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“Yes.” I beamed. I was so, so happy. Despite knowing I’d be searching the aisles of a hardware store by myself today, and later I’d meet Grace and Piper for the first time under less-than-ideal circumstances, I was supremely happy.
The doorbell rang, and I jumped up to get it, but Gia dashed down the hall from her room and cut me off on my way to the front door. Curse her longer legs.
She cupped her hands against the glass and peered out. “It’s Isaac.”
“Move,” I hissed.
Instead, she blocked me with her body and yanked the door open. I caught the look of expectation on Isaac’s face before it fell into pleasant-neutral for Gia. He was holding a small bouquet of snapdragons from his garden. I recognized their light purple color. He was dressed for work, with a T-shirt and a tighter long sleeved tee underneath, faded but thick work jeans, and boots.
“Hey, Gia.”
“Hi, Isaac. Good to see you. I heard you and Carmen were making out on her floor last night. Way to go.”
I pinched her side, making her squeal.
“I can’t believe Eddie told you that, Gia. It’s not even true. We were making out on my couch.”
Isaac smiled at me over the top of Gia’s head and mouthed, “Hey.”
“Those flowers for me?” I asked, twisting my hands together.
“If you want them, they’re definitely for you.”
“I do want them.” I wanted my arms around him. I wanted his sweet words, and his gifts, and the steadiness of his character. I wanted him.
Gia sighed and moved out of the way. “Okay, I can read the room. Give her the flowers already.”
The second she left the room, I launched myself into Isaac’s arms, burying my face in his chest, and loving the way the hand not holding flowers fisted around the back of my sweaters. He smelled so amazingly delicious.
“Hi,princesa.”
I lifted my head slowly, dropping a kiss on his neck before working my way up. I kissed his chin, the little indent under his lips, and just when his mouth covered mine, I heard Pá clear his throat right behind my left shoulder. He was getting faster with his crutches. Wonderful.
“I see my daughter has decided to accept your sweet words, Isaac.”
I rested my forehead against Isaac’s neck. “Sí, Papá. Es mi novio.”
“I’ve been upgraded to boyfriend?” Isaac whispered.
“Yes. Although I don’t know how much of an upgrade it will be after I hand you off to them.”
“I don’t mind.”
I glanced behind me, and sure enough, Eddie was now lurking in the doorway, his arms crossed, looking as grumpy as I’d imagined he’d be if he ever caught us kissing again. “Put your flowers away, Carmen. We have work to do.”
I looked up at Isaac. “You ready to gather some facts? Today is gonna be a lot.”
He dropped one last kiss on my lips. “Can’t wait.”
Chapter 36 - Isaac
Work, I could do. The trees in the backyard were overgrown, and as soon as Carmen left for the hardware store, I got volunteered by Eddie to climb to the top of their ladder and saw off branches from the palo verde trees while they were dormant for the winter. Below me, Eddie and Eduardo gathered up the cut pieces and loaded them into a trailer Eddie had backed up to the gate.
The trees sported some wicked spines, so we concentrated on what we were doing, and didn’t say much at all. Occasionally, Eddie would tell his father to take it easy, and Eduardo, in that calm but firm voice of his, would tell his son he knew what he could handle.
I had a feeling that was my first test. Could I work without complaint? Without Carmen here to impress? It was almost insulting how low the bar was set. I’d trimmed these same trees in my own yard and in Beebee’s and Mimi’s last week.
Once everything was cut to Eddie’s satisfaction, I came down the ladder and helped them get every branch and twig off the ground and into the trailer so it could be taken as green waste. Eddie would haul it off later.
