She hung up before I could try anymore to get out of it. I guess I was going to dinner tomorrow night at Vera’s abuela’s house. Hopefully I didn’t regret it.
Chapter Forty-Two
VERA
I hadn’t been able to focus on work at all since Cara left for her trip. I felt like such a dick for the things I’d said, but I couldn’t take them back. I was so stressed about Nico getting hurt, not only for a business standpoint, but as his best friend too. I was worried about him and I took it out on her.
I kept hoping she’d come over and we could talk. Granted, I knew I could’ve just walked over to her office and apologized, but the prideful part of me just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I wanted to call her, to see her, to hear her voice, hear her laugh, see her smile, but it had been over a week and we still just kept missing each other.
After work I took the long way out and went past her office, hoping if she saw me she’d stop me and we could talk. I frowned when I saw her door was shut and the lights were off. It was just barely six and she never left work before eight.
“Hey, Vera.” I looked over to see Eloise smiling at me from her desk.
“Hey, Eloise. I was just heading out for the night. Are you leaving soon?”
She nodded. “Yup. Just finishing some things up here, actually.”
“Oh. well that’s good.” I kept glancing towards Cara’s office, confused as to why she wasn’t there. It wasn’t like her to leave early.
“She’s not here, Vera. She left around four.”
Four? That was two hours ago. She left and I didn’t notice? How? I’d been staring over here all day. “Oh. I wasn’t… Is she okay? She never leaves early.”
“You were, but she’s fine. No, she never leaves early, but today she did. Just wanted to enjoy her Friday early, I guess.” She shrugged, but I knew something was off.
“Eloise. What aren’t you telling me? I know you know something.”
She scowled. “Of course I know. I’m her assistant. She didn’t tell me exactly what happened and I didn’t ask. She looked very upset and I didn’t want to make it worse. Whatever happened between the two of you really messed with her and you need to make it right.”
She left without giving me a chance to explain. I didn’t know how to make it right. I didn’t know how to feel or what to do.
Sighing, I left the building and headed home. I was only about five minutes into my drive when my phone rang. My heart leapt out of my chest thinking, and hoping, it was Cara. When I saw who it was, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Hola, abuela.”
“What did you do?!”
¿Qué? Abuela, what are you talking about?”
“What did you do? She is a wonderful woman and she did not deserve your disrespect. I did not raise you to be like that! What is wrong with you?”
What was she talking about? “Who’s a wonderful woman? Why are you yelling at me?”
“Cara! Cara is a wonderful woman and she did not deserve the things you said to her. You need to fix things!”
Cara. “What? Cara? When did you talk to her?”
“I just got off the phone with that poor girl, mija. She was almost in tears talking to me. I was trying to invite you girlsover for dinner tomorrow, and that’s when she told me what happened. What is wrong with you? I thought you loved her!”
What was happening? “What? I do love her. You called her? Why wouldn’t you just call me?”
“You don’t get to ask the questions, here! If you love her, why did you fight with her? She was just trying to help you, mija.”
“I didn’t need her help!” I yelled. She made the clicking noise that a Mexican grandmother did when you were seconds away from a backhand to the face and I cleared my throat. “Lo siento, abuela. I didn’t need her help. I needed to handle it on my own. It’s my business and it was my mistake. Our jobs are different, anyway. There was nothing she could’ve done. She doesn’t have to deal with injuries like I do on a daily basis. My job is more life threatening than hers.”
“Wow. Mija, what has gotten into you? I raised you, you do not talk like this. You do not care what job she has. You do not compare your job to anyone else’s. Do you think you’re better than her because your job is more demanding?”
“What? No, of course not.”
