As if to confirm my point, Abuelita smiles at me. “Ah, hijita. These are just things that you learn with age. You need less time to assess someone’s true nature.”
I stare at Abuelita’s glowing face and my heart squeezes.
Look at that beam. Abuelita is clearly on Nathan’s team. Only her fan T-shirt is missing. Why isn’t she more suspicious about Nathan? Is it because he’s rich?
No, there’s no way money could have this effect on my grandmother. Not after witnessing her daughter’s betrayal by the wealthy jerk I refuse to call Father. There must be something else that makes her so enthusiastic about Nathan. I have trouble imagining Abuelita calling any other guy a true gentleman after only meeting him once. Not that I know any men in my close surroundings who would deserve such a tag anyway.
But does Nathan?
Though many signs point in the direction that he does—I mean we’ve been out three times already and he didn’t so much as try to kiss me—I still have a hard time accepting that he could be different. That his interest in me could be something more than physical. Maybe because if I did, it would force me to face all those emotions he unleashes in me…
“Also…” Abuelita pats my back. “I happen to know Nathan’s brother and he has—”
“What?” I almost swallow my tongue. “You know Murphy? How?”
In what weird universe could my seventy-something grandmother socialize with a Montgregor?
Abuelita purses her lips. “He was the guest of honor at the last charity event I organized with Tia Maria at Church. The one where we collected money for cleaning up the barrio’s park, remember? “
“Why didn’t I know of this?”
“You would if you had come instead of visiting Laia’s new flat in Phoenix.”
“Ah, it was that time.”
Jeez, I need to distract Abuelita before she starts her rambling.
But strangely enough, Abuelita isn’t interested in scolding me about missing out on my Catholic duties. She just bobs her head while a wide smile plays on her lips. “Yes. Murphy Montgregor attended our service and gave free counseling to whoever wanted it. He is a psychologist, you know? A very bright person, indeed. A true Christian in soul, if you ask me. In fact, when I told him about your commitment issues, he—”
“You did what?” I exclaim.
Did Abuelita discuss me with Nathan’s brother? Oh, danged misery of all!
Abuelita stares at me bewildered. “¿Que pasa, hijita? What happened? Why do you look like someone poured a pot of steaming albondigas on you?”
My hands fly to my cheeks, and sure enough, they’re burning. “You totally embarrassed me, Abuelita. Nathan’s brother was there last night in Mamacita. He even made comments about me and Nathan. And you’re telling me that you asked for Murphy’s advice on my commitment issues?”
Abuelita chuckles. “Oh no, no. I didn’t ask him anything. Your problem just came up when Murphy told me about his single brother who’s a workaholic. Murphy seemed worried about Nathan not finding true happiness and wasting his life at his job without starting a family on his own.”
Interesting. A similar thought had occurred to me when I spoke to Nathan about his aspirations of becoming CEO. Not the starting a family part, of course. That hadn’t been a fully developed thought—just a flash that he could have cute children—but I did ponder the fact that Nathan might be chasing the empty dream of a father who can’t absolve him from his quest, since he’s already gone.
Abuelita is still explaining her meeting with Murphy. I should really focus on her words. I need to know exactly what my well-meaning but gossipy grandmother shared with Murphy.
“So, to sum it all up, I told Murphy…” Abuelita beams innocently. “That I understood his concern because I have a granddaughter well in the age of marrying, and she refuses to date anyone due to a past heartache.”
“That’s all? Are you sure you didn’t tell him anything else…like Fern—”
Abuelita’s eyes widen and her hand jumps to her chest and draws a quick cross. “Oh, good Lord, of course, not. The less I’m reminded of that wretched soul, the better. Look what he has brought upon our family.” Her expression softens and she takes my hand. She smiles at me while she squeezes it with her bony fingers. “Nathan won’t turn out like your ex, never fear that.”
“Maybe not like Fernando.” I ignore the frown that creeps back across Abuelita’s face as she hears the name. “But perhaps like…my father?”
I’ve already stopped comparing Nathan to that rich dullard who decided to abandon me and Mom. So why am I even bringing this up with my grandmother? Is it a sneaky attempt to instill some doubt about Nathan in her?
Possibly. Based on what Abuelita told me about her encounter with Murphy, it’s easy for me to put two and two together. Abuelita is not just supportive of Nathan because her “sixth sense” tells her so. No, she must be convinced that Nathan and I could mend each other’s souls.
My grandmother is the source of the romantic genes that make Laia the way she is. Abuelita is just as dreamy about true love’s potential as my cousin. Frankly, I hope she didn’t start a list yet of her preferred baby names for my offspring with Nathan.
“Your father?” Abuelita rolls her eyes, and she clicks her tongue repeatedly, creating a sound like countless soda cans popping open. It’s her signature expression of sheer disapproval. “No, no, no. No es posible, hijita. It’s not possible, my dear. Nathan is not like that. I could see it in his
