Chapter 26
Carmen, Molly Faith
If Carmen wasn’t so sure this was what she needed to do, she would have canceled her plans to leave after Faith visited her and Carmen explained she would be going away for a while. Wow, that was a tough conversation to have. It certainly left her feeling guilty about taking time for herself. But, after hours of discussion with Mateo and her therapist, Carmen was resolute in her decision.
Acknowledging her difficulties had never come easy, but now, for whatever reason, Carmen found it a little easier to talk about her feelings. Mateo was making a point of checking in regularly. Which was nice, although it would be better if he weren’t such a massive drama queen about everything. Anyone would think she was leaving for good, instead of nipping off on an impromptu break.
The timing wasn’t wonderful. After all, she had just signed a lease for the shared office, however it wouldn’t go to waste. Rita was more than happy to take over for the duration of Carmen’s absence. It would make a good meeting space for small groups, apparently. Carmen was more than happy with that arrangement.
Admittedly, Carmen had consciously chosen to leave in the next day or two, because she really wanted to avoid seeing Molly again, who was due to arrive for her visit in three days’ time.
If Faith’s sad face had almost stopped her from going, Carmen was positive seeing Molly would completely derail her plans. She wasn’t prepared to admit yet that finding Molly Parsons was the catalyst to her recent need for change, but she couldn’t completely deny it either. Molly had reached parts of Carmen—no euphemism intended—that no other woman had. If they’d shared more than a few days and one spectacular night together, Carmen might be inclined to entertain the idea that Molly was a real possibility, a woman she could really give herself to.
But that wasn’t the case. Molly was Faith’s aunt. She had her own baggage and right now Carmen couldn’t allow herself to see a future with anyone, not until she felt better in herself.
Slamming her suitcase shut, Carmen realized she’d packed nearly her entire closet. Did she really need snow pants? No, not when she intended on traveling to Florida for a few weeks. Her itinerary had been decided by blindly pinning a thumbtack to a map of the U.S. Florida came up the winner.
The one benefit of Carmen working hard and never vacationing over the past twenty years was she had a stash of savings to fund her trip. In fact, she’d done something completely out of character and booked herself into a five-star hotel and spa. A fact she had most definitely not let slip to Mateo. He would jam himself into her luggage if privy to that kind of intel.
“Chica, did you know it’s Enid’s seventieth birthday next week?” Mateo called from the hallway.
“No, did she say something? Damn, we could have thrown a party if we had known sooner…”
“Faith told me. Why wouldn’t she have said anything?”
“You’d have to ask her that. Maybe she doesn’t like a fuss being made.”
“No, it’s because she doesn’t have family,” Faith chimed in.
“Can you guys come in here or something? I hate having a discussion with everyone in different parts of the house,” Carmen yelled.
“We’re her family,” Mateo protested, swishing his robe as he sank to Carmen’s bed.
“Did you talk to her about it?” Carmen asked Faith, who strode in seconds later.
“Yeah. She said and I quote, ‘My dipshit husband was supposed to take me away for the big seven-o, but he went and kicked the bucket, the silly old bastard.’”
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Mateo laughed.
“That’s so sad,” Carmen sighed.
“Well, maybe we can do something when you get back,” Mateo commented, scrolling through his phone.
“Mm,” Carmen answered, her mind racing. An idea was percolating. It would change her plans slightly, but it would also bring a foul-mouthed old woman some happiness—she hoped.
“Right, I’m packed. I’m going to pop next door and say goodbye to Enid.”
“Tell her she can come around here for her birthday if she wants,” Mateo called. Carmen didn’t answer. If she had anything to do with it, Enid would spend her seventieth in the lap of luxury.
“Enid, you here?”
“In the kitchen. Do you want a Slippery Nipple?”
“Um… no?”
“That’s a shame. I love a good Slippery Nipple.”
“Are you just going to keep saying the name to make me feel uncomfortable?”
Enid cackled. “Obviously. Anyway, what brings you over here? Are you ready to set off?”
“I’m packed, but I don’t plan to leave until the day after tomorrow.” A full twenty-four hours before Molly was due to arrive.
“Lovely. You’re going to have a great time, love.”
“About that,” Carmen started, deciding after all, a cocktail with an uncomfortable name was just what she needed. “If ‘your dipshit husband’ was still around, where would he have taken you for your birthday?”
“Oh, well, um, I suppose somewhere like Florida. He was too tight to take me to Hawaii.”
“And would that be something you’d still want to do?”
“It would be tough, love, he’s been dead for a while.”
Carmen rolled her eyes. “Enid, would you like to come to Florida with me?”
“When, what?”
“Don’t tell Mateo, but I’m going to be staying in a particularly fancy hotel in Florida, and I want you to come with me.”
“But I thought you needed space?”
“I do, but I know you won’t need me hovering around while you get pampered.”
“Hell no, I don’t need you clam jamming me.”
“Christ,” Carmen groaned. “I’m just gonna brush past that. Do you want to come? You shouldn’t miss out on your birthday trip. I know how much you love the tropics,” Carmen winked.
“Are you sure, Carmen? I know I make jokes and get a little silly, but in all seriousness, I wouldn’t want to intrude on something that you need to do to make yourself whole again, honey.”
“I promise, Enid. I’ll take time for myself, but, actually, I think having you close by would be a comfort.”
“Well, spank my ass and call me Judy. I’m going to Florida!” Enid hollered, shaking her ass.
“Get packing, lady!” Carmen laughed.
Carmen filled in Mateo and Faith about Enid tagging along. After Mateo stopped pouting, he could see it was the right thing to do. Now, here Carmen stood, two days later with her suitcase by her feet, getting ready to leave the house to catch a flight to Florida. And there was Enid, taking things out of her suitcase to show Mateo and Faith her new bikinis.
“Enid, we have to go. Get that shit packed!” Carmen barked.
“Yes, boss,” Enid replied, saluting.
The sky was its usual gray self as the cab pulled away from the house. Goodbyes had been swift, which Carmen appreciated.She desperately wanted to look back as they drove away, a silent plea echoing within her. Yet, surrendering to that desire risked signaling the cab driver to halt, an urge Carmen knew she couldn’t resist.
Home wasn’t the best place for her though, not right now. So, keeping her head facing forward, she muttered to herself some affirming words. “This is the right thing to do!” Enid’s wrinkled hand patted hers in support. Yes, it was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?
◆◆◆
Arriving a day early in Seattle had not been a straightforward decision to make, but with Maureen accompanying her, Molly didn’t want to wait any longer. If there was a chance for Faith and Maureen to heal, Molly wanted it to happen sooner rather than later.
Hopefully, Faith wouldn’t be too mad Molly had kept Maureen’s appearance a secret. Truthfully, Molly hadn’t known what to do for the best. She certainly didn’t want Faith seeing her mother all beaten and bruised. But injuries like Maureen suffered could take months to heal and Molly couldn’t put off her visit to Seattle without explaining the reason to Faith. Plus, Maureen begged her not to tell Faith, worried her daughter would reject them outright. It didn’t sit well that Molly had gone along with it. The discomfort Molly felt lying was also a major factor in bringing forward their plans.
The time she’d had with Maureen lately gave Molly confidence the woman was sincere in her pledge to make things right with Faith. Although Molly genuinely didn’t know how Faith would react. When her parents had shown up in California, it was Faith who told them she would always keep the door open. Hopefully, that still rang true.
Another reason, and maybe the most scary, was the realization that Molly wanted to see Carmen. Weeks had gone by and Carmen seldom left Molly’s mind. Bessie was relentless in her mission to talk about Carmen. As soon as the kids clicked on to Molly’s internal dilemma regarding the very sexy Carmen Ruiz, they joined in Bessie’s crusade. The result was a night of deep conversations, hard realizations and vodka.
Molly was into Carmen in a big way. Their night together had been hot as hell, but also deeply meaningful. Since leaving Kentucky, Molly had searched for the woman who would make her feel safe. Make her feel at home. And even though Carmen Ruiz was still a mystery, she’d made Molly feel both things.
There was a lot to work through. Molly wasn’t na?ve, but that didn’t mean she and Carmen couldn’t explore their options, right? Especially since Molly decided to stay in Seattle semi-permanently. There was too much time to make up with Faith. All Molly had ever wanted was a family again, and she’d been given that opportunity.
Bessie had been the one to push Molly into making the right call. It wasn’t easy breaking a bad habit, but Molly’s tendency to run was that. A bad habit. One she had to stop repeating. Staying in one place, putting down roots with Faith—and hopefully with Carmen—felt like the right thing.
Molly had done her best to make sure Bessie and the kids had people around to help. They knew they could call her anytime, and she planned to visit regularly. Maybe Carmen would go with her? If—that is—Carmen was willing to give them a chance.
As the cab pulled up to the familiar Seattle address, Molly chuckled at the driver, who was cursing another cab ahead of them, which seemed to have pulled out in front, causing him to suddenly brake.
Thanking the driver, Maureen and Molly made their way to the house. This was it, this was the day Molly actively changed her life from nomadic to settled in suburbia.
Giving Maureen’s hand a quick squeeze, Molly knocked several times on the door. Laughter echoed from inside, and Molly was happy to hear Faith’s soft voice teasing Mateo.
“Did you forget some—”
“Hey, Faith,” Molly grinned at Faith’s shocked face.
“Molly!” she screamed. Molly braced herself for the full weight of her niece crashing into her.
“Hey, honey,” Molly laughed.
“Mom?” Faith pulled back, looking between Molly and Maureen.
“We have some things to talk about,” Molly said, holding Maureen and Faith’s hands. Faith simply nodded and ushered them inside.
“Molly, hey chica, it’s great to see you!” Mateo gushed, dragging her in for another bone-crushing hug.
“Mateo, you look great!”
“I know, honey,” he laughed. “So, what’s all this?” he asked, waving his hand at Maureen. Molly couldn’t fault him for being a little cold towards Faith’s mother.
“This is something Faith and Maureen need to discuss,” Molly said plainly.
Mateo turned Faith’s body so she was facing him completely. “Faith, is that what you want?”
“Yeah, I’m alright. Mom, you wanna come through to the kitchen and we’ll talk?”
“I’d love that,” Maureen replied, her voice cracking.
Molly and Mateo watched them walk away. Now that part of the day was done, Molly was ready to take on the next. “Um, will Carmen be home soon? I have something to talk to her about.”
Mateo shuffled his feet nervously, his hand scratching the back of his head. “Carmen isn’t here, Molly.”
“Oh, yeah, I figured that. What time will she be back?”
“Molly, she’s gone.”
Gone? What the hell did that mean? “Sorry, I don’t follow.”
“Carmen left, chica.”
◆◆◆
“I think we’re getting good at this,” Nathalie chuckled, gently stroking Faith’s hair.
“Practice does make perfect,” Faith grinned, turning her head to kiss Nathalie’s jaw.
“I could stay like this all day.” Nathalie pulled Faith closer. Faith could absolutely stay like this all day, but they’d already started earning raised eyebrows from Mateo and Molly. So, maybe they were skipping all forms of socializing with the people they loved most to dash to the bedroom as often as possible. Was that so wrong?
Faith was just happy Carmen wasn’t here to witness it. Ever since Carmen heard them going at it, she scowled at Nathalie every chance she got. Faith found it highly entertaining, because Nathalie would go bright red and scuttle off to Faith’s room. Carmen would then smile triumphantly at her work, winking at Faith. No matter how many times Faith explained to Nathalie that Carmen was yanking her chain, Nathalie still tried to avoid Carmen as much as possible.
“How are you feeling about your mom being here?”
Well, wasn’t that the million-dollar question? It had certainly been a shock to see her mom standing next to Molly on the doorstep. Sadly, it had been less of a shock to see the state of her mother’s face.
The talk, which began after their arrival, had been hard. Maureen begged and pleaded for Faith’s forgiveness. Of course, Faith wanted to forgive her mother, but something deep inside didn’t feel right to just let everything go. Maybe her mom’s link to her father was still too fresh. Faith didn’t quite know. Molly seemed to be convinced Maureen meant no harm, and Faith wanted to believe that.
Faith asked her mom for some time to think. She was happy to keep talking and working through things, but it had to be at her own pace. Maureen agreed.
Molly had always meant to be staying with Faith at the house. Maureen knew this and happily booked a hotel for a few nights. Depending on how things went, Maureen would travel back to California in a week’s time. Molly planned to stay longer.
After Maureen left, Faith spent some time with Molly, hearing her side of recent events. Honestly, Faith had been a little annoyed at being ambushed and would have preferred Molly to warn her about her mom visiting, but she couldn’t stay mad. Not when she saw the toll it had taken on her aunt.
Plus, Molly looked… dejected. It took Faith a little while to realize Molly’s mood was down to Carmen’s absence. Instead of asking Molly about it, Faith let her be. Nathalie came over in the evening and Faith was happy to see Molly take to her girlfriend. Still, Faith could see that Molly wasn’t herself.
“I’m feeling okay. We’ll take things day by day. I don’t want to rush anything.”
“That’s fair. I bet you’re happy to have Molly here, though, right?”
“Completely. I’ve been looking forward to her visiting for weeks.”
“But?” Damn Nathalie and her observational super powers.
“But she’s not happy. I mean, she’s happy to see me, but I think Carmen being gone has really upset her.”
“Did you ask her about it?”
“No, because I didn’t want to push it.”
“I get that, but if you’re worried, talk to her.”
Faith pulled Nathalie in tighter. She loved the feeling of her girlfriend’s arms around her. She really liked the feeling of Nathalie’s naked body against her, too.
“I will, today. I want her to enjoy her visit.”
“Good, but I think that can wait for a little longer,” Nathalie growled in her ear, nipping Faith’s lobe.
Yeah, it could definitely wait.
◆◆◆
“Mol, fancy taking a walk around the neighborhood?”
“Sure thing. What time are you meeting up with your mom?”
“In a few hours.”
The sun was shining as they walked. Faith thought it a good idea to get out in the fresh-ish air. “So wanna talk about why you look so down?”
Molly chuckled. “Can’t get anything past you, huh?”
“Mol, it’s blatantly obvious. Is it because Carmen left?”
Molly sighed. “Yeah.”
“And…” Faith drew out the word, hoping Molly would jump in.
“Well, you already know we, you know…”
“Boned, yup, I’m aware.”
“Brat,” Molly laughed. “Ugh, I feel like a teenager talking about this.”
“You like Carmen. And let me guess, you hoped to start something while you were here, but then you arrived and Carmen is gone.”
“Wow, yeah, hit the nail on the head there, sweetie.”
“But you know she’s coming back, so what’s the problem?”
“Faith, she could be gone for months. I don’t really understand why she’s gone. Mateo was all close-lipped about it.”
“Carmen has stuff she needs to work through, Molly. She’s taking time.”
“Okay, that’s good for her, I suppose?”
“It’s great for her, and for you, actually!”
“How do you figure that?”
“Because, Molly, if you want to woo Carmen Ruiz, you need to have a plan.”
“Woo her? Really?”
“Yeah, really. Look, I’m having awesome sex now. I know these things!”
Molly threw her head back, letting out a deep belly laugh. “Oh, Faith, I have missed you. Go on then, pass on your wisdom.”
“Carmen is away figuring out a lifetime of stuff. She wants change, so she can get serious with someone, but until she feels better in her own head, she can’t offer that. That’s what she told me, anyway. But, when she’s in the right headspace, you can bet your ass she will give all of her heart to the woman she loves. Carmen is just like that. She loves fully. If you want to be that woman, Molly, you need to be on the same page. I’m not saying you have to be ready to walk down the aisle or anything, but you will have to give her more than casual. You need to be prepared to be in it for the long run.”
“Jesus, Faith.”
“I know, it’s a lot, but I know Carmen. Actually, I think you know Carmen enough to agree with what I said.”
“Okay, I see that. Carmen is fierce with the people she loves. I can see that being the same way with a woman, too.”
“So, while she’s away sorting her shit out. You get to be here with me preparing yourself.”
“That sounds scary, to be honest.”
“Of course it does. But when you think of Carmen, and the possibilities for you, do you see yourself taking those steps? Waiting for her?”
“Yes. It’s stupid, considering we barely know each other.”
“It’s not stupid. You guys connected. It’s awesome, and you have the time to get to know each other. That’s what love is, isn’t it?”
“Christ, you’ve grown up, kid.”
“I just listen to the people around me.”
“So, what do you suggest I do, then?”
Faith stopped them in the middle of the street, took Molly by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “You figure out how you feel and then, when you’re ready, you make a plan.”
“And what’s that plan?”
“Keeping Carmen Ruiz!”
To Be Continued…