Great. This was just one more thing for the neighbors to be gossiping about. Why couldn’t they find something better to do than spread rumors about my family? And now that Nick was living at my house, taking my kids with him to work, my neighbors were probably hashtagging his every move while trying to get a glimpse of his underwear.
I texted Javi. My bladder was full and my patience was thin. I needed to get home to Nick and the kids before Stacey and her friends started posting polls about something worse.
Finlay:Tell Vero to hurry. We have to go.
Javi:She says u have 2 stay in that room.
Finlay:I can’t stay in this room. I have to pee.
Javi:She suggests doing some Kegels.
Finlay:Tell her that’s not funny.
Javi:She says u can hold it and she believes in the strength of ur pelvic floor.
Finlay:It’s an emergency, Javi!
Javi:If it’s any consolation, I believe in u 2.
Finlay:I’ll relay that to my bladder. Can you at least tell me how long you’ll be?
No answer.
I sat down at her desk, crossed my legs at the hip, and thought extremely dry thoughts: the Sahara Desert, my mouth in the morning after a hangover, my last attempt at roasting any kind of poultry.
This line of thought managed only to make me hungry. I looked around for anything to eat or drink, but there wasn’t so much as a crumb in Vero’s room. And even if there were, it would only make my more pressing issue worse.
I crept to Vero’s bedroom door, listening for a moment before tiptoeing across the hall. I locked myself inside the bathroom, thanking the pelvic floor gods I’d managed to hold it that long as I frantically relieved my aching bladder. When I was finished, I turned on the faucet and leaned over the tap, taking a good long drink.
I bolted upright when someone knocked on the door. I turned off the water, my heart hammering in my chest.
“Vero? You want something to eat? I’m cooking your favorite for dinner.” My mind spun as the woman paused. “You’re in your room too much, Vero. Your mother and I have been very worried about you.”
Oh, god. It was Vero’s aunt! It was too late to turn on the shower faucet and pretend I hadn’t heard her. I affected my best imitation of Vero’s voice. “I’m fine!” I called through the door.
“Vero, honey, let me in.”
“Be out in a few minutes!”
“Veronica, open the door.”
“I said everything is—”
Vero’s Aunt Gloria let loose with an urgent, fiery soliloquy in Spanish. I managed to translate exactly one word of it:ahora—now!
CHAPTER 6
I unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out into the hall, feeling like a thirty-one-year-old teenager who’d been caught smoking weed in a school restroom stall. Vero’s Aunt Gloria frowned at me. I was as shocked by the unmistakable family resemblance as I had been the first time I’d met her, three weeks ago. Ramón was the spitting image of his mother, but there were plenty of Vero’s features in that piercing stare, too. She had the same angular jaw as Vero and her son, the same thick dark curls and shrewd dark eyes, and the same deeply thoughtful arch to her brow. Gloria looked as if she was dressed for work, in a floral silk blouse and a pair of dress slacks, her hair pulled back in a twist. Her feet were stuffed into a pair of house slippers, and a kitchen apron was tied around her waist, making it hard to tell exactly how long she’d been home.
She reeled back, clearly confused. “Finlay? What are you doing here?”
“I… just got here,” I stammered. “Long drive,” I said through a nervous laugh, gesturing to the bathroom behind me. “Reallyhad to go.” I cleared my throat as Gloria waited for me to get around toanswering her question. “Vero… left a few personal things at my house. I thought she might want them.”
Gloria’s face softened. “It was kind of you to bring them all this way. You should have called Ramón. He could have picked them up for you.”
“It’s no trouble. Vero wasn’t answering her phone, and I was worried. I figured I would just come myself and check in.”
Gloria’s smile faltered. “I suppose Vero already told you her mother took her phone. It’s for the best. You understand,” she said sheepishly. “Since you’re here, you should stay and join us for dinner. There’s plenty of food. And I’m sure Vero would like the company. She hasn’t been herself these last few days. Ask her to come set the table and help her mother with the groceries. We can all have a glass of wine, and you two can catch up while I start dinner. Norma gave up alcohol for Lent. Notme. I was the smart one.Igave up men. It’s easy to do when you don’t have one,” she said with a wink. “What did you give up for Lent? Not alcohol, I hope.”
