“You said it, Lamar, so you had to mean it. I want you to remember one thing about me, and that is I’m not your wife, and more importantly, I don’t want to compete with your dead wife. Now please let me go so both of us can get some sleep.”
“Nydia, don’t.”
“Now, Lamar.”
She left the bedroom, closing the door behind her, and went down to the first story and into the mother-in-law suite she shared with her grandmother. Nydia stared at the sleeping figure in one of the twin beds, hoping she hadn’t detected her absence. She lay atop the blankets on her bed and closed her eyes. Lamar had accused her of scrutinizing his expenditures when nothing could be further from the truth. When he’d asked if he could mail his purchases to her, and she’d suggested he send them to her parents’ home, Nydia was totally unaware of what he’d bought for whom because her mother had unpacked the boxes and placed the gift-wrapped packages under the tree.
When he’d mentioned he was going to give his daughter a pair of earrings, Nydia had no inkling he would indicate they would be from the both of them. Meanwhile, she’d given most family members gift cards in varying amounts for them to buy whatever they wanted, and those to whom she’d given gifts, she’d ordered them online. It had been more than seven years since she’d counted herself among the frantic shoppers waiting for stores to open to get what merchants were advertising as the best sales of the season. It stopped when a woman threatened to punch her because she’d picked up an item she wanted. Nydia gave the woman the jacket, walked out of the store, and vowed never to step foot in a store again to shop for Christmas gifts. So far, she had managed not to break that vow.
She did not want to argue with Lamar, yet she was realistic enough to know they could not agree on everything. Turning over on her side, she stared at the glow of the electric candle in the window through the fabric of the off-white, silk-lined drapes. The sound of her grandmother’s light snores and the rhythmic tapping of sleet against the windows had a calming effect that lulled her asleep.
* * *
“Why the long face, Nydia? You have a gorgeous and generous boyfriend, and in a few weeks you’ll be moving to a new city where you’ll become a partner in your own business. So why do you look as if you’ve lost your best friend?”
Nydia peered over the rim of her mug at her sister-in-law. She’d gotten up early to brew a cup of coffee and was surprised to find Sandra in the kitchen cutting up ingredients for omelets. “I had words with Lamar last night. It was after midnight, so it was this morning.”
Sandra gave her a sidelong glance. “What kind of words?”
She told Sandra what she’d said to Lamar and his response. “He’s wrong, Sandra, if he believes I’m watching his finances.”
Sandra’s hands stilled. “I don’t believe you, Nydia. You dated a man for years who couldn’t afford to take you across the George Washington Bridge to New Jersey, and now you’re involved with one who you can introduce to your family and is willing to spend his money—”
“Maybe he just wanted to impress everyone,” Nydia interrupted.
“Cut the bullshit!” Sandra said angrily. “The man stood in my kitchen less than twelve hours ago and confessed in front your mother, father, and grandmother that he loves you and will always protect you, so there’s no need for him to try and impress us. I’d dated your knuckleheaded brother almost a year and although he claimed he adored me he would not say that he loved me until he asked me to marry him. And you’ve known Lamar for how long?”
“Four months.”
Sandra shook her head. “You’re like so many girls I grew up with. They were so used to dating no-account men that when a good one came along they didn’t know how to relate to them. You have to take off your accountant’s hat and focus on your own bottom line and not concern yourself with Lamar’s. He’s a grown-ass man taking care of his daughter, while running his own company, which means he’ll continue doing that even if you decide to break up with him.”
“Who said anything about breaking up with him? I have no intention of losing Lamar.”
Sandra resumed dicing peppers and onions. “Are you saying if he proposed marriage you’d accept it?”
The query caught Nydia slightly off-guard. “I think it’s too soon to talk about marriage proposals.”
“I think not, Nydia. The man gives you a bracelet from Cartier’s when he probably wanted to give you a ring. And that little circle of pink gold costs a lot more than a lot of engagement rings. I know because one of the partners at my firm gave his wife that same bracelet for their twentieth anniversary. My paralegal went to the Cartier website to look it up, and she nearly fell off her chair when she saw the price tag. I’m not going to tell you how much he paid for it, but be prepared if he does propose marriage and gives you a ring.”
Nydia didn’t want to talk about proposals or engagement rings. Right now she had to get beyond her questioning Lamar about spending his money. She did not have to wait long before he walked into the kitchen, casually dressed in a white waffle-weave cotton pullover, relaxed jeans, and thick white socks. He smiled and winked at her, indicating he wasn’t angry.
* * *
“Buenos días.”Lamar brushed a light kiss over Nydia’s parted lips before he walked over and kissed Sandra’s cheek.
Sandra smiled up at him. “Good morning. It looks as if you and your girlfriend are early risers.”
Lamar rested a hip against the countertop. “I’m used to getting up early to share breakfast with my daughter, or to inspect a construction site. I can’t believe you’re cooking again after last night’s feast.”
Sandra brushed off mushroom caps with a damp paper towel. “Once you become a part of this family you should be prepared to gain at least five pounds or more whenever we get together to celebrate an event. There’s always an overabundance of food and good cheer.”
“Speaking of cheer, I think I imbibed too much coquito last night.”
Nydia nodded. “Abuelita was a little heavy-handed on the rum.”
Sandra wiped her hands on the towel tucked under the ties of her apron. “That’s because last year everyone complained that she didn’t add enough rum. If you guys want to eat now, I can start making breakfast for you.”
Nydia took Sandra’s hand and steered her around the cooking island to sit on one of the stools. “You’ve done enough cooking, so I’m going to assume the responsibility of making breakfast. The only thing you’ll have to take care of is making eggs.”
