She thinks fleetingly of her mother.
Her brother.
Of how her family has such a direct way of reading other people’s emotions as if they were open pages.
But that thought vanishes almost as quickly as it arrives, because her gaze falls on the clock on the nightstand. And the world starts moving again.
“Shit!”
It’s almost ten in the morning, and Rebeca jumps up, clumsily pushing the sheets aside as she gets out of bed.
“I’m late!”
She runs toward the bathroom, practically tripping over her own feet. Hot water pours down her back as her mind tries to sort through the jumbled thoughts swirling in her head.
She has a meeting with Ariadna in forty minutes. And she still has to get dressed, leave the house, and cross half the city.
When she finally leaves the apartment, the sky has cleared completely. The storm has left the streets gleaming, with small reflections of light in the puddles still lingering on the sidewalks.
The bus makes its way through Santander’s morning traffic while Rebeca tries to mentally review the last few chapters she’s been translating.
But the truth is that her mind isn’t cooperating much, because every time she tries to concentrate, the image of Martina leaning toward her in the dim light of the living room pops into her head.
By the time she arrives at the publishing house, the clock already reads ten minutes past the agreed-upon time.
Rebeca practically runs inside and takes a deep breath before knocking on the door to Ariadna’s office.
“Come in.”
When she opens the door, Ariadna is sitting behind her desk, reviewing some papers. Rebeca clasps her hands in front of her chest and gives a slight bow.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be late,” Rebeca says. “Last night was crazy, and I didn’t hear the alarm. Although now that I think about it… I don’t even know if I set it.”
For a second, Ariadna stares at her in silence.
Then she raises an eyebrow. Next, she bites the tip of the pen she’s holding between her fingers as an amused smile spreads across her face.
“I think this is the first time someone has walked into this office without blaming traffic for being late.”
Rebeca lets out a nervous laugh.
“I thought it would be better to tell the truth.”
Ariadna points to the chair across from her desk.
“Go on, sit down.”
Rebeca plops down in the chair as she tries to regain her composure.
“Would you like some coffee?” Ariadna asks, standing up.
“Yes, please.”
As the coffee maker starts up, Ariadna sits back down and flips through one of the documents on the table.
“I spoke with the author this morning.”
Rebeca looks up.
