But the vacation would soon be over. They had fallen hard and fast into some sort of fantasy romance that didn’t have any place in reality. Romantic nights in hotel rooms, carefree days... He knew that she would soon have to make a huge adjustment to living without her family’s emotional support.
They spent the next day at Disney again, holding hands and sharing cotton candy. When they collapsed into their hotel room bed that evening, their bodies physically spent, peace washed over him. This was such a beautiful life.
It was a shame it had to end.
Carolina had been calling her parents and Blanca, but none of them were returning her calls.
He stroked her hair in the bed. “Do you want to spend another day here?”
She shook her head. “Can we go to your place? I’ve never been to San Diego.”
“Oh, you’ll love it.” He kissed her. He wanted her to have a fun time in San Diego. He would show her around and then see what she wanted to do after the holiday break. Either way, she could stay with him until she decided if she wanted to pursue buying another farm. She didn’t seem to need his help financially, but he wasn’t sure if that was going to change depending on what happened with her family. He’d be happy to support her, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her.
•••
The next morning, they left for San Diego.
“I can’t wait to show you around.”
“Oh yes?” she asked, sitting up, her eyes alive. “What will you show me?”
“Well, the beaches are a must. They’re so clean, and there isn’t any smog in the sky.”
“That sounds divine. I love the beach; well, gazing at it. Not actually going into the water. I still refuse to go surfing with you.”
He grinned. “We will see about that. But San Diego is the best. I love the rich culture of our border town. The food is incredible, especially Julieta’s. We’re going to have a great time.”
They arrived in La Jolla. He’d never felt nervous about taking a woman to his place before, but he did with Carolina.
He drove along his beachfront street and pulled into his driveway and opened the garage. He held the door for her and led her upstairs.
He led her through the open-concept living area to the large balcony overlooking the beach.
Her eyes scanned the coast. “It really is beautiful. I can’t believe you live here.”
Enrique always felt a bit uncomfortable when he invited people to his place—it was over-the-top. She slid her hand over the leather furniture and lifted up a vase, her eyes squinting at the name.
“Yeah, I’m very lucky. Ramón, Jaime, and I bought it a few years ago. Our beach bachelor pad. But Ramón now lives in Coronado with Julieta. Tiburón has been crashing here a lot.”
“Wow. I imagine that would be fun. I would’ve loved to get a place with Blanca and Adela.” Her voice dropped. “I wonder how they are.”
“Blanca still won’t respond?”
She shook her head. “No, not yet. Though I’m not blaming her for that. Papá probably forbade her from talking to me. She’s living there, so she has to obey his rules.”
“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like. But you shouldn’t run away from your life. Don’t worry about me, about us. We can make this work. But you own that farm. How is it even running without you?”
She cast a downward glance. “Well, we always shut it down for the holidays until Three Kings Day, so the timing at least on that end is good. But after the holidays, I’ll need to go back to check in on everything. I can’t just abandon it.”
“So you have a week or so until you have to leave?”
“Yeah. But I don’t think anything will change with my family. I will never kick them out of the home, and they will never let me back inside. I think I’ll have to run the farm myself and live somewhere else. Doing it solo would be hard because I’ve always had my family’s support. Papá should retire anyway. And I guess I could replace Blanca, though I don’t want to. I’m sure Papá will forbid her to work with me. She should focus on doing something she wants in her life, instead of being my administrative assistant. Maybe this whole mess wasmeant to happen for her freedom. Now she can date, and pursue a career that she wants, though honestly, she really just wants to get married and start a family.”
How could she even consider letting her family stay in the home she bought if they weren’t talking to her? “Kick them out if they won’t talk to you. Or make your parents leave and let your siblings stay, of course. Don’t let your father bully you out of the life you have worked for.”
“Well, I won’t. It’s my farm—people depend on me. I don’t care about the house, though—he can have it. And if he wants to disown me, that’s his problem. But even if I go back to the house, he will treat me differently. I want to grow. Evolve. I need my own place.”
“That’s good. I just think that it’s messed up that he can kick you out of your home.”
