I have traded the dress I’d worn to the wedding for a pair of jeans and a grey sweater, and even though my outfit is supposed to be a reprise, I’m not exactly feeling comfortable sitting at a table for 3 atMama Peña’s Diner.
Mama Peña’s Dinerhas been around for a while. It’s a place every family in Adenbrooke frequents for wholesome meals and cozy vibes. With achievement awards framed to its stone walls, wooden furniture and leather couches that are simply the best, a vast kitchen area to the left that is viewable to the patrons, rock music blasting through the speakers, and large glass windows on the right that give a clear view of the town beyond, the diner is as perfect a place as it can get.
As if on cue, Mama Peña walks through the kitchen doors wearing her usual black trousers and a floral-print shirt, with her golden skin gleaming with sweat, and her long, black hair held behind her head in a ponytail. She briefly glances at Amanda, then raises her brows at me when our eyes meet.
I give her a vague shrug, to which she shakes her head, chuckles, and gets back to her customers.
I pull my hair into a low bun and frown at Cass, who is still looking at the damn menu. Him and I have spent dozens of evenings at the diner in the past, and even though Mama Peña has added a few new recipes to her list, they aren’tthatintriguing for him to be so lost in them that he can’t even look uponce.
Someone clears their throat – loud enough that I have no other choice but to look at them.
Amanda, dressed in a crisp black three-piece, with her short hair pin-straight, gives me a distasteful once-over, then turns her attention to Cass. “So, how was the wedding?” she asks him.
He finally places the menu on the table. “It was great.” He clicks his tongue. “A little too colorful and flowery for my taste, but great nonetheless. It’s actually the love between those guys that overpowered everything else, I’ll say. They weresointo each other that I’m sure they didn’t give two shits about the people attending their wedding,orthe decorations, for that matter.” He looks at me. “It was beautiful witnessing them tie the knot, huh?”
It takes me a moment to find my voice.
“Yeah,” I agree with a smile. “They are perfect for each other. It was wonderful seeing them make it official.”
Cass grins. “Yeah, and–” He stops when his phone rings. “Sorry,” he says around a chuckle, then glances at the name on the screen before quickly receiving the call. “Hey, Mom.” The joy on his face was undeniable. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He frowns. “Wait, what was that? Mom, I can’t hear you.” He’s quiet as he tries to listen to what she’s saying, then shakes his head. “No, you’re breaking up; hold on a sec.” He gets to his feet, gives me a quick kiss on the lips, then gives Amanda a 5-minutes gesture before making his way to the exit.
I watch as he pushes the diner’s door open and steps into the street. Walking to the side, he says something into the phone, then laughs before talking in a way so animated, that it makes me smile.
“Stayawayfrom him.”
I whip my head at Amanda. “Excuse me?” I’m caught off guard by her sudden warning, but I try not to let it show on my face.
She crosses her arms across her chest. “You heard me perfectly fine the first time around,Nia. I don’t think I’m inclined to repeat myself.”
I lift a brow. “Oh, Idid, but I wouldloveit if you could tell me why you thought it was necessary for you to say that to me at all.”
She sneers. “Don’t try to act sassy with me. You and I both know this bubble of yours is going to burst the moment Cass leaves this God-awful town. If you think I’m going to let him stay here and ruin his career – one I’ve spentyearshelping him build – then you’re too fucking naïve for your own loss. He’s a star; hecommandsthe social media with his presence. Do you even know how popular he is? Do you even know the number of fans he has?”
I have zero retorts for her questions. I don’t know what to tell her, simply because I don’t have the answer to anything she just asked me. Cass hasn’t discussed his fame with me in detail, not really. He’s only told me about the documentary, and that he trains Hollywood celebrities in fitness. I have no idea how famous he is, or the kind of power he has on social media. And due to the lack of this knowledge, I feel stupid sitting here looking at Amanda as she smirks victoriously at me, knowing she’s gotten the upper hand on me.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she states coolly. “You’re just what I assumed you would be: a stupidvillagegirlwith dreams beyond her budget.”
“What Cass and I have has nothing to do with fame and money,” I say. “Him and I, we’re–”
“Oh, do spare me your theatrics,” she cuts me off. “Cass is anidiot. I’ve indulged his…itch for days now, let him play around as much as he wanted, but I’ve reached my limit. Now that our time here is coming to an end, I’m going to fix this mess so that there’s nothing left for me to clean up after.”
“It’s not your place to manage hispersonallife, Amanda. You have no right to decide what he does and doesn’t want. That’s entirely his choice to make, not yours.”
She laughs, and the sound pierces right through my ears. “Oh my God.” She laughs some more. “Are you even listening to yourself right now?” She shakes her head. “I feel nothing but pity towards women like you, you know? Always hopeful and self-righteous. You think you deserve the best of everything just because you’re poor and pray to God every night.”
I grit my teeth as my anger rises, and glance at Cass, who is still busy on the phone.
“Is this why you agreed to have dinner with me – so that you could point out all the reasons why I don’t deserve Cass?” I ask Amanda.
She places her elbows on the table and leans in. “You’re a roadblock,” she hisses. “You are a diversion he can’t afford to have at this point in his career. Because all you will do is drag him down, and–”
“I would never do that to him,” I tell her hotly. “I would never do anything to jeopardize his hard work. I respect his passion and appreciate everything he does.”
“He deserves better, dammit!” she says loud enough that a few patrons turn to look at us. “Cass deserves so much better than you.” She points a finger at me. “He deserves someone of his caliber, someone who can walk through society with him and he wouldn’t feel embarrassed being seen with.” She swallows and looks squarely at me. “He deserves someone likeme.”
I stare at her in complete disbelief. “Y…you?” I suck in a breath, and then, unable to hold it in, I chuckle. “Are you being serious right now?” I place a hand over my throat. “Cass sees you as a support system, Amanda, andnothing else.” I chuckle again. “And you thinkI’mstupid.”
“How dare you?” She slaps the table. “I know what I deserve, and what I deserve ishim. I’ve given almost a decade of my life to him. I know him; I know what he should have. I know his tastes and preferences. I ameverythinghe needs.”
