“Remember what you said about being close, but not too close?” When he nods, I continue. “Reconnecting with my magic, with my family, with you…I’ve felt more fulfilled in these last few days than I have since I left. I think I’m ready to come back.”
Diego washes his hands quickly, then comes over to kiss me.
“What’s that for?” I ask, surprised.
“I thought getting you to move down here was going to take a lot more persuasion on my part. It didn’t occur to me that all I had to do was feed you.”
I toss a wadded up napkin at him. “It’s not just the food. New York never really felt like home. Only…”
“What?”
I swallow hard. “What if it happens again? The burnout, I mean. What if it’s permanent next time?”
Diego hugs me to him and gently strokes my hair. “It won’t happen, mi corazón. You’re a different person now, and if you do start up your business again, it’ll be for you, not your family.”
“And I’ll have you to make sure I take breaks.”
“Hey, if anyone knows your overachiever patterns, it’s me.”
He returns to the stove, and I resume snacking. He’s right. Things are different now. And I’m finally realizing that my worth isn’t tied to my achievements.
Diego whips up mofongo sliders and bacalao guisado over quinoa con gandules, along with a pitcher of piña coladas. Everything is the best thing I’ve ever tasted. The man truly has a gift.
Crystal calls just after we’re done eating, and I can tell she’s drunk.
“Yo sis. Guess what?” she slurs.
“Um, you’re drunk?”
Crystal giggles. “No shit. That’s too easy. Nah, it’s something else.”
I close my eyes. “Fucking hex, what else could it be?”
“Caro summoned the demon.”
I nearly drop the phone. “Caro what?”
Diego’s looking at me with concern, so I turn on speakerphone.
“Yeah,” Crys continues. “Caro decided she couldn’t go through with marrying Matteo because he quote-unquote hates good music, so she tried to summon the ghost of Mama Isabella to help her stop the wedding. But instead of our great-grandmother, she called a motherfucking demon instead!”
I glare at Diego, who is covering his mouth and shaking with laughter. “This is not funny,” I hiss at him.
He wipes a tear from his eye. “Come on, it kind of is.”
To Crystal, I say, “All this because Caro’s too passive aggressive to tell Mom she changed her mind.”
“Nailed it in one.”
“And what about the camera operators?” I ask.
“Creepy shit. They were lost souls, but Mom helped them cross over. Anyway, there’s a bottle of vintage Dom Perignon with my name on it. Toodles, witch! Have fun burning on your boyfriend’s stake!”
She ends the call and I purse my lips in thought, mulling over the innuendo. “Okay, that one actually wasn’t that bad.”
Diego tilts his hand in the air, like mas o menos. “I wouldn’t call it good, though.”
I put my phone back in my pocket. “A demon. Wow. I didn’t think Caro had it in her.”
