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Mrs. Santiago left the ranch exactly twice a week. Usually, mid-week to do some grocery shopping, which is when she’d stop for a coffee and chat, and then on Sundays toattend church, after which she’d invite us to come over for dinner.
“You have me there.” She slides her hand around my waist. “And yes, I’m actually coming from the salon. I had to get a little refresher and tame all the grays in my hair before the wedding.”
“Well, it turned out pretty great. And with that sage green dress, you’ll look stunning at the wedding.”
“Oh, please.” She waves her hand. “I’m just an old lady. No need for me to look stunning. That’s for you young ladies.”
“Nonsense. Everybody gets to feel stunning regardless of our age. And you, Mrs. S., are one beautiful woman inside and out.”
“Thank you, honey. How have things been here? How’s your mom? How areyou?”
The way she asks that final question has me stopping in my tracks as the hair at my nape prickles to attention.
I slowly turn toward her, my eyes meeting hers. “You saw him.”
I don’t need to tell her who I’m referring to. She already knows.
Mrs. Santiago has been a mother figure to me my whole life, but especially in the last few years. She stepped in when my life was falling around me and helped me pick up the pieces. She was there at my darkest and loneliest time, and our bond only strengthened further. I wasn’t sure I would have been able to survive the last few years if it weren’t for her.
“I did.” She gives me a soft smile.
Nodding, I step away from her. Needing to busy myself, I slip behind the counter and start preparing her order. Just like her schedule, her coffee order is predictable.
“He came to our house this morning looking for Emmett,” she continues, not fazed in the slightest, as she takes the seat at the counter. “He seems to be doing well.”
“That he does.”
“What happened when you saw him?”
My hand stills on the coffee machine as I glance at her over my shoulder. “How do you know I saw him?”
That stubborn brow is up once again. “The return of Miguel Fernandez and everything he’s been up to since he came here was the main topic at the salon today.”
I close my eyes for a second, inhaling deeply to calm myself.
I love this town. I love the people in it. But damn, they can be nosy.
Letting out a breath, I blink my eyes open to find Mrs. Santiago still watching me intently, only now there is worry hiding in her gaze.
“How are you, really?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t you dare lie to me, Rebecca Allison Williams. I know you better than that.”
The machine beeps, so I remove the cup and place a lid on top of it before joining her at the counter.
“What do you want me to tell you?”
“The truth. Always the truth. You know I love Miguel like a son, but what he did to you…” she shakes her head, her lips pressing in a tight line.
“It’s been ages. I got over it. I’m—”
“Bullshit,” Mrs. Santiago interrupts me, my eyes bulging at her harsh tone. “If you got over it, you’d have a boyfriend right now, maybe even be married.”
I feel my cheeks heat under her watchful gaze.
“I’ve just been busy.” I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear.
