7. Hayden
Chapter seven
Hayden
When we arrive at her house, I ring the doorbell several times before she answers.
But after she finally does, I see that she’s covered in speckles of pink and purple paint. Regardless, her piercing blue eyes are still as radiant as ever.
“Have you taken up a new hobby?” I ask.
She’s in denim overalls, with one strap unclasped, and a light green T-shirt underneath. Her dark brown hair is up in a bun on top of her head, but there are still wisps of long pieces hanging all around.
“Um, no. Just painting. You know, to make the place feel more like ‘me,’” she responds curtly while avoiding eye contact with me.
I deserve that treatment and much worse from her.
I nod. “Right.” From the moment I heard that she was going to be moving back into this house, I knew she’d make improvements like this. I couldn’t see her feeling at home in a place that was so dark, cold, and uninspired.
Back in the day, her room was painted mint green and covered with sketches by Frank Lloyd Wright. As for the bookshelves, they were filled with 3D models of her favorite buildings.
Teddy elbows into my ribs, bringing me back to the present moment.
Ow. I hold my tongue and rub the area that is now throbbing.
“Right.” I manage to pinch out of my vocal cords, even though it feels like the wind has been kicked out of me.
I can tell by her darting eyes that she’s confused about why I’m here. So, I gesture for Teddy to take command.
Taking my invitation, he says, “I’ll explain everything once we’ve found a more suitable place to talk business.”
Addie looks behind her before suggesting we could go into her grandfather’s old office.
Yes, that office. The last time I’d been in there, I was making a life-long dream come true by finally making love with her. Although, things ended a bit awkwardly when we thought we heard someone coming in through the front door, and I had to scurry out the back with my pants still around my ankles.
Gosh. I want to hang my head in embarrassment at the thought.
I got caught by Noah and Victor. Fortunately, for him, he didn’t have to look too far in that particular scenario. To this day, they still torment me about the whole ordeal and refer to me as “Little Hiney Hayden.”
“Here we go,” Addie announces after opening the large, heavy doors.
It even smells the same as before, like cigars and old books.
Teddy then sets down the papers and opens them.
Her eyebrows furrow before sliding the tip of her thumb into her mouth. Her other hand balls up on her hip.
“Well?” I ask on bated breath—the cause of which I know is the anticipation of her reaction and also the recent blow I received from Teddy.
Finally, she says, “I—I don’t understand. I already know about the hotels, but you?” She eyes me from head to toe.
“Your grandfather and I were business partners.”
Her jaw drops. “You’re kidding me.”
My head tilts. “Afraid not.”
Addie glances at the plans one more time. “So, this is the ‘special project.’” She kind of chuckles. “Wow.”
“Well?” Teddy chimes in. “What do you think?”
She pauses before confessing, “I love them.”
“Really?” I look over at Teddy and nod. “Really?”
He shrugs one shoulder and lifts the corresponding arm up with the palm of his hand out. The simultaneous motion causes a ripple of wrinkles to appear along his neck.
Addie picks up the drawings and continues to marvel at them. “They’re—they’re perfect. I love the way that the colonial style and indigenous influences blend perfectly together.”
“Uh, exactly,” I respond as if I have any idea what she’s talking about.
“And those arches. They look a lot like the church my abuelo grew up going to as a kid.” She continues, “ Iglesia Santa Maria de los Dolores in Tegucigalpa.”
The city name sounds familiar. “Tegucigalpa. That’s where Sal was from, no?”
Her eyes light up. “Yeah. Did he talk to you about it?”
The corner of my mouth raises up. “A little.”
When she smiles, I can see the faintest evidence of dimples in the middle of her cheeks. “Of course. That was his favorite topic.”
One particular memory comes to mind. “I remember this one time he told me about his favorite mango tree.”
She beams up at me with a grin that somehow reaches past her eyes. “In his grandmother’s backyard.”
“That’s the one.” I enunciate my words with my wagging finger. “He loved to read Hemingway under that tree, is that right?”
“Yeah. A Farewell to Arms was always his favorite.”
By the look on her face, I can tell my recollection has touched her, and I’m glad. Then, I try to wrack my brain for anything else. “Oh, and then there was that old cobbler’s place.”
“Zippy’s Zapatos .”
I close my eyes for a moment and throw my head back. “Of course. Zippy’s Zapatos . How could I forget a name like that?”
She giggles. “Real creative, I know. Zapatos is shoes in Spanish.”
“I figured as much, yeah.”
“Right.”
“Anyway, he learned how to ride his bike outside that shop.”
Together, we mimic him and say, “It only took me two tries before I got the hang of it.”
“Yeah,” she murmurs. “God, I miss him and those crazy stories.”
“Me too.” And I’m not even related to the man, so I can’t imagine how it feels for her.
With an eyebrow arched, she asks, “You ever hear about the one about Mami Chula ?”
“I don’t think so.” If I had, I’m sure I would’ve remembered. That seems highly specific.
I’m aware of Teddy’s eyes on me, but I don’t care. He can think whatever he wants about the moment we’re sharing.
“She was the notorious dog in their village that was rumored to have given birth to all the puppies. Abuelo swore every little mutt on the street had the same white patch around its right eye and black heart pattern on its chest as her.”
We laugh together, both knowing how ridiculous that claim was.
“Plus, he said she had the biggest nipples—” Addie jokes.
“Maybe we should just stick to business here,” Teddy suggests.
“Right.” She looks down with red cheeks.
After that, the mood is brought down a bit, and she glances back over at the pages. Instead of joking around or telling more stories, I decide to be silent for a bit to let her observe the drawings in peace.
“So, this is the ‘special project’ I’ve been hearing so much about,” she mutters while shaking her head after placing them down again.
Teddy fails to say anything, so I jump in, placing my hands in my pockets and walking a few steps closer to her. “Yes. But as Salvador has made it abundantly clear, he wants you to step in and be his eyes and ears in this thing. Plus, given your background in architecture—”
Her head snaps in my direction. “You know about that?”
“I—” I tug on my lower lip as I navigate the best way to respond. “Um, yes. I mean, I remember you telling me you dreamed of following in the footsteps of the great Zaha Hadid someday.”
When her hero died some years ago, I thought about her. But I was too chicken to reach out.
“Wow,” she says with a gasp and a head shake. “I can’t believe you remembered that.”
“Of course, I did.” More than ever, I want to reach out and touch her, but I clench my fists in their fabric compartments to further stop myself. “And then I heard rumblings recently about you finally graduating from U of A. Congratulations.”
She looks down, and I can see her blush. “Thanks.”
Then, I admit to the culprit. “Your grandfather was very proud of you.” She mentioned his hometown being his favorite thing to talk about, but she’s wrong. It was her.
A small tear falls from her eye, and she wipes it away. “Thank you.”
“Alright,” Teddy butts in. “It seems as though you’re happy with the design—”
He is then cut off when a small girl with long brown hair in a sparkly purple tutu busts in. “Mommy! Mommy!”
Addie’s demeanor turns cold again.
. . . Mommy?