Page 61 of Ghostlighted
“Are you kidding?” He grinned. “I love it.”
And you know something? I didn’t care whether he loved it because it tasted good or just because I’d made it for him. I’d shared something that mattered tomeand it mattered to him, too.
That was enough to kindle a warmth in my chest that crept up my neck and burned in my cheeks.
As though something had just occurred to him, Ricky paused, his fork hovering in front of his mouth, and looked around the room. “Hey, where’s Gil? I’m not used to eating here without him watching my every bite.”
It struck me that Ricky might not appreciate Avi and me using Sofia’s house for our experiments with her in the hospital. “He’s, ah, contained elsewhere. With Avi. We’re alone.”
I buried a wince. Did that sound creepy? That sounded creepy. I released a shaky breath when Ricky didn’t stare at me like I was the second coming of Norman Bates.
Think. Think. What to talk about?
“So. Um. I’ve been wondering about something.” He didn’t stop eating, but his eyebrows rose as though inviting my question. “Liam is our age, right? About thirty?”
“Thirty-one. His birthday is on the cusp and his mother kept him back from starting kindergarten for a year so he’d be bigger for sports.” Ricky snorted. “Not that it mattered. He hated sports.”
“Sports aversion aside, thirty-one is a little beyond the standard age for getting a bachelor’s.”
“He took a gap year. Or six. Didn’t go back to school until his mother remarried and moved to Athens with her new husband.”
“Athens, Georgia? Liam didn’t go with them?”
Ricky gave me a glance over the rim of his water glass. “Athens, Greece. And no, the new stepfather wasn’t a fan. He let Liam take his last name but drew the line at funding his lifestyle.”
“Ah. Well, in any case, Sofia must have been glad to see him today.” I chased my last chickpea around my bowl.
Since Ricky was busy chewing, he mumbled, “Mmmphmm?”
I smirked. “Don’t choke. I’ll wait.”
Ricky managed to laugh and swallow at the same time. “Liam’s in town?” I nodded as he scraped up the last mouthful of salad. “Mami must have called him after all, even though Tia didn’t want tobother him.” Although he didn’t make the standard hand gestures—one hand was still occupied with his fork—I could hear the air quotes in his words.
“Yeah. He showed up here, and Felicia directed him to the hospital. Didn’t you see him?”
He shook his head. “He must have stopped in while I was doing a dinner run for Mami and Papi.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Glad I missed him. He’d have probably tried to talk Tia out of the procedure, just like he always does, which wouldn’t have been great for my blood pressure.”
I decided not to mention Liam’s reaction, nor his threats to me. If Ricky hadn’t had to face them himself, I could at least spare him that. “Did her doctors give her an ultimatum this time? Is that why she decided to go through with it? You told me surgery makes her nervous.”
“It does. That’s why Mami and Papi are sitting with her tonight. Tio Lorenzo died after surgery following his heart attack.” He scowled at his empty bowl. “Liam never misses a chance to remind her that she was the one who convinced Susanne to let the doctors operate. He contends that Tio would have recovered on his own.”
“Would he?”
Ricky snorted. “Not a chance. Massive coronary. He coded twice on the way to the hospital. But Liam has Tia half believing that surgery equals death.”
“So why did she agree to do it this time?”
“For the same reason she hasn’t before—Liam. Since the recovery time is short, she’ll be able to travel to Boston as planned for Liam’s graduation. She declared she wasn’t going to miss that.” He cupped his hands around the base of his glass, shaking his head with a rueful expression. “If it stabilizes her condition, it may be the only thing I’d ever thank that pendejo for.”
“I—”
I broke off when Ricky’s jaw nearly cracked with a massive yawn. He ducked his head, pink infusing his cheeks.
“Sorry. It’s not the company. I promise.”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry. I don’t take it personally. However…” I caught his gaze. “I’m under orders to make sure you sleep.”
Ricky scrubbed his hands over his face. “That’s easier said than done. Every time I close my eyes, I see Tia lying there in the garden.”
