Cosmos takes my coat and hangs it on an alreadycrowded peg on the wall. With a hand on my back, he guides me through the dining room to a door that leads directly into the kitchen. The room is toasty warm, and the whole place smells deliciously of cooked garlic, onions, and thyme.
A woman with grey-streaked auburn hair glances over her shoulder at us, but doesn’t stop stirring the pot on the stove. She’s wearing a long floral dress covered by a ruffled apron in another floral pattern.
“Hi, Mama.” Cosmos crosses the room and wraps an arm around the petite woman who only comes up to his shoulders.
She tilts her head for him to place a kiss on her cheek, then swats his arm with the back of her hand. “That’s for missing an entire month of family dinners. And now your sister tells me you’ve?—”
“Mama, this is Hazel,” Cosmos cuts her off, holding out his hand toward me.
Her eyes go wide, like she’s only just realizing I’ve been standing in the doorway this whole time. She shakes her head in exasperation before turning back to her son. “You could have called and warned me.” She does a double take, looking back at me, mouth falling open. “Wait, Hazel?TheHazel?”
They have some kind of silent conversation I’m not privy to, while I awkwardly stand there, still only half-way in the room. I’m not sure whether I should feel embarrassed or flattered that he’s already told his mother about me.
She hands him the wooden spoon. “Keep stirring.”She wipes her hands on the dishtowel hanging from her shoulder as she steps closer to me.
If I didn’t already know she was his mom, I’d know now. They have the same eyes. She makes eye contact for an awkwardly long moment with an intense look on her face and a smile that I can only describe as sad. No, wistful.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Romero.” I hold out my hand. “I hope I’m not imposing.”
“Imposing? Ptsh.” She brushes my hand away and, before I know what’s happening, her arms are around me. “I’m so glad you found my Cosmos. You’re welcome here anytime.”
Her immediate acceptance is a little alarming. I’m not sure anyone’s ever welcomed me so easily before. I feel an intense urge to live up to whatever she’s been told about me, which feels incredibly difficult, since I don’t know exactly what she’s been told. Panic builds in my body the longer the hug continues. I don’t want to disappoint her.
When Mrs. Romero pulls away, there are tears glistening on her high cheekbones, which only increases my alarm. She hastily wipes them away. “And none of this Mrs. Romero nonsense. My name is Camilla, and that’s what you’ll call me.” Her lips lift in the same crooked smirk her son wears so well. “For now.”
I’m not sure how I’m supposed to take that last comment, so I just smile and repeat her name back to her.
There’s a loud shriek from upstairs, followed byfootsteps pounding on the ceiling above us. I look at Cosmos in alarm, but he’s smiling.
“You two better not break anything!” Camilla yells up a set of stairs that lead from the kitchen to the second level of the house. “Go change the record, would you, Cosmos? This is cooking music, not dinner music. Hazel, run upstairs and tell everyone it’s ready.”
She goes to the cabinet and gets out a stack of plates. I shoot Cosmos a panicked look behind her back. The noisy clanking of dishes stops. Cosmos’ brown eyes ground me back in the moment and ease my nerves. His smile is gentle, relaxed.
“Don’t worry, darling. I won’t leave you on your own,” he whispers before looking away. “You can’t put her to work yet, Mama. We only just got here.”
His momtsksat him. “Well, you go then. I don’t want dinner getting cold.”
Cosmos takes my hand and leads me upstairs. I feel like I’ve been on my back foot ever since I walked into this cozy little house. It’s nothing like the tiny, one-story house Mom and I share, or the house on the cul-de-sac where I grew up. Everywhere I’ve ever lived has been quiet. Most of the time Mom’s off at work, or quietly reading. Growing up, when Jeremy wasn’t working, he would be golfing. Home has always come with a side of loneliness.
This place is different. It’s loud and messy and familial. It makes me miss Mom and wonder how she’s doing. I grab my phone as we reach the top ofthe landing. “I’m gonna check in with my mom. Is that okay?”
Cosmos gives me a concerned look, but then points to an open door at the end of the hall. “Come find me when you’re done.”
I try calling, but when she doesn’t answer, I shoot off a quick text. Tonight’s the first time I’ve left her completely on her own. Aunt Joan’s come down to visit a few times when I’ve needed to leave, so between the two of us, someone’s always been there. Mom assured me she’d be fine. She planned to curl up with a romance novel and go to bed early. But I’m still worried about her.
I also want an excuse to take a breather before meeting another member of Cosmos’ family. It seems like they already know about me, while I know very little about them, and that makes me uncomfortable. I don’t like being unprepared.
Mom:
Stop texting me and go enjoy that man of yours.
He’s not mine. Well, I guess I don’t know if he is or isn’t. This is just a first date, and we haven’t really talked about what we are to each other. But I’m meeting his family. That’s got to mean something.
A woman steps out of the room Cosmos entered. She’s stunning. Probably in her early thirties. Her clothes are stylish and clearly expensive, though her silk blouse is half untucked out of her pencil skirt, which is alittle crooked. She’s got a phone pressed to her ear, and she’s talking in a smooth, soothing voice. “Slow down, Amy. Take a deep breath. Just tell me what happened.”
She glances at me, smiles, straightens her skirt, and steps into one of the other bedrooms. I make my way toward the laughter at the end of the hall.
Cosmos is sitting cross-legged on the floor. A little girl, about seven, if I had to guess, is directly in front of him on her knees.
