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“Don’t you dare follow him.”
“I won’t,” Eddie promised. He seemed to deflate now that the object of his anger wasn’t in the room with us. “Why him, Carmen?”
Oh, I was so frustrated. “Sit.” I pointed to my couch, and then to my kitchen table, and then the floor, showing him the options. “Sit and listen for a minute. Winnie, bring us snacks, please, and explain why you and Eddie are even here. I know you know what Isaac’s truck looks like. It was parked right outside.”
Winnie came out of the pantry, holding a bag of pretzels to her chest like it could protect her from us. “Last I checked, you and Isaac were just friends. You told me so like twelve times. How was I supposed to know it wasn’t a good time to come in?”
Darn. That was a good point. I took the bag out of her hands and munched on a pretzel. My Coke had miraculously survived the moving of the coffee table, and I picked it up and took a sweet sip. Great, now it tasted like Isaac, and possibilities, and my night was not ending with a goodnight kiss going non-stop from my couch to Isaac’s truck. Oh, wow. That would have been amazing. I pressed my lips together, trying not to smile.
“We’ve lost her.”
I blinked. “No, I’m right here, Winnie. Don’t worry. I’ll try to rein in my happiness.”
I handed off the bag of pretzels to Eddie, and he took it from me reluctantly, eating several at once. Us Ortegas did better when we snacked. He pulled a chair away from my little kitchen table, turning it so he could sit straddled with his arms resting across the top. Now that I knew he wasn’t about to charge out of here and confront Isaac, I could sit, too. I sank into my couch and let out a big sigh.
“I’m sorry you’re mad at me,” he said.
“That’s not exactly the apology I was hoping for.” It was a start, I’d give him that.
He eyed Winnie. “I agree with Carmen on the recognizing his truck thing. I think you set this up. I was about to knock, and you went right in.”
Winnie glared back at him. “It was an accident. And okay, maybe barging in is also a bad habit I need to fix. I’m sorry, Carmen. Best kiss of your life, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Winnie walked over and gave me a hug. “I’m really sorry. But whatever the history is here with Eddie and you and Isaac, it’s not mine. I’m gonna go home so you two can talk. Call me when you don’t want to punch my face, okay?”
“I’d never want to punch your face. Maybe steal your shirt.” It said,Team Whoever-Brings-Me-a-Diet-Coke.
“Well, thank you.” She walked over to Eddie and he stiffened, but all she did was look down her nose at him and then steal a handful of pretzels out of the bag dangling from his hand before walking out.
The silence after she left felt weighty. I knew Eddie had been holding onto anger, but the depth of it shocked me. I wanted him to be free of a grudge he didn’t need to carry, with me or for me. And I wanted Isaac to be free of his past, just like I wanted to be free of mine.
“I am happy, you know. Really, really happy.”
“Yeah, I could see that.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not just talking about the physical aspect. I was happy before that with Isaac as my friend. And by the way, I made a move on him, not the other way around.”
“I did not need to know that. So, he goes by Isaac now?”
“Yep. And he had a lot going on at thirteen. Personal hurts and stress he didn’t feel like he could put on other people. I wish he would have handled it differently, but I can’t change that.Hecan’t change that. You know what didn’t change, though? How comfortable he makes me feel in my own skin. Being around him again only confirms how much I like him as a person. It ended badly, but he was a big part of my childhood for a reason. Papá likes him. Why can’t you?”
Eddie scratched his head, looking uncomfortable. “I didn’t know any of that before right this second, Carmen. Let me process.”
“Okay.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, wishing I could text Isaac, but I didn’t want to bother him while he was driving. I tapped the phone nervously against my knee.
“I’m glad to hear you use the word ‘like.’”
“What?” I glanced up.
“You said you like him, and Pá likes him, and I should too.”
“True.” I said the word slowly, not sure where Eddie was going with this train of thought, but not loving the way it made me feel.
“What I’m saying is it’s good you’re dating again, I guess. I should probably stop freaking out. It’s not like I’ve never had a girl over—”
I held a hand up. “Stop right there.”
