Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ALEJANDRA
As I scroll through my emails, I spot the “unread” tag next to the job offer from Limon.
It’s a lie; I read it the day it landed in my inbox, but it’s been a week since they sent it, and I still haven’t responded.
They’ve called and left a few messages, but I haven’t gotten back to them, so I keep it marked to remind myself to deal with it as soon as possible.
And there’s no time like the present, so I finally reply.
I apologize for the delay and tell her some personal things came up, but that I’ll get back to her on Monday. So that gives me the weekend to think things through and talk to Clara.
I grab a notebook and pen, and stare at the blank page for a while before finally starting to write, trying to figure out how to tell Clara about the move, about how I think it could be great for my career, especially as I try to get my art out there.
How it’s temporary, that I don’t want to be away from her or our family, but this job could open doors to big galleries.
I’ve managed a few messy lines—half-formed thoughts and scattered feelings—when my phone rings.
When I pick it up, my mom is on the other line, frantically trying to explain to me that Lala’s in the hospital, her words tumbling over each other.
“What happened?” I ask, already standing, heart pounding.
“She collapsed at the house,” Mom says. “An ambulance took her to Skagit Valley. I’m heading there now.”
My blood runs cold, and everything fades. Clara, the wedding, my move—it all drops into the background like static.
“I’m on my way,” I say, grabbing my keys without thinking.
I don’t remember the drive to the hospital, the ride up the elevator, or how I even found her room. It’s all a blur, a rush of panic.
When I step into the room, Diana is sitting in a chair next to Lala, who is sleeping and has a faint bruise on her face.
“Hey.” Diana reaches for my hand.
“Hey,” I say as I inch closer. “Where’s Mom?”
“She’s figuring something out with Grandma’s insurance.”
I nod. The closer I step to Lala, the more my vision blurs with tears.
“She’ll be okay,” Diana says, resting her head on my arm.
“What happened?” I ask, my voice weak.
“She fell in the shower; thankfully, her nurse was in the house and heard it happen. She called 911 immediately.”
“God, how scary for both of them.”
Diana nods. “Yeah, they’ll probably discharge her tomorrow. They want to keep her overnight to make sure it’s not more severe than it is.”
“Good. I can stay with her, then.”
“Oh, no. I’ve got this. Alex is out of town, so I’d rather stay than go back to an empty house. If things worsen, I’ll let you know. Mom is also staying, so there’s no need for all three of us here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, just stay with her until I get back. I want to change out of my uniform. My flight landed just as Mom called, so I rushed here.”
“Yeah, of course, go, go.”
“I love you,” Diana says as she leans in to kiss my head.
“I love you, too.” She squeezes my hand and walks out of the room.
I approach Lala’s side and gently take her hand, pressing my forehead to it as I lean over the bed. I’m not a religious person, but in this moment, I’m praying to every god I’ve ever heard of, begging them to please let her be okay.
My phone buzzes, and when I check the screen, it’s Clara. I’ve probably left her a dozen frantic voicemails by now. I walk to the furthest end of the room, trying not to wake my grandma.
“Hey.”
“Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t pick up earlier. I was in a meeting. Is everything okay? Are you okay? I have like fifteen missed calls from you.”
Hearing her voice makes my chest loosen a little.
“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s Lala; she’s at the hospital.”
“What happened? Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s okay. She fell in the shower, and they’re keeping her overnight. She’s sleeping right now,” I say, looking back at Lala, who’s watching me pace around her room.
“Lala, hey,” I say, and my voice quivers. “I’ll call you back,” I say to Clara.
“Tell her I love her. I’ll try to get out of this next meeting and join you at the hospital. Do you need anything?”
“I left my license on my desk. I didn’t even think to grab it. Will you bring it for me?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you soon.” I hang up and walk back to the chair beside my grandma’s bed.
“How are you?” I ask, grabbing hold of her hand again, seeing now that there’s also bruising on her forearms. The sight of them makes my stomach cramp up.
“I’m okay, mamita,” Lala says with a tired smile. “It looks worse than it feels. I’m old and bruise easily,” she adds, looking down at her arms.
“Who were you talking to?” she asks.
“Clara. She said to tell you she loves you.”
“Ah, such a sweet girl,” Grandma says with a weak smile, giving me a slow wink. “You lucked out with her.”
Guilt coils around my heart, squeezing so hard I think my heart might give up. I glance down at my grandma’s frail hand in mine, the beeping of the monitors suddenly louder than it was a second ago.
“Grandma, I . . . I need to tell you something,” I start, my voice unsteady.
She gives me a small, gentle smile, folding her hands in her lap. She doesn’t say anything, just stares at me patiently, waiting for me to continue.
“Lala, Clara, and I lied to you. We weren’t actually dating when I told you we were.” I press my lips together and brace for her to lay into me about lying. But when nothing comes, I look back at her and see her nodding her head calmly as if she’d been expecting this.
“I know,” she says simply.
“You—you knew?” I blink.
She chuckles softly. “Mija, I’ve lived long enough to know when someone’s telling a story. And I know you both well enough to tell you were lying. You’ve never been good at it,” she says as she reaches out to pat my hand.
I exhale sharply, a weak laugh escaping my lips.” Why’d you let us lie for so long?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It was fun to watch you both struggle through the lie. And I thought maybe if you and Clara pretended for long enough, you’d eventually figure it out.”
I smile at that. “Well, your plan worked.” And at that, her eyebrows rise so high they almost touch her hairline.
“Oh,” she breathes, caught somewhere between surprise and excitement.
I smile, thinking of Clara, of the beautiful future we could have together. For a moment, it feels clear and bright. But then, like an uninvited guest, New York and the job offer from Limon creep into my mind.
“What’s wrong?” Lala asks gently, searching my face.
“Nothing’s wrong.” I breathe the words more than I speak them. “I just . . . can’t believe I finally found the person I’ve been waiting for. And I haven’t even told her that, this whole time, I’ve been quietly debating whether to take a job offer in New York.”
“New York?” Her eyes are so wide I half expect them to fall out of her head. “Why haven’t you told her?”
“How do I tell the person I’m falling in love with that I might be moving to New York?”
Before Lala can say anything, another voice cuts in.
“You’re what?”
I turn slowly toward the door, my heart dropping. My mom’s standing there, her face completely unreadable. But then I look past her shoulder, and there’s Clara. Suddenly, it feels like my whole world tilts on its axis.
“Clara . . .” I take a step forward, but she’s already backing away, hurt flashing across her face, before she spins and disappears down the hallway.
I freeze.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” Lala says, nudging me with a surprising amount of strength for someone in a hospital bed.
I hesitate only a second longer before speeding after Clara. “Clara, wait! Please—wait!” I shout, but she doesn’t stop; she doesn’t even slow down.
I keep going anyway, because something in me knows that if I let her walk away now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.