This was something she got all the time — at least once a month in New York, someone approached her speaking in Spanish, but she took it as a compliment.
“Have you been to our city before?”
“No, first time. It’s beautiful, though.”
“Mm-hm. It is. You seem a little surprised by this.”
Cierra sighed and smiled, slightly embarrassed at how obvious her preconceptions must have been.
“This park is a special place. Take your time and call me whenever you’re ready to leave. I’ll find a place to park nearby.”
Gathering her over-the-shoulder bag, Cierra hopped out of the car and made her way to the bookstore. The heat immediately hit her, but it felt good against her skin. Andwhen she walked in, she stopped dead in her tracks, awestruck. Nadine was right — smack in the middle of the store was an imposing ancient cypress, with a thick trunk extending far above the ceiling, which, like the walls of the building, was completely made of glass. From her vantage point, she could see endless shelves of books that served as a foreground to the park, which surrounded the structure and opened up to a pond where tables and chairs were filled with families, tourists, and individuals enjoying a read by the water.
The breathtaking scene tempted her to capture a video for a social media montage later, but she decided to keep this moment to herself.
After walking through and sitting by the pond for a while, she purchased a postcard for her mom and a magnet for Mia before texting the driver to come pick her up. It was time to get back to work; maybe someday she’d return, once she had gotten her life and finances together and could explore the city at her own leisure. But that day was not today.
She also sent a picture she’d taken of the tree to Julian with a simple message:
No words. It’s beautiful.
But to her surprise, he called just moments after she sent the message.
“Hello??” she said.
“I can’t believe you actually picked up.”
She laughed nervously, frustrated by her inability to be cool for one second. “Great recommendation.”
“I’m really glad you liked it. Did you get any books?”
“Well, I don’t really speak the language . . .”
He laughed. “That’s fair.”
“But! I got a postcard for my mom.”
“Nice, nice. I don’t wanna keep you from work or anything. I’m really happy you got to go. Can I still see you when you get back?”
She bit her lip. “Yeah, I think we can make that work.”
“Am I being too much by calling you out of the blue?”
“No, I love it.”
“Well then, I’ll remember that for later.”
Cierra heard a honk and saw the friendly face of the driver waving, pulling up behind her on the sidewalk.
“Hey, I have to let you go, but thanks again for the recommendation and for the call. It was really sweet.”
“Anytime.”
Clicking off the phone call, she took one last look at the bookstore before piling into the car, smiling from ear to ear.
“So, how was it?” the driver asked.
Thinking back on the last few days, she was grateful for how everything seemed to have worked out. How much bigger her life felt like it was becoming. She appreciated Mia’s unease about her blooming interactions with Julian, but his call in the park was just another reminder that this wasn’t seven years ago. It was spontaneous and thoughtful, but nothing more.
