* * *
Once the happyhour rush passes, I sit at a table with two of my favorite customers. Sara and Mandy show up for happy hour after their shift at the hospital, and both look disheveled and exhausted.
“You two are a sight for sore eyes,” I say.
Mandy smiles up at me as I grab a chair and sit down.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been by since the concert. And I’m sorry about that night. I can’t believe what a jerk Bren was,” Mandy says.
“It’s all right, Mandy. And he’s not so bad,” I say.
Mandy cocks her head to the side, and Sara stares between us.
“Mandy said she had quite the night after the concert,” Sara says.
“Yes!” Mandy all but squeals. “I got to party withIndustrial November. I could have died! DIED! And can you believe it? I almost went to bed with the bass player!”
I look over at Sara, raising an eyebrow in question, but Sara only shrugs and sips her drink. “I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Sara says. “Not that I’m bitter about missing it or anything,” she adds with a scowl.
“So, if you had the chance to sleep with the bass player, why didn’t you?” I ask Mandy.
Mandy shrugs one shoulder and slurps her drink from the cocktail straw to avoid answering the question.
“No.” I gasp. “Don’t tell me there’s someone else?”
Mandy’s eyes look everywhere but at me, then she shakes her head. “No. It just didn’t feel right, so I ended up not going up to his hotel room. That’s all.”
“Hey, where’s Carolina tonight?” I ask, letting Mandy off the hook.
Sara rolls her eyes. “Still working.”
“Do we need to stage an intervention?” I ask.
Mandy roars with laughter. “Probably, but aren’t you calling the kettle black?”
NINETEEN
Sofia
Itext Andreas to pry information out of him about where the band is staying in Seattle. It’s been a week since I last saw Bren, and I already miss him. I don’t take any pride in admitting I’m needy for a man...but I am. Bren seems to be the exception to everything. I’d be a fool to fuck this up, and somehow, deep down, I have the sneaking suspicion that’s exactly what I’ll inevitably do.
Until then, I can enjoy our time together, and that’s precisely what I plan on doing when I surprise him after his next show. Andreas expressed concern about going behind Bren’s back, but I reassured him the surprise will be a welcome one.
I’m picking up around the apartment because it’s the biggest mess I’ve seen, and I cringe every time I glance at it. To the average person, this is probably clean enough, but not by my standards. I also like to come home to a clean place after a trip, so I force myself to clean before I even begin to think about packing for my afternoon flight. Midway through washing dishes, Mom video calls me.
“Mami!” I say, and we talk in Spanish. When was the last time we spoke? A pang of guilt slices through me. “I’m sorry I haven’t called—”
“It’s okay, baby. I know you’re busy.”
“How’s Nana?”
“She’s great. I’d hand her the phone, but she’s outside tending to her roses.”
I smile, thinking of my beautiful grandma surrounded by rosebushes. She always did love her roses. “I’m glad to hear it,” I say.
“How are you,mija? We’ve missed you. I’m hoping you’ll come to visit soon?”
“Maybe. I’m training Joe to take on more and more responsibility, so maybe soon. Okay?”