Page 66 of My December Darling

“Parranderos!” Mrs. Martinez waves her tambourine in the air. “Get your instruments here.”

A crowd forms around Mrs. Martinez and Josefina Lopez while they pass out maracas, tambourines, and other noisemakers. I reach inside the basket and grab a maraca, which seems like a safe bet.

Mrs. Martinez gives my cheek a kiss before whispering, “Thank you for being here. My daughter might not tell you herself, but she’s happy you came.”

A warmth spreads through me as I glance over at Catalina, Aiden, and Gabriela. They are talking amongst themselves, ormore like Gabriela is animatedly telling a story, her hands waving in the air as she talks with them.

As if she senses me watching, Catalina glances over at me with a shy smile that beckons me forward.

Josefina stops me first, and I grab a music pamphlet from her hand before heading over to my friends.

Aiden throws his arm around Gabriela and drags her against his body, and I wish to do something similar with Catalina, but I resist the impulse. I’m not sure where we stand as far as PDA goes, and I’d rather not make tonight’s fun activity awkward by attempting anything that makes her uneasy.

So I hover close enough to smell her perfume while remaining far enough to look casual from an outsider’s point of view.

Mrs. Martinez walks up the steps and asks, “Is everyone ready?”

The crowd forming near the entry of the house confirms with a shake of their instruments while a few people shout “yes!”

Catalina shifts her weight for the third time since I appeared, so I lean my head down and ask, “Are you feeling okay?”

She looks up at me. “Yes. I will be.”

Will be.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just get a little nervous with big crowds, but it’ll go away.”

“Anything I can do to help you feel better faster?”

She tucks a curl behind her ear, drawing my attention toward the holiday-inspired earrings she is wearing that look like miniature gift-wrapped presents. “Just…stay close?”

“How close are we talking?” I waggle my brows, making her laugh.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Aiden and Gabriela looking at us, along with a few other people based on the way theback of my neck prickles, but I ignore them all while I wait for Catalina’s response.

She doesn’t speak, but her hand reaching out to grab mine is the only one I need. Her hold is tight, most likely to disguise her trembling, so I readjust and grasp hers with a strong grip.

“Thank you,” she says as we walk up the steps together. For a moment, I panic, thinking Gabriela ruined my surprise for later.

“Thank you for what?”

“For being here. With me.” She looks up at me with a dazzling smile that rivals all the twinkling lights covering the house in front of us, and I’m stunned by the sheer intensity of it.

Stunned byher.

I’m quickly learning that the next ten days won’t be enough time for us, or at least not when a smile and a simple thank-you make me feel like I’m on cloud nine.

While I’m certain of my feelings, Catalina is the complete opposite, and I’m not sure where we will stand once it comes time for her to leave for her next job in California.

Focus on the present.

I’m trying my best, but what happens when the future I want is tied to the woman who is slowly drifting out of my reach?

We make it through four houses without any incidents, and our group of carolers has doubled in size since the very first stop. I try my best to sing in Spanish—trybeing the key word—and earn a few laughs from Catalina in the process. Despite the happiness shining in her eyes, there are a few moments when they turn cloudy from unshed tears, and I quickly figured out that Catalina’s tears are triggered by Nicolas Lopez playingthe cuatro, which apparently used to be her grandmother’s job before she passed away.

I can’t do much besides wrap my arm around her and pull her into my side, offering my support in the only way I know how. My proximity seems to do the trick, and Catalina eventually seeks me out on her own.

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