyway. “I’m sorry for my friend. He’s been through a lot lately.”
“Clearly,” Mia replied.Was she smiling?She peered down at her lap and then her arms. “Thankfully, I’m unscathed.”
She was tough, thischica. She’d surprised me in the market with Jayden and now again tonight. There was obviously more to her than her kind face and vintage grandma wardrobe.
“Cruz is going through something,” Cori agreed, “but that doesn’t give him the right to be awful.”
“He wasn’t awful,” Mia countered. “I can see how busting in here and pushing you to your goal in such adramaticway could be construed as vulgar. I’m conscious of that. That’s why I’m giving you this gift with no strings attached. Because you know better than me what the Center needs.”
“Thank you for that,” Cori said. “But I remember the day we met. I don’t need any more convincing to know you have these kids’ best interests at heart.”
“I appreciate you saying that, and if you’re open to it, I wouldn’t mind hearing more about joining your board of directors.”
“That would be amazing. We need some fresh perspectives there.”
“Great. Why don’t you call me next week?” Mia rose to her feet.
“You’re leaving?”
“I left another event to come here. I need to get back.”
“Well, I hope no one minds you took a break to pop in and save our butts.” Cori laughed.
“It’s fine. I doubt they even noticed I was gone.”
Cori’s smile faltered at the other woman’s matter-of-fact delivery, but she recovered. “I’ll call you soon.”
“Looking forward to it.” Mia paused before adding, “I would have gotten used to the cigarette smell. It usually just takes a minute or two, as long as no one is smoking directly in front of me.”
“Not your fault. Cruz was out of line,” I said.
“Maybe,” she replied. “But I hate that he felt like he needed to leave.”
“You came in after Deck’s speech, so you didn’t hear him talk about how sometimes we accept defeat before the battle’s over,” Cori said. “Cruz is still in the thick of that.”
“Aren’t we all.” Mia tapped her lips. “Sorry I missed it.”
That night, I made love to Corifor the first time without the threat of the gala’s failure hanging over our heads. Or the need to keep our relationship a secret. We still had to worry about Johnny, Cruz, and the future of the Center, but any uncertainty about who we were to one another had vanished.
In the corner of my bedroom, there was a chair with both my suit and Cori’s gown draped over it. Her disgusting natural soda was in my fridge. My spare set of tools lived at her house, and Bastardo had a setup there as well. I’d begun taking him back and forth with me so he wouldn’t be alone for days at a time. He hopped up on the bed with us as I held Cori in my arms.
“Thanks for helping me make this house a home,” I said.
“You’re welcome. Too bad we’re about to pack everything up again.”
I laughed. We’d decided on the car ride home that we wanted to move in together, and it made the most sense to do so at her house in Seattle. J&D did most of its work in the downtown corridor, and she wanted to keep a little physical distance from the Center—for balance, because she also had a life and friends in Seattle that she loved. She’d still be in the neighborhood almost every day, getting the Center’s finances stabilized long term. We’d eventually make a plan for my house, probably using it as a rental, but that didn’t need to be decided right away.
“Deck, do you know what my favorite SAT word was back in the day?”
Of course she’d bring that up, even though I’d never mentioned to her that I’d been thinking about those words constantly since she showed up on my doorstep three months ago.
