Page 16 of Unbreakable Thread

“Perfect, I’ll write it down. Mr. Cano will be pleased.”

Mr. Cano Jr. will not be pleased. I hid this to surprise him. But will it be a good or bad surprise? I just wanted to lift the weight off his shoulders.

I end the call and resume prepping for tomorrow’s orders. The restaurant sits empty and silent around me, doors bolted early. Everyone else clocked out hours ago.

I plug in my playlist and connect it to my Bluetooth speakers. Recently I created a new playlist featuring music that reminds me of my childhood. It has been bringing back memories I didn’t know I still carried. “Lost Boy” by Ruth B plays, and it takes me back.

“Oh, come on, Sol. Don’t be such a cheater.” Max groans when I move the queen on the chessboard. He’s a pro at this. It’s not fair that he keeps winning. “You can’t jump the queen over my pieces like that,” he adds with an eye roll.

“She should get to if she wants. Why does the king get to hide behind the rook and swap spots? Queens are better rulers. She should if she’s the queen.” I stick out my tongue playfully.

He giggles. “I don’t make the rules, sunshine.”

My stomach grumbles. Mrs. Sara is working a little late tonight, so Max suggested we hang out in the tree house until she or Drake get home. We decorated our playhouse with lights. Max made it look like a fairy house. The second he hears my stomach growl, he digs into his bag and pulls out a foil-wrapped sandwich. This boy is always feeding me. He splits it in half.

“Here, I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And yes, I added extra jelly.”

I take it from his hold. “Thank you.” I take a big bite. My mom always added extra jelly.

“Is this like a picnic date?” I tease.

A flush creeps up his neck and settles in his cheeks. He’s cute when he gets shy. I can’t believe we pinky promised to be married someday when we are grown-ups.

“If you want it to be,” he says in a small whisper.

“Okay.”

Max hands me a bag of pretzels. I open it and place it in the middle so we can share.

“Kids. How many kids should we have?”

Max nearly chokes on his sandwich. I need to stop saying crazy things when he eats. I’m going to kill him one day. Gently, I smack his back a couple of times.

“Kids? Don’t you think that’s way too early to think of? We have about twenty years for that, and besides, if we get separated, we have to find one another.”

Separated. The word settles in my chest like a stone. My heart hurts just thinking about not being close to Max and Drake. Max told me this house is temporary. Nothing is permanent. What if he never finds me? What if we never see each other again?

“I like to live in fairytales. Picturing stories in my head helps me.” I take another bite of my sandwich. “Promise me you’ll find me if that happens.”

Max’s green eyes soften as he extends his pinky. “I promise to find you.” We do a pinky promise. “Six,” he blurts, stuffing pretzels in his mouth.

“Six what?”

“Kids.” His words are muffled.

My eyes widen. That’s a lot of kids for a woman to pop out. “Wow. Estás loco.”

He shrugs and peers at me. Max has jelly stuck to his chin, and he wipes it off with his shirt. “I’m not crazy, Sol. Hey, you asked. I wish I had siblings. You know, a big family.”

I understand him completely. I wish I had sisters and brothers. My mom and dad had thought about having more kids when he got back from the service. “Me too.” We finish up our pretzels and share a bottle of water in silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. Mine go to Mom and Dad, and I’m sure Max is thinking of them as well.

“Hey, lovebirds.” Drake stands on the wooden steps of the tree house, interrupting our silence.

Max gives him a side-eye. “Stop it, Drake.”

Drake ignores his pink cheeks. Drake and Max act like brothers. They are always teasing one another. He ruffles Max’s hair. “What are you two kiddos up to?”

“We were playing chess, but Sol keeps trying to make her own rules,” Max tattles on me, and Drake laughs and tugs on my braid gently.