Page 24 of Resurrection
Sonia elbows me in the ribs. "The douchebag’s here."
"I saw."
I adjust the platters on the table, making sure my beautiful bruschettas don't get pushed out by the mini cheeseburgers. I’m not getting paid for doingthis, but food has to look good no matter what. That’s what Dad always told me.
It’ll come back to you tenfold, mija, he used to say.
There are a lot of familiar faces here. Some of them went to school with me and are now parents. They smile and wave, and I wave back, feeling the buzzing energy all around me.
"Naomi, this is amazing!" one of the moms calls, balancing a meatball sandwich in one hand and her toddler in the other. I flash her a thumbs-up and dodge a little girl running past me with a hot dog.
"How did you get here?" Sonia asks her.
The little girl just giggles and veers back into the crowd.
At some point, Adri appears at the entrance. He scans the room with a severe frown as if we are in a prison yard filled with inmates instead of the community center.
Next to me, Sonia snorts out a laugh. "Your brother has no people skills whatsoever," she comments as he weaves through the throng of screaming kids.
"You think?" But I have a different idea. Judging by the circles under his eyes and that tired look, I’d say Adri spent all night drinking and gambling at the casino again. It’s a surprise he’s able to work today.
"Adrian," Sonia murmurs as he approaches the catering area. "Nice to see you."
"Ladies." He tips his chin politely, both hands on his duty belt.
"How are you?" Sonia asks, her voice suddenly higher than usual. "Do you want something to eat?"
I’ve been suspecting this for a while now—she has a little crush on him. She always turns into a blabbering version of herself when he’s around. I don’t blame her. Adri can be very charming. Plus, he’s a looker. Too bad he’s only charming two days a year.
"Just a Sprite for now," he replies.
Sonia steps back to look for one in the boxes behind us.
"Are you sober?" I hiss out while she’s preoccupied.
"How is that your business?" he grumbles back.
"Are you serious?"
"Are you?"
Nope, I’m not subjecting myself to one of Adri’s moods. I know our loss affected him a lot. But he’s become insufferable over the years. No wonder I never see him settling down with anyone. Or with anyone in general.
Who’d want to be with a grump like him?
"Here you go," Sonia hands Adri a can of Sprite.
"Thanks."
"Anytime," she coos with a sugary smile on her face, but he's already headed for the door.
When Adri is nothing more than a silhouette, my friend says dreamily, "Your brother sure cleans up well."
I choke out a strangled laugh.
"What?" She turns to look at me. "You don’t think he’s a catch?"
"He’s a mess. Not a catch," I correct.
