I breathe out a sigh of relief. Amá is out of her mind. She spends half her time looking for people airing her “dirty laundry.” She just focused on Adam this time. Probably because she doesn’t approve of his lack of what she would consider a “high-quality” job. Which is classist and gross, but that’s Amá for you.
“Okay,” I tell Blueberry. “Thank you. I’m better now.” When I stand, he flaps around me a few times and then flies away, doing this wild, cheerful squawk.
When I open the door to the kitchen, everything is gone. I kinda had figured, since there’s no sign of Amá’s car out there, but it’s still surprising that there is literally no sign that she had ever been here. The tablecloth, the napkins, the food—it’s disappeared. Not a single crumb is left. It’s like she was never here at all.
My phone buzzes, and I half expect it to be Amá, informing me of her taking me off her will or something, but it’s Teal in the group chat.
Don’t forget! Grand opening! Saturday at 6pm.
“Shit,” I mutter. All I want to do for the rest of this week through the weekend is mope in bed with fried food andGilmore Girls. But there’s no way I’m missing Teal’s fashion debut. Plus, Adam’s coming, and he always helps me feel better, even about cranky grandmothers conspiring against us.
For Teal’s event, I puton a gold, sparkly sheath dress with a tiny black bag, rose-embroidered stockings, and black Mary Janes. I apply heavy black eyeliner, pulling it out from the corners of my eyes to make a cat-eye look, something yet again taught to me by the internet. I had to do the right one twice, but in the end, I think I look how I wanted to: like a gold goddess who communes with all cat-eyed cats. And maybe all animals for that matter, too.
Adam had to take William to another doctor’s appointment, to a specialist out of town, so he said he’d have to meet me at the boutique. Which is fine. I’m guessing Amá Sonya will be there, and I can tell her to leave me and Adam alone before he gets there, so she doesn’t make it as awkward as things got yesterday.
The boutique is called Crème de la Crème. The lay of the store is sort of horseshoe shaped, and every single wall is filled with art from local artists. I pass by rows of handmade books and paper; watercolor paints made with local blackberry honey all poured into a beautiful display of palettes; colorful, geometric-patterned quilts; and jars of homemade jams before I find Teal’s space.
I spot her first, before anything else, and she sees me at the same exact time. Squealing, we run to each other, laughing and hugging. “You’re early!” she says.
“And I’m glad for it. This place is busy!” I say, looking around.
“Hey, Sky,” Carter says, walking up. He leans in for a kiss on the cheek, the Latine way of greeting relatives. “How are you?” He looks around. “Did you bring that guy you’re seeing, or…”
“He’s coming,” I say.
Carter puffs up his chest. “Good. I gotta let him know not to fuck with you. That’s what big brothers do.”
Teal rolls her eyes and smacks his arm. “My God, you’re so corny.” She turns to me. “But seriously, we do need to tell Adam that he better not fuck with you.”
I force the smile to stay on my face. They’re just joking. But in light of what Amá accused Adam of yesterday…it doesn’t feel like a joke. I shake it off and instead focus on Teal’s work. Which is…oh my gods, stunning.
On her wall in the shop are all kinds of leatherwork, in all shades of brown, from whole grain mustard to the deepest black bear fur, with red holly flowers and green leaves curling in the browns to become what appears to be her signature style. There are mostly handbags, with a few belts, wallets, and even a pair of boots! “I had to collab with a cobbler for that one,” she says, laughing as I touch the tooled leather.
“These are amazing, Teal. Holy cow. No wonder you were working so hard.” I touch and marvel at all the details of the handbags, which are far better quality than many of the luxe bags Amá Sonya is always carrying around.
I choose a belt bag with intricate stitching, a few sewn-in ruby leather flowers, and a magnet clasp. This will be great for when I’m wandering the woods and need my hands to be free for digging for stones and petting bears.
“Family discount,” Teal says when I try to pay her. She blocks all my attempts to give her my money.
I’m not happy about this. “Teal. You made this. You deserve to be paid no matter who I am.”
Teal shakes her head and pretends to karate chop me away. Finally Carter whispers in my ear, “Go to the lady up front; she’ll ring you up.” I smile and thank him. I love that both of my sisters have people who support them. And, I guess, I have that, too. I think. No, I do. I have that, too.
Speaking of which, I glance at my phone. Adam should’ve been here by now, right? I try to remember our last conversation about logistics, but that’s when Sage walks in with Oak and Tenn, and all of a sudden, I am swept away again, into familia, hugs, kisses, and holding the cutest little chunk in the world until he wants to nurse again.
It’s about a half hour later when I get a call from Adam. I make sure to purchase the belt bag before stepping out of the store to call him back.
Downtown at this time of night is so peaceful and beautiful. Everything looks like it was painted in all kinds of blue, from cornflower to midnight, contrasting the yellow ocher street lanterns and warmly lit storefronts. I take a breath of the humid seaside air before hitting the callback button.
“Hey, Sky,” Adam says. “I’m so sorry. I’m still outside of town right now.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask, furrowing my brow.
“Yes. Everyone’s good. There was a four-car pileup on the way home. We were stop and go—mostly stop—for an hour and a half. Gramps is starving so we just stopped to pick up food. I checked the time and realized I’m probably going to miss your sister’s opening. I’m so sorry. I should’ve texted sooner.”
I shake my head, even though he can’t see me. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you guys got through that safely.”
“Yeah. It was rough-looking. I hope everyone is doing okay.” He clears his throat. “I’ve got a favor to ask you, though. Gramps—” Adam lowers his voice. “He just told me now, of course, that he’s not certain if he turned off the toaster oven. Since it’s going to be another hour before we’re home, I was wondering if you could check that for us?”
