“Is he okay?”
“He will be. If he learns to listen to me and take it easy.” Luca raises his voice at the end.
“¡No soy inválido!” a male voice calls out. I’m not an invalid!
I stifle my chuckle. “Is Álvaro living with you?”
“No, he won’t even consider it,” Luca grumbles. “He works at Santa Isabel. It’s how I heard about the open coaching position.”
I frown, trying to place the name. “Álvaro…the maintenance man?”
“That’s him.”
How does Luca know him? And how are they so close? The fact that Luca is at his place, trying to help him, speaks volumes about their relationship and only heightens the intrigue surrounding Luca and his caretaking ways.
“Is he okay?” I ask again. “I heard he had an accident.”
Luca sighs. “Long story. I’m calling because I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
Luca’s quiet for a moment. “You didn’t hear the question yet.”
“Ask me,” I command, fighting my smile.
“I need a physical therapist to work with Álvaro. But I want someone good. I want the best. Cost isn’t an issue. My go-to guys are booked up and?—”
“I have someone for you.”
“Seriously? Who?”
“He’s from Argentina but lives in Valencia. I’ll give him a ring but he’s pretty flexible.”
“What’s his name? Have you worked with him before?”
“His name is Luis Ortega and I used to date him.”
The line falls silent. I don’t even hear Luca breathing. After a few seconds, I pull the phone away from my ear to check that we haven’t been disconnected.
“Luca?” I question.
He clears his throat. “You dated him,” he says. Then, “Why’d you break up?”
I wrinkle my nose, wondering how I can say it without sounding absurd. “He wore socks with sandals.”
“What?”
“And his socks never matched,” I tack on, as if that somehow gives me a leg to stand on that isn’t ridiculous. “It doesn’t matter; we’re still friends. And I highly recommend him. He’s great at his job.”
“Still friends, huh? Are you friends with all your ex-boyfriends, Carla?”
“Mostly,” I answer honestly.
“Seriously?”
“Sure. They’re all good guys or I wouldn’t have dated them, you know? And they can’t help their quirks any more than I can help mine.”
“Right,” he breathes.
