Page 80 of Always You
“Hola, mija,” Nana screams and waves from the pickup lane at the airport.
Uncle Roger’s smile widens.
I jump out of the car hugging them both, my biggest supporters. Nana rushes to the car, kissing Dante to death.
“Mi niño, I missed you,” she coos at him.
He groans. “Nana, I’m not a baby.”
She chuckles and blesses him. It’s a cloudy rainy Thanksgiving morning. The house smells like heaven. Last night, Sophie and I stayed up late making apple, pumpkin, and cherry pies, and let’s not forget dinner rolls. Nana has been running around all morning, cleaning, and prepping at the crack of dawn. She’s in her mid-seventies and she has the energy of a thirty-year-old. She swears by her nightly cinnamon tea routine. She exclaims that it’s the trick to healthy, glowing, juvenile skin and is great for your health. Nana is also very superstitious. When my nightmares started, she pulled out her mason jar of holy water. She grabbed an egg and said a prayer while she raked an egg head to toe on my profile. Then cracked the egg into a cup with holy water.
She said, “Look you see the evil spirits in the egg floating?”
I nodded. Not really getting what she said. I’ve never been superstitious like Nana. Neither was my father. He just played the part. The next day Nana asked how did you sleep?
“No nightmares?” she asked with a gleam of hope.
I lied. Told her the egg cleanse helped. It was a complete bullshit lie because I never got rid of the nightmares. She smiled proudly.
“Mila, did you chop up the celery and onions for the stuffing? Our guest will be here at two,” she screams over the sound of the vacuum going.
Arrg! The only guest we have is Dominic, for God’s sake. I don’t bother answering her, she pops her headphones on and singsNo Tengo Dineroby Juan Gabriel dancing as she vacuums.
I crack a smile. I missed her. I glance at Sophie and Uncle Roger, staring at Nana with the same expression admiring her.
Tears stream down my cheeks as I finish cutting up the onions. When the smell of Fabuloso invades my nose. Of course, Nana is mopping while I am cooking.
“Nana, seriously, can you wait until I’m done?”
She huffs with her hands on her hips staring at me like I committed a sin. “Mila, the house needs to be extra clean for our guests its Thanksgiving. Needs to be extra.”
“Nana, it’s only Dominic who’s coming.”
She fists her hands on her hips. “Yes, and it still needs to be super clean.”
“I know, Nana, it’s just I don’t want you to overwork yourself.”
She wags her finger at me. “I might not be no spring chick, but these old bones can handle it.”
Sophie sighs. “I missed your Nana, she’s a little crazy but the good kind of crazy.”
Uncle Roger barks a laugh that roars through the small apartment. “I would say a lot crazy, but we love her.”
That’s for sure, she brightened our life. We all get back to our cooking duties.
I looked over my shoulder at Sophie’s peeling potatoes.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, is there something going on between you and Liam? I see some chemistry, connection with you too. I didn’t see it with you and Ryder.”
A frown creases her forehead. “I feel something, Mila, I’ve never felt this way before and I’m not even dating him. We’ve only met twice. God, that day at the studio in his uniform, it hypnotized me. He’s hot as hell, his tanned skin, sharp cheekbones, gun-metal eyes, thick eyebrows, and let’s not forget muscle on top of muscle.”
Her navy blues sparkle as she daydreams about him.
“Then when he spoke a heat wave hit me. It terrifies me. He asked me out for a drink. He asked at the party. I denied him, told him I’m busy.” She Bites her lip. She watches me through batting eyelashes.
“Wow, you got it bad. Give it a shot, Liam is sweet and a good person. He’s not Eric.”
She’s about to answer when there’s a knock.
