Silence.
"Alexandra. I'm speaking to you," he said in a tone I remembered from my childhood. No warmth, only authority.
"I didn't know you were finished speaking. Thought there were more insults coming, and I know how you hate being interrupted."
I braced myself for him to start yelling, but when seconds passed and he didn't, I lowered my phone briefly to see the screen. He was still there.
"Next Tuesday we will arrive in New York. Your mother wants to stay with you to see how you're living. Any questions?"
Hell yes. The app celebration party was Tuesday. I did not need this. And who knew how long this unbearable visit would last. Why was it really happening? My father didn't normally waste any time on me. I was a daughter, another man's future namesake; he only cared for his boys, my loser brothers. So, I didn't bother saying much.
"No."
"Good."
Even after seconds passed, his words still stung. Me. I'm the child he wanted to check up on. Me? At least I finished school. Just the thought of my family annoyed me. If it wasn't for the trust fund I got after graduating college, and whatever I'd inherit when he finally died, I would've gone no contact long ago.
In every way I'd surpassed my brothers, time and time again. Santiago was in jail for murder. That bully killed his girlfriend, taking theif I can't have you nobody willstatement too far. Danny was divorced and selfishly avoided paying child support for the children he'd refused to see in years. The fact Padre needed convincing to be proud of me, after their complete failures, was infuriating. OK, only Edwardo was of any use to Padre, as he'd taken over the family shipping company, and he ran it so well Ortega Shipping had outgrown anything our father dreamed of.
I was lost in my thoughts when the sudden ring of my phone startled me, snapping me back to the present as the taxi weaved through traffic.
It was Bruno. No sense avoiding him. We'd have to have a conversation sooner than later, so I accepted the call.
"Where are you? I heard you checked out." He barely let me put the phone to my ear before asking.
"Home. My team can handle the rest of the PR."
I heard him sigh. "We need to talk."
"Go ahead. Isn't that what we're doing right now?"
"Not like this. I want to speak face to face about serious matters."
I knew what he'd ask, and the answer was no. Sleeping together didn't change anything. "It was a drunken mistake."
"Alex!"
Ignoring his interruption, I continued, "You said it best a year ago. Let's do what you asked then, forget it ever happened."
"Letting Monique touch me was a mistake. We weren't a mistake. I love you."
I hung up before he could say anything else, before his voice cracked my resolve.
Love lingered in the air like smoke, stinging more than it should.
Outside the taxi window, New York blurred past, the city too busy to care about my wavering feelings. I pressed my phone face-down on my thigh, my fingers trembling just enough to make me clench them. This was a mess, a big one.
EIGHT
I Don't Wanna Hurt No More
The weatherman gave every New Yorker the same warning: cold, snow, stay home. However, he was always wrong. How bad could it really be? Either way, the office wouldn't be packed today, only those living close enough would make the commute. Instead of my usual blazer and heels, I pulled on a cashmere sweater and jeans. Then my heavy coat. For my trek, I reached for my waterproof snow boots, sat near the door, and laced them up. When I was done, I hesitated, my pulse quickening as though something might bite the moment I stepped out. The hard part wasn't leaving; it was finding the courage to do it.
Even though my personal life was a mess, I wasn't about to let Amoré Nights suffer. I reached for the knob.You can do this.
On adrenaline and false confidence, I strutted to the elevator, steps away from my front door.
By the time I hit the lobby, the doorman's mouth dropped open.
