“Thanks,” he says.
“I didn’t know you guys were so serious.” My gaze travels to her hand. Her long, slender ring finger contains a two- or three-carat aquamarine on a gold band.
“When we met, everything clicked. I just knew she was the woman for me. I didn’t see a point in waiting. When you know, you know.” Dylan, recovered from the shock, kisses the top of his fiancée’s head.
My pulse quickens as I struggle to remain in control of myself, counting down in my head from five. I feel like I’m standing in the middle of my own silent scream painting. He’s known this woman for less than six months and he’s engaged to her? My mouth opens and closes. “I... I... I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your trip,” I manage weakly.
“Thanks, we will,” Dylan says.
As they turn to leave, I feel the weight of Fernando’s hand on my shoulder and the tense muscles in his arm. “I heard the whole thing. Are you okay?”
“Not really, but I will be.”
“Fernando, whose voice is that?” I hear a woman ask.
My gaze travels to the device clutched in his hand. “Is your mom still on the phone?”
“She is.” He clenches his jaw. “But I’ll tell her we’ll talk another time. You don’t need this right now.”
“No, I can do this.” I pry his fingers off the device and take hold of it. The woman on the screen has a round face, and the same olive skin and brown eyes as Fernando. I take a deep breath, picture a room full of puppies, and smile as widely as I can. “Hola, I’m Ava. Your son’s girlfriend.”
Her eyes widen to the point that she reminds me of a cartoon character, darting up and down, as if she can’t believe I’m real. “A girlfriend? A real girlfriend?” she murmurs, then shouts, “Yulia, Yesenia, Maria, come here. Quickly.” There’s some excited chatter in Spanish in the background. “Fernando has his girlfriend on the phone.” Three other people cram themselves into the picture, squeezing shoulder to shoulder.
“Hi, I’m Ava,” I repeat.
“Ava! What a beautiful name,” one of the aunts says.
“Oh, she’s American. I knew there was a reason your son moved away from here,” voices another. “Now we know why.”
“Shh... not all at once, you’ll scare her away,” Fernando’s mom clucks. The women in the background immediately quiet. “Ava, we’re delighted to meet you. I hope to see lots more of you soon. You are coming to Santa Luz, aren’t you?”
My eyes flutter. My brain is slow to process what she’s saying, still stuck on Dylan.
Fernando leans over my shoulder. “Mamá, I told you earlier, she’ll only be in town for a short visit. She has her own itinerary of places she’d like to see and to do. It’s her first trip to Spain, and I want her to make the most of it.”
I hear the stress in his voice. His patience is slipping. Like a shot of caffeine, it makes me alert. I focus my energy on the man standing next to me, lacing my fingers through his free hand and squeezereassuringly. “Don’t worry Mrs...” I rack my brain for Fernando’s last name. “Mrs. Alvarez, I’ll be there.”
“Mamá, we have a lunch reservation. I’ll call you soon.” He says his goodbyes and hangs up. Shoving the phone into his pocket, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry about all that. The timing couldn’t have been worse.” When his eyes open, they appraise me with concern. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Not unless you’re able to wipe my memory.” I hunch my shoulders. “I’m sick and tired of falling to pieces every time I see him. I’m trying hard to move on, but my heart isn’t computing what my brain is telling it.”
“It’ll get easier with time,” he says quietly. He bends to the ground and picks up a carrier with two coffee cups and a brown bag of churros. “Here, this might help.”
We walk away from the shop down a narrow cobblestone alley. I take a sip of my coffee. It’s gone cold, but the sweet, crunchy churro more than makes up for it.
“How areyoudoing?” I ask Fernando. “I noticed how your mom and aunts stressed you out.”
“I’m fine. Mamá and the tías are just being their normal selves. I should be used to it by now.” He takes a long swig of his coffee. “Mamá caught me off guard when she called and started asking a bunch of questions about why I was in Toledo and why I keep changing the date I’m coming home. She thinks I’m avoiding her.”
In a way, he is. But I keep that thought to myself.
“I panicked, and before I knew what I was saying, I blurted out that I wasn’t alone. It all went downhill from there.” He sighs deeply. “I wanted to wait a few more days before I brought you up, but now that the cat’s out of the bag, there’s no turning back. The tías have already started to blow up my phone with texts asking about you.”
On cue, I hear his phone vibrating like mad. We stop walking. “Fernando, I’m the one who suggested we go through with the fake-dating thing.” I place a hand on his forearm. “I’m a big bad vet. I can handle this. Trust me.”
“You’re not big or bad, but I do trust you.” He lowers his chin. “I just feel guilty. I’m asking too much of you.”
“Don’t. You’ve saved me when I had the car problem, from Dylan at the airport, and by giving me a vacation so far that I won’t ever forget. Even after we get home again, I’ll still be in your debt.”
