“What? No. That’s not what I said.” My face went warm. “I just meant he’s been decent, that’s all.”
Decent. Right.” She looked entirely too pleased with herself, like she’d just solved a mystery no one asked her to investigate.“The man who you said schedules his emotions is being decent to you specifically. Nothing suspicious about that at all.”
“Gianna, stop.”
“I’m just saying, I’ve worked here for two years and I’ve never seen him offer anyone a place to stay. Not even when his driver’s apartment flooded last year.”
“That’s different. I work with Lily.”
“So did the last three therapists he fired.” She settled onto a stool. “Face it, Sarah. Something’s different.”
I opened my mouth to argue, to tell her she was reading into things that weren’t there. But something stirred in my chest, something warm and unfamiliar that I didn’t want to examine. I pushed it away and reached for the coffee maker.
“You’re delusional,” I said—too quickly, too defensively.
“And you’re deflecting.”
“I’m caffeinating. There’s a difference.” I poured coffee and took a long sip, using it as an excuse not to meet her eyes. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Fine. Tell me about Lily speaking. Mom’s going to lose her mind when she hears.”
“Full sentences.” The memory still made my chest feel too full. “She asked if I could stay the night.”
“That’s incredible.” Gianna’s teasing fell away, replaced by genuine warmth. “She chose to speak for you.”
“For herself, really. She just wanted company.”
“Sarah, take the win. You got through to her when nobody else could.” She paused. “And apparently you got through to her father too, since he actually cooked for you.”
There it was again, that flutter in my chest that I absolutely did not want to acknowledge. I focused on my coffee and tried to sound casual. “He’s… a good cook.”
“Mom says he doesn’t even touch the stove. And suddenly he’s making you pasta?” She studied my face. “Something changed, Sarah. Whether you want to admit it or not.”
I thought about Hector in that kitchen, the way his hands had moved with confidence I’d never seen in him before. The way he’d smiled when Lily hummed while washing vegetables. The way his whole body had seemed lighter, less burdened, like cooking had given him permission to be someone other than the grieving widower who controlled everything through distance.
And when Lily had spoken, I’d watched his face break open with emotion he couldn’t hide.
That version of Hector Valdez wasn’t someone I knew how to process or categorize.
“How long are you staying?” Gianna asked, pulling me back to the present.
“Just until I find a new place. A week, maybe two.”
“And then what?”
“Then I go back to normal life, I guess. Find an apartment, figure out my next steps.”
“Will you keep working with Lily?”
The question made my stomach drop because I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I don’t know. I still don’t know how to set professional boundaries and all that.”
“Professional boundaries,” Gianna repeated slowly. “You’re living in his house, Sarah. I think those boundaries blurred about twelve hours ago.”
She wasn’t wrong, but admitting that felt dangerous. Like acknowledging that something had shifted between Hector and me, and once I acknowledged it, I’d have to deal with what it meant.
“I should check on Lily,” I said, setting down my empty cup. “She’s probably awake by now.”
“Running away from this conversation won’t make it go away.”
