Page 28 of After the Red Carpet
Finn smiled. “We know it’s a long trip for you, but it means so much to us that you’re here for our big day. We want you to enjoy yourselves.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Alejandro added in his thick accent. “As Carmen said, thank you for the luxurious accommodations. This seems like a wonderful restauranttoo; I love Mediterranean food. The fish they have displayed in the other room looks supremely fresh. Very European to serve whole fish, so I feel right at home.”
“Ella mentioned you both enjoy seafood,” Finn said.
“Yes,” Carmen replied. “Although I’m not sure why they insisted on seating us back here where we can’t see the fish market.”
“Mom, sometimes Finn gets unwanted attention, so he reserved this room special for us,” Ella explained.
“I hope you don’t mind. I thought we could use a little privacy while we get to know each other,” Finn said.
Carmen huffed. “Privacy? I’m surprised that’s important to you considering you’re the man who proposed to my daughter in the middle of the most famous red carpet in the world, in front of swarms of onlookers and the international media. One might wonder what your intentions were: marriage or simply a grand moment?”
“Mom,” Ella cautioned.
“I’m sorry,” Carmen said. “That came out wrong.”
“Not at all,” Finn said. “I greatly value my privacy, but I had just fallen so hopelessly in love with your remarkable daughter that when I finally had the chance to propose, I couldn’t stop myself, red carpet or not. To tell you the truth, I didn’t even notice that anyone else was there. My eyes only saw Ella.”
Alejandro patted Carmen’s hand, and a smile flickered across her face.
“Ah, love. The greatest gift in the world,” Alejandro remarked.
“It sure is,” Finn agreed, draping his arm around his bride-to-be.
Just then, a waiter came over and asked, “Can I start you off with something to drink?”
“Should we order a bottle of wine?” Finn asked.
“Perhaps a bottle of champagne. I wish to toast the happy occasion of my daughter’s engagement,” Carmen said.
Finn smiled, looked at the waiter, and said, “A bottle of your best champagne, please.”
Two hours later, they were laughing at Ella’s story about a sex shop she visited as research for her book. “Do you mind?” Alejandro asked, gesturing at the last piece of grilled octopus.
“Please, help yourself,” Finn replied. “It was a great idea to order a bunch of dishes to share. The sashimi you selected was fantastic, and so was the grilled vegetable and Halloumi plate.”
Alejandro scooped up the last piece of octopus and said, “That is how we like to do it in Spain—small bites and a whole fish to share, and everyone gets a little of everything, family style, as you Americans say.”
“Yes, I’ve quite acclimated to the Spanish way after all these years,” Carmen said.
“How did you end up in Valencia?” Finn asked.
“Well, I joke that with a name like Carmen, I was destined to live in Spain.”
“Lucky for me,” Alejandro said, picking up her hand and kissing it.
“Anyway,” Carmen continued, “I’ve always moved around a lot, as I’m sure Ella told you, although I tried to stay in the States when she was growing up to make it easier for her in school. About ten years ago, Ella’s first book had just come out. It seemed she was truly an adult out in the world on her own, and that gave me the freedom to go wherever I pleased. Europe beckoned, preferably somewhere with a warm climate. I was considering Barcelona, but a friend suggested that Valencia might be an easier place to live and boasts a vibrant arts community. I decided to try it for a year or two, but it suited me so well that I stuck around. A decade later, it feels like home.”
“I like to think I have something to do with that,” Alejandro said.
“How did you two meet?” Finn asked.
“He rented me my apartment. I mentioned that I was looking for a place with good light for my painting. So, he invited me to a local café where artists share their work—guitar, spoken word, poetry. I stopped by, and to my surprise, he was on stage, reading the most beautiful poetry.”
“A real estate manager by day, but a poet in my soul,” Alejandro mused. “It took me ages to get her to go out with me and years more before she agreed to live with me. These Sinclair women are tough.” Finn laughed and Alejandro continued, “Wrote poem after poem for her, professing my love. In the end, I won her over with my art.”
Finn smiled.
