Page 107 of Sweet Heart

“Mary, hija. ¿Estás bien?”

“No, Phill is bothering me.”

Her eyes instantly snap to his watery ones, and he backs away even more.

“No such thing,” he says quickly while shaking his head. “Just a misunderstanding is all.”

“Then misunderstand your way back into your apartment,” I hiss, and Mrs. Alfonso steps out of her doorway toward me.

“Hija, do you want me to call the police?”

Phill’s face turns as white as a sheet.

“Now, ladies, there is no need for that. I’ll just see myself back in, yeah?”

He turns on his heel and flees into his apartment, leaving Mrs. Alfonso alone in the hallway. I swallow hard, my jaw still tense, as I turn to my neighbor. My lips part to thank her, but no words come out. She just smiles and nods.

“You did well, Mary. Are you okay? Do you want me to stay with you for a moment? It is understandable if you don’t want to be alone right now. That creep…” she trails off, glaring at Phill’s door. “This will not be the end of it.”

I give her a weak smile and shake my head. It doesn’t exactly feel well to my body yet, but I don’t want to give it any more attention.

“Thank you,” I whisper in a voice so hoarse it hurts as it rasps against my throat.

I turn toward the door, finally push it open, and step inside its safety. The moment the door clicks shut behind me, my whole body starts to shake, and hot tears stream down my cheeks. Holy fucking shit. I take out my phone with trembling fingers and hover my fingers over the keys. Then I make a rash decision and press the call button.

“Hola, Maria,” Rosa’s warm voice rings in my ear, and I have to suppress a sob.

“Hola, Rosa,” I say, trying to be brave, but she hears it instantly.

“What is wrong? What did Cat do? I swear that girl—”

I let out a strangled laugh and shake my head, even though she can’t see it.

“No, Rosa, no. Your daughter is perfect.”

“Hm,” she grumbles, but doesn’t protest any further.

“It’s my neighbor. He… he… Would it be too much if I asked you to pick me up?”

“Mija, of course I will,” she replies before the last word falls from my lips. “You just text me the address, and I’ll be there. And then you will tell me everything about this neighbor.”

That’s it. No questions, no inquiry into why I called her instead of Cat, not even reluctance, even though she has only met me once. I slide down the wall to the floor and finally allow myself to completely break down.

“¿Cómo?” Rosa says, her eyebrows shooting up and her nostrils flaring.

She glances over her shoulder toward the door, as if she can see right through it into his apartment. Her hand, which is resting over mine, twitches briefly. She takes a long breath before she turns to face me again, and the way she restrains herself reminds me of Cat. Huh, I would’ve thought she’d gotten that from Eduardo.

“Mija, no puedes quedarte aquí…” she says slowly enough for me to understand. You can’t stay here.

“I… I know,” I admit reluctantly. “But finding a new place in this area is—”

“A new place?” Rosa leans back in surprise and studies me. “Is that what you want?”

I frown until I understand the implication of her question, and then I shake my head. She nods once, but doesn’t speak any further on the matter. My stomach turns. The last thing I want is for Cat’s mother to run interference and push her toward something she might not be ready for.

“Maria, my daughter is practical. She has a sensitive soul but an analytical brain.” Rosa smiles fondly.

I let out a small huff, and my lip twitches up. She is spot on.