Ay. That was it!
It hit her like a chancla straight to her head. Were her parents plotting to get her back together with Jaime? Sure, Carlos wanted and needed his help for the Canal, but did her parents have an ulterior motive?
“Mamá? Why exactly did you ask Carlos to invite Jaime to dinner?”
Her father answered instead. “He’s like family. It’s not just about you—I once thought he would be my son. And he was also Carlos’s friend. He’s helping your brother with this festival of his to raise money for his team. The least we could do is open our home to him and serve him a home-cooked meal. The poor boy is probably staying in a cold hotel.”
Alma let out a chuckle. “He’s not staying in a hotel—he’sstaying with Santi, who just happens to be filthy rich and lives in anoceanfront mansion in Bolinas. Oh, the horror! How could Jaime ever slum it like that?”
Mamá’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “Jaime never had a close family like we have. Home-cooked meals, love, warmth. Money isn’t everything.”
Alma wasn’t going to press, but she had to know why her parents didn’t even seem to care that Jaime had hurt her so greatly.
She clenched her fist. “So it’s just like old times? Full-on forgiveness? Did you forget how comatose I was after he dumped me?”
Papá placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “Mija, of course not. What Jaime did was hurtful. But you were both so young and still are. Men mature slower than women. We never expected it to last. Especially with him.”
Ah, great. Even her own parents knew he would dump her. “I guess everyone saw the end coming but me.” She didn’t want to discuss this further with her parents. “I’ll go set the table.” She grabbed some plates from the cupboard next to the sink and brought them into the dining room.
Maybe her parents’ odd behavior could simply be explained by the fact that she hadn’t had a serious boyfriend since Jaime, and they wanted her to be happy. And Alma couldn’t fully discount her parents’ traditional upbringings despite the way they had adapted to American culture. Maybe they couldn’t fight the notion that Alma, at the tender age of twenty-five, was an old maid. That stuff is deeply ingrained.
Carlos finally ambled in from wherever the hell he’d been. She glared at him. Had he never invited Jaime to the Cinco festival, then this dinner wouldn’t be happening. Yes, yes, for the greater good. But still, it was messed up.
Carlos leaned against the dining table.
“Nice of you to show up. I’m stressing here.”
Carlos laughed. “Relax. I don’t know why you’re so nervous—Jaime is the one who should be anxious.”
“Whatever, Carlos. It’s weird. You know it is. Plus, why does he have to have dinner here? The charity event is bad enough.”
“I think Mamá and Papá just wanted him to feel like they’ve forgiven him.”
Alma rolled her eyes. “It’s not their forgiveness he should seek.”
Carlos grabbed her hand. “I know what he did hurt you. But you are one to talk about inviting him over. Didn’t you agree to teach him about tequila and how to speak proper Spanish in exchange for some help with critics and posts?”
Wow. Good news travels fast. Thanks Jaime. “I did. But that’s different. It’s between us. I don’t want my entire family involved in my business.”
Carlos burst out laughing. “You realize that you are Mexican, right? You need to get over that privacy fantasy real quick.”
He had a point. “Fine. You’re right. It’s just, he broke me.”
Carlos hugged his little sister. “I’m sorry. But you can live in the past or try to see him as the man he is now.”
Was her entire family conspiring to get them back together? “I don’t want to get back together with him. I can never trust that he won’t break my heart.”
“It’s not about getting back together with Jaime. It’s about forgiveness and healing. So you can move on—with someone—someday. That’s the thing—you haven’t moved on. You still love him. If you didn’t, you would’ve found someone new. You’re stunning and smart and successful. How many dates have you been on since he left?”
A lump grew in her throat. “I plead the Fifth.”
“Right. So all we’re trying to get you to do is to be open. We all see that whatever is going on with you two, the final chapter hasn’t been written. Even if he is just here in town so you can finally have closure on the past and move on, then that will be worth it.”
Alma exhaled. Carlos was right. Maybe the reason Jaime had appeared in her life wasn’t an opportunity to get back together with him, but so she could finally forgive him and be able to move on.
Because she really needed to. She yearned to be held, to be kissed. She had closed that part off in herself for so long. But now, seeing him had stirred up all sorts of feelings and desires.
The doorbell rang. Alma’s heart constricted.
