Page 75 of The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean

“What are friends for?” Why did Isa sound sad saying that?

“You’ll have to thank Tally for letting you come for me.” Mandy tried to chuckle, but it hurt too much.

“I don’t need her permission,” Isa retorted.

“I’m sorry. That’s not what I—”

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped like that.” Isa rolled over and met Mandy’s gaze. “She doesn’t know I’m here. She thinks I’m visiting Mamá and Abuela.”

“Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine. I just…” Isa let out a long breath. “She wouldn’t understand is all. And I didn’t want to fight about it.”

It was then that Mandy really studied Isa—her cheekbones were more pronounced than Mandy remembered, and Isa looked as tired as Mandy felt. If things were different, Mandy would’ve asked Isa if she wanted to talk about it. A long time ago, Mandy wouldn’t have even had to ask. But so much had happened between them that they each stayed quiet. Isa’s thigh was so close to Mandy’s that heat penetrated the layers of fabric that separated them. All Mandy wanted to do was reach out and touch Isa. Let their bodies connect in some small way. But the down blanket stopped her. Or it wasn’t the blanket at all. How could they be this close and still feel so far apart?

Another cramp seized Mandy’s stomach. Isa’s fingers brushed against Mandy’s head, the sensation lingering as she placed her hand there on Mandy’s pillow. “You should rest.”

But Mandy didn’t want to sleep right then. She wanted to stay in this moment, staring at the turquoise stone in Isa’s ring, feeling the tug of the mattress from the weight of Isa being there with her. If she tried, Mandy could forget about everything in the past and talk herself into believing this was just like before. When everything between them was perfect and wonderful. Before Europe, and Tally, and Theo. Because in a lot of ways it was, or it could be. No matter all of those things, she was still Mandy, and this was still her Isa.

Mandy thought about that night under the trampoline, and Grad Nite behind the gym, and all those times in the back of her car, and their first time—together. That seemed so long ago, and so much had changed, but somehow, they’d managed to find their way back here.

Chapter Thirty-Six

November 2015

The wedding was onlya few months away and while there was still so much to do, Mandy stood in Isa’s kitchen stirring a pot of…actually, she didn’t know what it was exactly. She hadn’t been paying attention when the job was turned over to her; she’d been thinking about flowers. But now wasn’t the time to complain about the lack of ranunculus.

Now really wasn’t the time to even be thinking about getting married. It just didn’t seem right. Maybe they should postpone it. Let Abuela get better.

But no one was acting like Abuelacouldget better. The entire family had flown in for Thanksgiving thinking this would be Abuela’s last. Mandy couldn’t think like that. She had to be strong for Isa, for Sandy, for the whole family. And for herself. A world without Abuela would be like a world without Isa, and, well, she knew what that was like, and Mandy didn’t want any part of it.

The Jiménez house had been full the last couple of days, soit was strange that this morning only Mandy, Sandy, and Abuela were there. Isa had taken the family for a little sightseeing, but really Mandy thought it was to give Isa’s mother and abuela a break. The lack of constant chatter seemed deafening—the only sound coming from the buzz of machines in Abuela’s room, the rush of water racing through the pipes to the bathroom, and the noises from the coffee maker. They’d already gone through two pots before everyone left, but Mandy figured Sandy would enjoy a cup and some quiet when she got out of the shower. Hopefully there was still hot water for Sandy left in there.

Just as Mandy was making herself a cup of coffee, Sandy entered the kitchen wearing her bathrobe with a towel around her hair.

“It’s as though you read my mind.” Sandy took the mug Mandy handed her.

Mandy poured herself another. She knew better than to go looking for milk since that had been finished off earlier, so she added a little extra sugar. “I’ll head to the store to grab some things whenever you’re ready.”

Sandy always wanted someone in earshot of Abuela, just in case, she said. But Abuela was still sleeping. Not a single alarm had gone off—unlike the time Abuela removed her heart monitor because it was making her itch, which caused quite the scene. “Oh, mija, I don’t know what we would do without you.” She pulled Mandy into a tight side hug.

“I have a list there”—Mandy pointed to the counter—“if you want to add anything.” When she had talked to Edmund before Sandy got in the shower, there were already over a dozen things they were either out of or running low on. Mandy thought itwould be better to get everything now—there was nothing worse than needing to go to the bathroom only to find you were out of toilet paper, an experience she herself had had in college.

Sandy took the list and sat at the dining room table. “We’re already out of milk? There was an entire gallon in there.”

Mandy shrugged. “I think Little Mateo had a few cupfuls.” Little Mateo, not to be confused with Big Mateo (his cousin) or Tío Mateo (their uncle).

“Isn’t he lactose intolerant?”

Mandy spun around, thinking of the repercussions that amount of milk could have on his digestive tract, and they were all headed to a place where bathrooms were not easily accessible.

“Wait, no. That’s Matías.”

There was abeep, beep, beep, and they both froze. It took Mandy a second to realize it was just the stove timer.

“You can turn that off and let it set now,” Sandy said.

Mandy’s heart kicked back on, and she did what Sandy mentioned, turning off the stove and leaving the large spoon across the top of the pot like Abuela used to always do. Mandy swallowed the thickness in her throat before sitting at the table with Sandy. She took a sip of her coffee—bitter but sweet, it would be much better with cream, but she wasn’t going to say anything.

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