Chapter 11 #2
But his grandmother was right downstairs. Time and place, Piper. Time and place.
“Got everything you need?” he asked.
“For the moment. Yes.”
By the time Emilio and Piper arrived back downstairs, his grandmother was busy working on lunch, la comida, the largest meal
of the day. Judging by the heady aromas coming from the kitchen, they were in for quite a treat. Emilio had purposely skipped
breakfast that morning. He knew his abuela would feed them until they couldn’t eat another bite. And he would enjoy every
minute of it.
“What can I do to help?” Emilio asked, noticing Gus sitting right next to the counter, watching every move his abuela made.
Like it was his job.
“Me, too. I want to help,” Piper offered. “Emilio hardly let me help him at all when he made your arroz con pollo last night.”
His abuela slid him a look. “You’re cooking for Piper?”
He knew exactly what that tone meant—she was curious if romance was in the air. Emilio loved to cook, but he didn’t do it
often. It was no big shock she was surprised. “We had friends over.”
“Wonderful.” She pointed to a sheet pan and a cutting board with prepped ingredients on the kitchen counter. “If you want
to help, you two can take the eggplant and bread outside to toast. The fire should be ready.”
“We’re on it.” Emilio took the pan and Piper the cutting board, and they walked out through the French door and onto the flagstone
patio. At the far end was a fire pit where his grandmother had a cooking grate set up. “We’ll grill eggplant first. The bread
will only take a minute.” He placed the sliced baby vegetables on the grate, then poked the logs to control the heat.
“That’s a big fire for lunch.”
“She’ll let the coals smolder, then we’ll probably come out here tonight and rebuild it. Drink wine. It’s her favorite thing
to do.”
“It sounds like the perfect end to the day.” Piper pointed to the cutting board, where slices of crusty bread for pan con
tomate sat. “I’ve never grilled bread before.”
“Then you haven’t lived.”
“You’re probably not wrong.” Piper took a few steps to the edge of the patio and looked out over the grounds. “You don’t get
this view in Florida. It’s amazing.” She turned back to him and the breeze blew her hair across her face. An effortless grin
bloomed on her face. She was breathtaking. And he was so glad he’d brought her here. His grandmother’s house was a special
place, and how he loved experiencing it through Piper’s eyes.
He glanced over his shoulder to see if his grandmother was looking, then wrapped his arms around Piper’s waist. “I’m glad
you were open to coming here. I realize it’s outside the scope of your duties.” He pulled her closer and kissed her softly.
When he pulled back, her eyes remained closed for a moment, a sweet smile on her face. “I feel lucky to be here. Thank you
for bringing me.”
His days with Piper were numbered. He felt the need to squeeze in as much as he could. “You’re more than welcome.”
After performing their cooking duties, Emilio and Piper helped set one end of the long dining table outside. It sat beneath
the generous shade of a cork oak tree that was likely over one hundred years old. “My great-grandfather built this table from
a tree on this property.” He ran his hands over the well-worn wood. It was somehow soft and solid at the same time. “I think
about that every time I eat out here. The history.”
“That is so cool.”
“When my grandfather was still alive and I was young, I came to stay with them for two weeks every summer. I have so many
memories of being at this table and stuffing my face with my abuela’s cooking. Or I’d sit here with my grandfather and play
checkers.”
“An adorable image.” An extra-wide smile crossed her lips. “There’s just something about summer, isn’t there? I have a zillion
memories of spending those weeks with my sisters, goofing around, playing games and eating cheap grocery store popsicles.
Getting in trouble.” She looked down at the ground for a moment, then back up at Emilio. “You know, I complain about my sister
because of the wedding, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Gabby’s probably my best friend.”
That made Emilio’s stomach twist. If true, Piper’s best friend was causing her pain.
“Aside from a few hundred dogs,” Piper added.
Emilio laughed. “Of course.”
“But seriously, she’s a good egg. My other sister Meghan is, too. But Gabby and I are only a year apart in age and she has
always been there for me. Those first few months after my engagement was broken, I was an absolute mess. She’d come over to
my place or invite me to hers and she’d listen to me for hours, sobbing and rehashing every little thing. There’s no way it
was easy for her. She was dating my ex’s best friend. But she listened and she held me while I cried. She got me through it
in a way no one else could.”
The thought of Piper being in misery was unthinkable. He’d only ever seen her happy. “You must have really loved him.”
“I definitely thought I did. But now that I look back at it, I’m not sure. I think I loved the way I was when I was with him.
He needed me in a way no one ever had before. That felt good.” She sighed. “In the end, it didn’t matter. He loved someone
else.”
The story broke Emilio’s heart in a way he couldn’t explain. She was such an incredible person, he wanted to absorb some of
her pain, even though he knew that wasn’t possible. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sure your breakup with Victoria was similar. You were together for a couple of years, weren’t you?”
“We were.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. His shoulders drew tight. “But don’t judge the strength of a relationship
by how long it lasted. We should have broken up before that. I should have broken up with her. But I didn’t.”
Piper’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Did something happen?”
He shook his head. “Aside from the fact that I didn’t open my eyes, no. The truth is, she set her sights on me from the moment
we met, and I just went with it. It was easy. She’s practically royalty in F1 because of her dad, so of course I was interested.
It was exciting to get pulled into her orbit.”
“And she’s stunningly beautiful with an unbelievable bod. And she fundraises for a bunch of charities. I get the appeal.”
“She is all those things. But I didn’t love her. And I knew it, but I couldn’t be honest with myself. She eventually figured
it out and had the courage to make the break. In some ways, I owe her a debt of gratitude, even if it made me second-guess
a lot about myself.”
“Like what?”
“She told me she wasn’t sure I was capable of love. All I truly cared about was racing and Gus.”
“But that’s love. I’ve seen that in you. You are more than capable of love.” She turned and pointed at the house. “And don’t forget your
grandmother. The instant we got here, I could see how much you love her. I could feel it.” She placed her hand on his chest,
right where his heart was.
“That’s not romantic love. Of course. It’s different.”
She smirked. “I don’t really believe in that.”
“Romantic love?”
“Different kinds of love. Love is like air. It’s around us. It’s in us. And either we tap into it with another person or an animal or a song or a piece of art or something we feel drawn to,
or we don’t.”
“Or a dog. Don’t forget dogs.”
“Of course, dogs. That goes without saying. Also, cats, rabbits, other rodents. All pets. And then of course there are wild
animals.”
Emilio laughed. “Right.”
“I’m just saying it’s a connection. A connection that’s not always easy to explain. So, when people go around slapping labels
on it, like romantic love, I don’t really buy it. I think love is love. It grows. And sometimes it shrinks. Sometimes it goes
away completely. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. And it doesn’t mean we won’t find it again.”
Emilio wasn’t sure he remembered how to breathe. Her words tumbled around in his head, and at least a few of them worked their
way into his heart. Piper was a treasure. “How’d you get to be so smart?”
“Public school? Amazing parents? That’s all it is. And books. I do love to read.”
Emilio’s abuela stepped into the doorway at the back of the house with a massive platter of food. “It’s time to eat.”
Emilio rushed over. “Let me help.”
The three of them sat down to eat while Gus circled the table like an adorable shark at feeding time, trying to ascertain
where he might get the most food. His grandmother said a blessing, then opened a bottle of red wine and had Emilio fill the
glasses. They began the meal with pan con tomate, featuring the crusty grilled bread. His grandmother rubbed it with a cut
clove of garlic and fresh tomato, then finished with olive oil and salt. So simple and always one of Emilio’s favorites. The
second course was the grilled eggplant, served with a tangy fresh herb-and-lemon vinaigrette. Then came seafood paella, followed
by roast pork. Piper raved about every bite, as did Emilio. How could they not? His grandmother’s cooking was better than
anything he’d ever had in a restaurant, and he’d dined all over the world. His grandmother snuck bites of food to Gus under
the table. Emilio decided against saying something. It was better to let Gus have his perfect day.
“How do you eat all this and not immediately slip into a coma?” Piper slumped back in her chair.
“Ah. You will need a siesta,” Ximena answered. “Or an espresso. Either works.”
Emilio rubbed his belly as pure satisfaction washed over him. It was more than happiness; it was contentment, a feeling he
hadn’t experienced in so long he’d forgotten how magnificent it could be. There he was, shaded from the Spanish sun by a beautiful
old tree, with the breeze lazing over his skin, and his beloved dog, drunk off pork, curled up at his feet. Two incredible
women sat opposite him at this table his grandfather had built with his own two hands. Emilio had known and loved one of these
women for his entire life. The other had magically walked into his world when he was as low as could be. He couldn’t help
but notice that every day since then had been better. Today was as close as it might ever get to perfection. And he wanted
to hold on to it forever.