AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You want me to come with you?” Mario’s excitement was palpable.
No way was Sofi letting her brother within five miles of Rachael.
“I need you to cover here for me and help Mom close tonight,” Sofi said and watched as Mario’s face fell.
If she were a nicer sister, she would have felt bad. But the Castillo siblings weren’t known for being nice.
Sofi laughed. “Come on, Mario. Everything is already prepped for tomorrow. You just have to fill orders until we run out of food and then clean up.”
Mario’s head disappeared and Sofi thought for a second he was going to ignore her request.
But when Mario rounded the corner, Sofi beamed.
“I knew I could count on you, big brother,” she said as she gave Mario a hug, the bag of Rachael’s food slapping against his back.
Mario shrugged her off. “Next time I’d appreciate the thanks coming from Rachael.”
Sofi chuckled as she shook her head. That would be happening no time soon. But if Mario could ever change his ways? Then maybe Rachael should give him a chance. Because deep down, way deep down, Mario had the kind of heart women searched far and wide for.
Sofi handed Mario the last ticket she’d been given and went to find her keys and purse.
“You’re a good brother, Mario,” Darla said, telling the siblings she’d overheard the exchange.
“Right? And she thought I had an ulterior motive for visiting,” Mario accused Sofi.
“You did!” Sofi retorted.
Mario just shrugged, a smug grin on his face. He’d known exactly what he was doing. But he hadn’t been able to let Sofi get away without one last dig to get under her skin.
“How can I love you so much and hate you all at once?” Sofi teased as she walked toward the back door.
“It’s the kind of thing science should study,” Mario replied as he washed his hands and set to work.
Sofi laughed once more. She really did love her brother. Most of the time.
Sofi pulled into Rachael’s driveway at nearly the same time as Leia. Sofi had called Leia on her way over to Rachael’s, knowing she’d need backup and sure that none of Rachael’s other friends were up to the task.
Rachael had a great group of friends for partying. But for everything else? Sofi just didn’t trust them to show up.
“I was waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Leia said as she joined Sofi and the two of them started for Rachael’s front door.
“Right? Up till now she’s seemed too okay, considering how long he’s been in her life,” Sofi said.
Leia nodded but kept her mouth shut. They were at the door.
Sofi knocked but when there wasn’t an answer she tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. She opened the door and stepped in cautiously, followed by Leia.
They exchanged a glance when sobbing greeted their ears and followed the sounds into Rachael’s living room. Sofi’s heart hurt for her friend and the closer she got, the more she wanted to pummel Roland for being a terrible fiancé.
Sofi set the bag of food on Rachael’s coffee table before sinking down next to Rachael, who was curled up on the couch under her favorite blanket.
Leia placed her bag of junk food—she must have raided their pantry—on the same table before taking a seat in the armchair next to the couch, tugging it a bit closer to Rachael.
The friends exchanged a look before turning back to Rachael. Now that they’d arrived, they weren’t quite sure what they could do for her. Sofi thought about patting Rachael’s back, but that felt insincere even if it was heartfelt. Honestly, Rachael didn’t look like she wanted to be touched. So Sofi did the only thing she felt like she could do for her friend. She waited.
“He was supposed to love me forever,” Rachael moaned as she pulled her blanket over her head.
Sofi wasn’t about to point out that Rachael had been the one to break it off with him. Because she hadn’t wanted to. She’d called off her wedding because she realized the guy was a douche and not worth her time, much less the rest of her life. The breakup might have been initiated by Rachael, but it had been one hundred percent Roland’s fault.
