Chapter 28
chapter twenty-eight
nesto
It’d been over a week since Jude ended things with me, and I was a fucking wreck. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, and worse, I still had no idea how to fix it. It was like he built a wall around himself.
He wouldn’t see me or talk to me. I’d gone to his place the night after he called me and he told me to go home.
The scariest thing was how calm he’d looked, like he felt nothing.
His smile was so brittle I thought he would crumble right in front of me.
I tried to ask Carmen what to do, but she told me she couldn’t get involved.
That Jude asked her to stay out of it. I was at a loss.
Meanwhile, things were moving fast with the restaurant.
Tonight I was going to co-host and cater a dinner at Harold’s house.
He’d invited a bunch of high-profile people from town to formally announce the project.
OuNYe would be a completely new kind of dining experience in town, and we wanted everyone talking about it.
We’d also been discussing plans for the future.
Harold was convinced we had the food and the concept to eventually branch out to other college towns in the region.
We just needed to get the right people interested.
It seemed like a bit of a stretch to me, but it was hard not to get caught up in his enthusiasm.
So tonight, there would be people there who could potentially back an expansion plan.
It was a big deal, and I should’ve been ecstatic.
My hustle was finally bearing fruit in huge ways.
Instead, I was ditching work for the second time this week, to sit on my couch and look at photos of Jude and listen to despecho songs all day.
It was already noon and I had to get my shit together soon, since I needed to be at Harold’s in two hours.
But I had zero fucks to give.
I thought I heard someone knock on my door, but instead of getting up to see who it was, I opened my phone again to look at the last photos I’d taken of Jude.
They were from a couple of days before he broke things off.
He’d just woken up and was smiling up at me, his hair muzzled from sleep, a tiny love bite under his right ear.
I’d taken like five shots in a row and as I scrolled through them now, the screen showed him shaking his head at me, a big grin on his face. I missed him so fucking much.
I didn’t know I could hurt like this.
“Oh my god. We got here not a second too soon, this is a full Code Red. He’s listening to Selena and crying over photos on his phone. Jesus, and it reeks of Vicks in here. Patrice, open a damn window. Nesto, what the fuck are you doing? Do you have a cold?”
I looked up from where I was clutching my phone and saw my mom, my sister, Patrice, and Camilo standing by the couch, looking at me like I’d lost my mind.
I sat up, wondering why the guys were here and not in the city.
“Umm hey, I had a headache, so I rubbed some on my temples. Mamí, how did you get in here? Do you still have the spare key?” I pointed at Milo and Patrice with my phone.
“And what are you two doing up here? I didn’t know you were coming to visit. ”
This was apparently the last straw for my mom, because she snatched the phone out of my hand and turned off the music.
“Mamí! What the hell? I need the phone!”
“No, Ernesto Amado, you need to get yourself together. It’s been over a week, and you are still moping around.
” She waved over to Milo and Patrice. “Your friends are here because I called them. I’m worried about you.
You don’t answer my calls, you’ve barely been at the truck in the last few days, and worse, you’re doing nothing to make things right with Jude.
This is not like you Nesto, you don’t give up on what’s important to you.
” At the mention of Jude I curled in on myself like she’d punched me in the stomach.
“What am I supposed to do, Mamí? He told me he doesn’t want me. He asked me to leave him alone. He wouldn’t even open the door when I went to his house. I fucked up.” I shook my head as another wave of self-loathing and regret washed through me. “I let him down and I deserve to be iced out. I—”
Someone whacked me over the head so hard I almost fell off the couch. Startled, I jumped up and saw Milo staring at me looking furious. I rubbed my head, glaring at him.
“?Cono, Camilo! What did you hit me for?”
“Because you’re a moron, that’s why. Out of all of us, you’ve always been the relentless one, once you start something you don’t give up until you get it.
And now you’re going to sit this one out because it’s too hard?
” Milo’s face was angry, and my mom just looked worried.
Patrice and my sister were standing to the side, watching with concerned faces.
I ran my hands over my face and sat down on the couch again. “It’s not because it’s hard. It’s because it hurts. Every time I think of how he sounded when he told me what happened with his sister. How sad and empty his voice was. It makes me sick I wasn’t there for him.”
Milo sighed, and my mom came and sat next to me on the couch.
“M’ijo, of course you can fix it. You love him, and he loves you.
Jude’s a good man, but he’s been hurt badly by people who should’ve loved him unconditionally.
He doesn’t know what it’s like to have someone fight for him. You need to show him you always will.”
I nodded, and looked up at them, my people, who came to get my ass in gear before I threw away the best thing that had ever happened to me.
As I sat there an idea started forming in my head.
I wasn’t sure if there was still a chance Jude would take me back, but it wouldn’t be because I sat on my ass crying while the love of my fucking life thought I’d given up on him.
I stood up and started walking to the bathroom. I had work to do and then I needed to start planning. Before I went into the shower I turned around.
“I’ll be ready in ten. We need to get this thing at Sheridan’s done. When we get back tonight we’re making plans for how I’m going to show Jude he isn’t just a priority, he needs to know he’s everything.”
Jude
“I can see you staring at me, Carmen.”
In the last week, Carmen had spent each second we were together scrutinizing my every move. I knew she was trying to make sure I didn’t fling myself off a bridge or something, but the constant worry on her face was starting to piss me off.
Except it wasn’t just Carmen, everything and everyone pissed me off. My patience seemed to have evaporated in the past seven days. I’d been so short with people lately, I noticed some were going out of their way to avoid me.
Like I cared.
I didn’t need people walking by and staring at me like I was a pathetic loser.
I looked up to see Carmen still glancing in my direction and huffed, “Seriously, Carmen. I’m fine.
Nesto and I were seeing each other for two months, it’s not like he jilted me at the altar.
Besides, it’s better this way. He has important things to do and so do I.
I need to focus on the launch, which is only days away. ”
Carmen stood up from her desk and closed the door, then planted herself on my desk right in front of my monitor.
“The launch is going to be fine, Jude. You’ve managed to come up with a great program, despite our miniscule budget. It’s going to be perfect. You know it and I know it.” She threw her hands up in frustration as I stared blankly at the wall.
“You need to let me do my work.”
“No. We’re talking about this right now.
You’re not fine, and this was not just some fling that ended.
What happened with your sister was horrible and heartbreaking, and then you broke things off with the person you’re in love with.
None of it is even remotely fine, and pretending it is won’t make it go away. ”
I scoffed at her words, feeling angry. “Well what do you want me to do? Fall apart? Lose it? Stay in bed for weeks? Let this despair and sadness overtake me, so I can’t leave my house?
Because I’ve done that once already. I’ve been there, and I’m not doing it again.
What happened with Mary…” I held up my hand while I took a breath.
“Even though it hurt, I forgive her, because she’s as much a victim as I am in all of this.
Nesto—” Here I really needed to tread lightly, because this thing with Nesto would be what undid me.
“Nesto is here to build his business. That’s what he needs to focus on. What we had was a distraction.”
Carmen rolled her eyes to the ceiling as if looking for some guidance on how to get through to me.
“What you had was a relationship. Nesto is just as torn up about this as you are. Nurys says he’s been a wreck all week. Leaving early or missing work altogether. She even said she was going to call his friends to come from the city to talk to him.”
I stared at her in disbelief, caught between wanting to throttle her for meddling again and pumping her for more information about Nesto.
“Why are you talking to Nesto’s mother about me?”
The flummoxed look on her face was priceless. “I stopped at the truck for a burrito last week.”
I almost laughed at her regretful grimace. “Traitor.”
“I’m sorry! I walked by and they had the Lavoe that day.
You know I can’t resist guandules and pernil.
Anyway, Nurys was there and asked about you and we’ve been in touch since.
We’re worried about you both. Nesto isn’t doing well at all, and you’ve been working eighteen-hour days for the last week. ”
She slumped, giving me a pleading look. “Hon, please consider trying to work things out with him. He was good for you. You were happier than I’ve ever seen you.”
“I was happy, Carmen. I’m just tired of asking for so little and still being let down.” I scrubbed my hands over my eyes. “It hurts too much.”
Carmen put her hand under my chin and lifted my head. “Can I give you a hug?”
I huffed out a laugh and stood up with my arms wide open, she immediately wrapped me up in one of her amazing hugs, and for the first time in days I let myself let go.
“You’ll work this out. Nesto is a great guy and he loves you.” I didn’t argue with her and just let the comfort of her presence soothe my frazzled nerves.
“Well isn’t this nice? Such camaraderie amongst our staff. Very touching.”
Carmen stiffened at the sound of Misty’s voice and spoke in the coldest tone I’d ever heard from her.
“We’re busy right now, Misty.”
“You don’t look busy. I’m surprised you’re still here, Jude. I thought you’d be over at Harold Sheridan’s place setting up for the party your man friend is catering for him. I heard they’re making a big announcement. A real American success story. Very heartwarming.”
Her tone was foul and she was practically spitting the words out.
I gave her the iciest look I could manage. “I’m not planning to be there, and Nesto isn’t just catering. They’re hosting a party to announce they’re opening a restaurant together. Mr. Sheridan is very excited about the project. Not surprising, since Nesto can barely keep up with the demand.”
She walked up to my desk with a shark smile on her face.
“Oh, I heard. He’s even had to hire more help.
I’ve seen them there when I pass by; lots of foreigners.
” She twisted her mouth to the side like she was thinking of something distasteful.
“Some of them barely speak English. I hope they’ve all got their papers in order.
I’ve been hearing the police are going around checking for illegals.
Scary times.” With that, she pushed off my desk and made her way toward the door.
I walked over to the door before she could get to it and stood in front of her. “I don’t know what you’re scheming, Misty, but if you try anything to mess with Nesto, I’ll talk to Martha.”
She just lifted a shoulder totally unnerved, “What’s Martha going to do?
You think because you managed to convince Tom White to give you the money for your little project, you’re home free?
I still have control over your funds for the launch.
I can make it so you won’t even be able to afford a few dozen water bottles. “
That was a low blow, because she knew if there was something that would make me hesitate, it was losing the launch.
Then I thought of how hard Nesto had worked for this moment and knew what I needed to do.
Not being able to have the launch I’d planned would hurt, but I’d still have my project.
Misty could do a lot of damage to Nesto’s business if she pulled one of her stunts tonight.
“I don’t care about your threats, Misty. I’m not going to let you ruin this for Nesto. You want to take the money, take it. I’ll just have to go without.”
Her laugh was pure vitriol. “You’re not important enough to threaten, Jude.
Hope your selfless act comes with a cash allowance, and if you paid any deposits for next week, I suggest you figure out how to cancel them.
” She tapped a finger on her cheek and widened her eyes.
“I just realized I have an urgent need and will have to put that slush fund you were counting on toward something else.”
She held her arm up to me and shoved her watch in my face. “Look at the time. I’ve got to get moving, or I’ll be late to Harold’s. Don’t want to miss the biggest party of the summer.” The look on her face as she walked off was way too smug for my comfort.
When I turned around Carmen’s face settled it. “She’s going to call in a tip saying Nesto has undocumented staff working in the truck.”
Carmen looked worried but tried to keep things in perspective.
“They’re not allowed to just show up at a private residence like that, Jude.
Unless she lies or uses her contact at the state troopers.
But she wasn’t kidding about the launch money, Jude.
She’ll figure out a way to fuck with you over this. ”
I knew Carmen was right, but I’d deal with that later.
“I have to do something. I wouldn’t put it past her to try and abuse a relationship to mess with Nesto.
I should’ve known she hadn’t given up on making trouble for him.
She was just biding her time to do something that could really embarrass him, and if she wants to take the money, so be it. We’ll figure it out.”
Carmen was as serious as I’d ever seen her. “You know I got your back, babe.”
“I know, thank you.” I thought for a moment about what to do and then had an idea. “I’m calling Easton. I’m sure he’ll be there tonight, and hopefully he can keep an eye out.”
Carmen shook her head in disbelief. “So you’re not willing to talk to Nesto, but you’re putting a call into the DA’s office for him.”
“I’m certainly not going to let Misty ruin his night if I can help it.”