Page 92 of The Apparent Trap

“You want to willingly come to an office building on a Tuesday of a dead week?”

“Yes?”

He seems relaxed all the way down to his toes. Everything about this scenario is new, but that part is the most welcome. He’s always been a ball of energy around me, sharp but on edge. I like getting to see this contented version of him.

“Okay,” I reply, wanting to keep this hazy halo around us. “I’m going to leave after the show’s over, there’s nothing else happening this week.” I pause, considering. “Don’t you have anywhere you have to be? The restaurants or something?”

He shakes his head. “No, other than New Year’s Eve, I always take this time of year off. Everything’s a well-oiled machine at the restaurants, and none of my shows film or plan this week.”

“Nice life you’ve got,” I quip.

But he looks at me like I’m the only thing that matters. “Yeah, now I do.”

I get to work a little later than I should.

Worth it.

I’m moving on autopilot when I get in, bouncing from my desk over to the control room. When I make it to the studio to check in on Carmen before the show begins, it doesn’t really register that maybe I should be feeling a little awkward. I don’t think about it until I’m standing right in front of her.

But I shouldn’t have worried, because when Carmen sees me, she lights up.

“Hello, Mother,” she says with a grin.

I blush, but since it’s clear she’s rooting for whatever is happening, I know I can joke with her too. “See, and I was just about to call you that before you and my dad broke up.”

She cackles, loud enough that the audio guys turn around. “This is really a Jerry Springer–level conversation.”

“No one’s beating anyone up today, though, right?”

“Nah, you would’ve had to beat me up first. Who am I to judge?”

I pat her hand. “Well, you and Georgia certainly pulled one over on me yesterday.”

I get that youthful smile again, the one where I’m reminded that for all the power she now wields, Carmen is simply a talented girl with a messy life like the rest of us. “I’m glad we did,” she says, sincerity radiating. “I don’t think I realized how much my opinion was dictating his actions. When I was younger, I never really considered what it must’ve been like for him. I’m grateful I moved to New York for a lot of reasons, but especially because it’s the first time I’ve gotten to see him as a fully fleshed-out person and not just the embodiment of all my childhood frustrations.”

“Well, you had a lot to get through.”

She nods. “We did. But it’s a two-way street—he can want me to be happy, and I can want that for him too.”

“I’m really glad for both of you,” I say, truthfully.

“Just . . .” She looks me up and down. “Don’t tell me anything about whatever you’re doing in the sense that like . . . gross, you’re glowing today.”

Now I’m the one cackling. “Listen, we’re mutually assured destruction here. Anything I could tell you, you can one-up me with my own dad.”

She laughs. “This is truly the most fucked-up version of friendship, but I’m not sure I’d have it any other way.”

“Me neither,” I reply, giving her one more pat before heading off set so she can start the show.

After the show ends, I swing by her office.

“You were great today,” I start as I’m walking in, though I stop when I see someone’s with her. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

But when the woman stands, it’s clear exactly who she is. She has Carmen’s cheekbones and the same smile. “I’m Luciana Zamora.” She holds out her hand. “You must be Ezzie. I’ve heard so much about you.” I shake her hand, wondering how much Luciana knows.

“She surprised me,” Carmen says. The joy in her expression is palpable. She’s still that kid who wanted to spend Christmas with her mom, and now she gets some version of that. For everything complicated that I know and feel about Luciana, it’s not my place to do anything but be polite in this moment.

I explore her face, looking for answers to all the questions I’ve had since the minute Lee told me what actually happened. What kind of woman keeps a man from his own daughter? How could you let this decent man believe he wasn’t worthy of trust? Why didn’t you ever take accountability or apologize or make any effort to right the wrongs of the past?