Page 100 of No Merciful Corruption

I drop my purse on the garden table and he glances over his shoulder. Upon seeing me he smiles and attempts to get to his feet.

“Hola, tomatina,” I rush to his side and take hold of his arm. To disguise my attempt at helping him, I lean down to kiss his cheek in greeting. He doesn’t seem to notice. “I hadn’t realized…is today your day?”

He marks me with the sign of the cross and I smile at him. “I believe so. Unless there’s another gorgeous redhead in your life I don’t know about.”

He chuckles softly and removes his hat. Forever the gentleman, he refuses to let me pull out my own chair and the two of us sit at my favorite round table with the intricate ceramic tiling. Natalia arrives just in time with a tray of coffee, sweet bread, and fruit with his medication on a small porcelain plate in the corner. I make sure he takes it first.

“Tell me,” he says as he stirs an exorbitant amount of sugar in his coffee. “How was the honeymoon?”

“It was beautiful. We started in Japan and were there for about ten days. We visited Tokyo, saw Mount Fuji, and then spent a few days in Kyoto before heading to South Korea.” I explain. “After, we went to Thailand and then Singapore but I think my favorite place was the Philippines. There’s still so much to see but we were beginning to feel a little homesick.”

“I can imagine. I know Lela missed you terribly.”

I hum in response. “Hmm…my little baby.”

“Her parents as well.”

My hand stills and I abandon my coffee stirring. “I’m sure they did.”

“I suppose last night was as much a surprise to you as it was to me.” He sighs and takes a sip of his drink. “Ay, esa Thumbelina. What are we going to do about her?”

Hesitation leaks into my voice. “Do you disapprove?”

“Of her divorce from my grandson, yes. Of Karina, no. Never.”

When Karina entered the fold and had Allegra, part of me worried at how Abuelo would react. He’d always been kind but it took him a while to really warm up to me. Since he met Karina, he’s treated her like he would Lettie or me, accepting her unconditionally. Karina’s become more reclusive in recent years and so she’s naturally gravitated toward the family grump. She and Abuelo have their own thing going on and his presence in her life has been a gift. Especially since Karina no longer speaks to her mom and dad. She was in desperate need of an older, parental figure to lean on.

“No los entiendo,” he shakes his head. “Ya están casados y tienen una hija⁠—”

“Being married and having a daughter doesn’t change the fact they’re probably incompatible.” I take a sip of my coffee. “I think this time we’re just going to have to let them make their own decisions. If they haven’t found a way to make it work in four years then there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Abuelo isn’t convinced but then again, he never is.

Allegra is our everything. She’s the sun in the universe of our lives and we all revolve around her, catering to the whims of one very sweet, rambunctious three-year-old. But as much as we love her, it still doesn’t change the fact that she was unplanned. She was born to two parents who didn’t know each other and had to figure out how to raise a child together. Never mind the circumstances she was born into with Brent’s death, Karina’s precarious mental state, and the eventual move back to Barcelona. Maybe in another world, Karina and Diego could’ve worked. I’m just not sure about this one.

Abuelo decides to change the subject. “And the business?”

“Regina and I went over some proposals the other day. There’s a property in Turkey she thinks we should add to the portfolio. Would you like to take a look?”

He lifts a hand and shakes his head. “No, no. I trust you. You’ve done very well with this new division.”

“The Enterprise specializes in luxury goods. We already ship them all over the world, it only makes sense to dip our toes into luxury property as well. The project is still in its very early stages,” I explain. “But there’s so much potential in it. Acquiring and restoring architectural gems all over the world is no easy feat.”

“Is there an end goal in mind?” He asks. “There’s no profit to be made if they’re bought and remain empty. No matter how beautiful they may be.”

“That’s the part I’ve been struggling with. Should they be turned into museums? Cultural centers?”

“Luxury homes?” He suggests but I’m already shaking my head.

“I hate the idea of putting all that work into restoring a property just to hand it over to someone else so it can become private.” I reply. “It doesn’t seem fair. I’d rather it be turned into something useful. A theater or a university. Or even a hotel—at least then people could enjoy it.”

“And the company will make a profit.”

“Is everything about profit?” I muse aloud. “Can nothing be for sweet and simple pleasures?”

Abuelo lifts a brow as he drinks his coffee. “I’m afraid old habits die hard.”

His voice lingers at the end as though he means to say more. I wait in silence for him to continue his train of thought.