“Fair enough.”Reece bounced in place restlessly, and the gesture was way too familiar.
“What is it?Know I like to see you, but you don’t just drop by.”He pulled out his wallet.“You and Kate need some help?”
“Nah.”Reece held his hands up, palms out.“I’m good.We’re good.Or.She’s good, and I’m good.Not so much good together.”
Reece and Kate had been high school sweethearts.On and off, ever since.And every off seemed to hit Reece worse than the last.
“Shit.Look, man, I gotta take care of the girls.But later?You come by, alright?”
“Not your problem, Tio.”Reece smiled at him, crooked, glancing toward the door Mara’d used.“Uncle Tio.Don’t need me around, fucking shit up for you.It’s my fault–”
“It’s my own fucking fault.”
“Bullshit.”Reece grabbed him in a quick, rough hug.“Just passing, alright?Both know I’ll get you in trouble, being here.Later, man.”
“Reece.”
But the bastard just saluted and walked away.
Antonio took his time, straightening the shop.Getting his head right before facing the girls.Trying to decide what to tell Mara about the stranger that wouldn’t panic his sister.He was so damned tired.
But the girls made it better, giggling as soon as he opened the door.Mara was still pouting, eyes on her phone.But Gabriela and little Dulce were sitting on the couch together.Dulce was holding flowers.Where had she foundflowers?
“Tio Tio, do you have aboyfriend?”Gabriela asked, in that childish, half-mocking singsong that all ten-year-olds seemed to master.
Waseverythingtoday going to be a fucking trap?Antonio’s sisters were (mostly) okay with him being gay these days.But that didn’t mean he avoided the occasional needling comment or suggestion that he just needed to meet the right girl.
“Nah, sweetheart.Don’t got time for it.”He turned to the kitchen, half an eye still on the pair of them.“I’ve got pizza in the freezer.Sound alright?”
The pair giggled again.Dulce wagged her flowers at him in an apparent attempt at mockery.
“Ooo.Tio Tio is lying,” she said, sounding very like her older sister in that moment.“We found these.And the horse foot.”
“Shoe,” Gabriela corrected.
Dulce wrinkled her nose.“But horses don’twearshoes.”
“They do, stupid.”Mara, sounding utterly superior.
“Mara, be nice to your cousin.”Antonio let the freezer door swing shut, coming back around the bar.“What the hell are you little menaces talking about?Where’d you find flowers?”
“In your room,” Dulce answered, all seven-year-old honesty.
“We were looking for books,” Gabriela added, as if that would make it okay that the tiny terrors had broken into his bedroom.“And then we saw these propped up on your bed, with the horseshoe.You can tell us.He brings you flowers?Is it the guy Mara saw?I’ll bet he’s hot.”
Antonio was certain his sisters wouldn’t appreciate him explaining that the best that he could manage was the occasional Wreckd hookup.At least they thought their uncle had game.
“That was just a friend.Let me see,” he said.That they’d found one of his horseshoes wasn’t weird, he had plenty in the house.But flowers?Where the hell had they found flowers?
Dulce surrendered the bouquet of white flowers, while Gabriela held up a horseshoe.Antonio took them both, brow furrowed in confusion.
The horseshoe wasn’t iron.The weight was all wrong, and instead of dull gray, it had a bright, cheerful shine.Silver.He’d never seen it before.The flowers were similarly weird, large white, cuplike blooms he’d seen everywhere, though he couldn’t put his finger on a name.
“Does his name start with C?”Gabriela asked.“Clive?”
“Clive.”Mara chimed in, incredulous.
Antonio barely heard either of them.There was aCengraved on one corner of the horseshoe.AnAon the other.Calla lilies.The flowers were calla lilies.
