“Okay.”
“I might be exaggerating, but who really knows?” she babbled. “I didn’t get here until the three of them were finished talking, and my parents barely said hello to me. All I really know for sure is that my dad wasn’t smiling and my mom kept making the sign of the cross, despite how well last night’s dinner with the director of the foundation went… not that my little challenges matter right now. Anyway, I decided it was best if I just waited for you in the living room.”
By then, they’d reached the kitchen, where he saw Maria standing over a sizzling frying pan while her mom pulled a small baking pan from the oven. The air smelled of bacon and cinnamon.
“Colin’s here,” Serena called out.
Maria turned and he noticed she was wearing an apron. “Hi, Colin,” she said tightly. “You remember my mom, right?”
Carmen forced on a plastic smile, and though Colin might have been imagining it, she seemed paler than she’d been just a couple of days earlier. “Good morning, Mrs. Sanchez,” he said, figuring a bit of formality was probably a good bet.
“Good morning.” She nodded and, obviously uncomfortable, turned her attention back to the pan as she placed it on an iron rack on the counter.
Serena leaned toward him. “My mom decided to do an American breakfast just for you,” she whispered. “Bacon and eggs, French toast, cinnamon rolls. Of course, that was before Maria told her about you.”
Maria pulled a couple of strips of bacon from the pan and set them on a napkin-covered plate off to the side of the stove. “Hey, Serena? Can you take over for a second?”
“Be glad to,” Serena chirped. “But only if I get to wear the cool apron.”
Maria started toward them, slipping off the apron as she walked and passing it to Serena like trading places was normal. In this kitchen, Colin assumed it was. Serena started chatting away with her mother in Spanish as she donned the apron.
Up close, Colin noticed tension in the way Maria was moving. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, careful to keep a bit of distance between them. “Any trouble finding the place?”
“Google,” he answered. Glancing over his shoulder, it was hard not to notice the way Carmen frowned slightly. He knew enough not to ask how it had gone earlier; instead, he defaulted to silence. Maria lowered her voice, concern etched on her face.
“Would you mind talking to my dad before we eat?”
“Okay.”
“And, um…” She trailed off.
“It’s your father,” he said. “I won’t forget.”
She nodded, the movement almost imperceptible. “I’m going to stay in here and help my mom in the kitchen,” she said. “My dad’s at the table on the back porch. Do you want any coffee?”
“I’m fine,” Colin replied.
“Water?”
“I’m fine,” he said again.
“Okay…” She took a step backward. “I guess I better get back to the kitchen, then.”
Colin watched as she backed away, past a refrigerator decorated with dozens of photos, letters, and other keepsakes, before she turned around. He moved toward the slider and as soon as he opened the door, Felix turned his way. There was less anger than he’d anticipated, though the shock and disappointment were evident, as was his obvious antagonism. In his lap, a small white dog was sleeping.
Colin closed the door behind him and walked toward Felix, his eyes steady. Nearing the table, he offered his hand.
“Good morning, Mr. Sanchez. Maria said you wanted to speak with me.”
Felix looked toward the hand before he reluctantly offered his own. Colin stood, waiting for Felix to invite him to sit at the table. Eventually Felix nodded toward a chair, and Colin sat. He clasped his hands and rested them in front of him, remaining quiet. There was no point in trying to make small talk or pretending that he didn’t know what Felix wanted to discuss.
Felix was in no rush to speak and took his time scrutinizing him. “Maria said that you were in trouble with the law,” he finally began. “Is that true?”
“Yes,” Colin answered. Over the next half hour, the full story came out in bits and pieces, much as it had with Maria that first night on the beach. He didn’t sugarcoat his past or attempt to mislead Felix; he was who he was. Like with Maria, Felix’s shock was pronounced at times and he pressed for further clarification; when Colin eventually recounted what happened at the first military school he’d attended, Colin thought he saw a flash of sudden understanding. By the time he finished, Felix was less on edge than he had been when Colin had first joined him on the porch, but it was also clear that he needed time to think about all that he’d learned. No surprise there. Felix was a father and Maria was his daughter, and there was only so far he would go.
“You claim that you’ve changed and I would like to believe you, but I’m not sure that I do.”
“Okay.” Colin nodded.
“What if you get arrested again?”
“I don’t plan on it.”
“That’s the problem. People seldom plan on it.”
Colin said nothing. There was really nothing to say.
Felix continued to pet the little white dog. “If you do get arrested, what will happen?”
“I won’t see her. I’ll end it. The worst thing would be for her to think she should wait.”
After a moment, Felix offered a slight nod, satisfied but still unsure as to whether he believed it. “If you ever hurt my daughter or put my daughter in danger…”