Chapter Twelve
I try to peek at the bed, but the cot is too close to the ground.
I push myself up to a seat with my hand.
She’s not here. I scan the room, checking to see if she’s in the bathroom or perhaps standing in the corner with no head, waiting to take me as her final victim.
Nothing. I’m almost too scared to look around now.
I need to stop buying into Maria’s stories, but this place does give me the creeps at night.
It’s clear that Valentina is not here, so where the hell did she go?
Maybe she left to get snacks in the main hall.
That must mean she’ll be coming back any minute.
Should I pretend to be asleep? Or maybe I should hide and pop out when she least expects it.
Give her a little scare for practically forcing me to be an accomplice in destroying the wedding.
Actually, I have a better idea. Probably the best idea I’ve had in a long time. I’m going to steal the bed from her.
The millisecond the thought enters my head, I jolt off the cot onto Valentina’s bed, giggling and rolling around like a small child finally getting what they wanted.
I stretch out my limbs in each direction, as if trying to reach every corner of the bed.
I crawl to the top of the bed and rest my head on her pillow.
It’s so much softer than mine. I could sleep here all day.
I tuck myself inside the covers. How can they feel so cool yet so warm at the same time?
It’s as if this bed is enchanted. That, or maybe I’ve been sleeping on a dinky cot for too long.
I can smell her on the pillowcase—a mixture of her perfume and shampoo.
Maybe even a little bit of the vanilla-and-amber lotion she puts on every night.
If I could bottle up this combination of scents and sell it as a pillow mist, I could probably close down La Mariposa and live a wealthy life after selling out on my new product.
I take a deep breath as I try to soak in the remaining scent of her on the bed.
* * *
I startle myself awake. I must have dozed off slightly.
Just enough to have that weird dream where it feels like you’re falling.
I look at my watch—3:50 a.m., and she’s not back yet.
I start to think the worst. What if she got attacked by a bear and she is currently dragging the top half of her body back to the cabin to seek help?
What if she was kidnapped and is now living in someone’s shed? Oh God, I’m gonna be sick.
I throw the blankets off my body and rush to the closet to grab my boots and jacket.
I could have switched to leggings, but something about walking around in chunky boots and a white-and-red-striped pajama short set makes the situation feel less scary to me.
If anyone sees me, I can try to convince them I’m a chronic sleepwalker.
I swing the cabin door open almost too loudly.
I look around to see if anyone else is awake or if a lifeless Valentina is lying on the dirt. Nothing. I breathe a sigh of relief.
I shuffle quickly through the campsite, practically giving myself whiplash with how quickly I turn my neck.
She has to be here somewhere. She wouldn’t have just left.
I approach the main hall, pull the doorknob, and step inside.
It’s completely dark—there’s no way she’s in here.
I look over at the double doors leading to the kitchen.
If the light were on, I’d definitely see it through the crack between the doors. It’s off. No one is here.
Against my horror movie—watching instincts, I keep looking and step back outside and look toward the direction of the lake.
I can’t really tell, but it looks as if there may be some sort of figure over there.
My heart begins to pace faster as I walk toward it.
It could be Valentina, but it could also be a bear.
Or the kidnapper. The closer I get, the surer I am that it’s a human.
I can see the shape of their head. The way their neck curves into their shoulders.
It’s Valentina on the dock. Thank fucking God.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I ask, startling Valentina.
“Ay, you scared me. What the hell are you talking about?” she replies, clearly annoyed.
“I woke up, and you were gone. I thought something had happened to you. I was freaking out. I waited for a bit, and you never came back, so I decided to come out looking for you to make sure you were alive or not stuck inside someone’s basement.”
“Aw, you missed me?” Valentina coos.
“No! I mean, I just thought you were dead or something.”
“That’s cute.”
“What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?” I ask.
“I mean, technically, it’s early morning,” she says, grinning. “I’m just enjoying the silence and looking at the lake. Thinking. Join me.”
She pats the empty spot next to her, her feet dangling off the side of the dock facing the water. Without thinking, I sit down next to Valentina.
The lake is calm and still, with only the occasional ripple to disturb its surface.
The moon casts a soft silver light across the water, illuminating the shadows and creating a tranquil atmosphere.
In the distance, the silhouette of trees and hills stands out against the night sky.
The stars twinkle overhead, and I can hear Valentina’s quiet and rhythmic breathing, breaking the silence of the early morning.
I think I found my new favorite time of day.
Now that I know she’s alive, I can finally look at Valentina. She is stunning, even under the moonlight. She is wearing grey sweatpants and a matching button-down top. It looks soft. She looks soft.
“So, are you excited about paddleboarding? It’s the first event of Sofia’s ridiculous bach party today,” Valentina says.
“You already know I am. I can’t wait!”
“Have you ever actually done it before?” she asks teasingly.
“Well, no, but I’m a fast learner, and I never make mistakes.”
Valentina laughs. “I can’t wait to see you fall face-first into the water.”
“I will not. You will. When I push you in.” I laugh at the thought.
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yeah, it is. You better watch yourself, Garcia. I’m coming for you.”
“One can only hope,” she says, winking.
I ignore her innuendo because I refuse to give her the pleasure of knowing that it made me blush. Valentina is not into me. She’s in love with Sofia. I just need to keep that mantra in my head whenever she’s giving me even a morsel of extra attention.
“You really like it here, don’t you?”
I nod.
“Have you been living your Parent Trap dreams to your full satisfaction?”
“Not yet. Our days have been filled with so many wedding activities it hasn’t even felt like a camp.
That’s why I’m so excited about the bach—all the activities!
It’s what I’ve dreamed about. Also, I still need to get some Oreos to recreate the scene with the peanut butter.
It’s a mind-blowing combination, and I’m determined to have it again before I leave. ”
She laughs. “That sounds… .disgusting.”
“You are such a grouch, you know that?”
“I am aware,” she replies, amused.
I take a breath, remembering my conversation with Abuelita.
I still can’t believe it, that she actually thought my dad was with someone else before my mom.
I glance at Valentina, wondering if it’s worth bringing up.
But something about this quiet, surreal moment at the lake makes me want to spill a bit more.
Maybe she’d understand. “You know, Abuelita told me yesterday that she thought my dad had someone else in his life before he started dating my mother. Someone he was serious about.”
Valentina raises an eyebrow, turning to face me fully. “Wow. That’s…unexpected. Do you think it has anything to do with what you’ve been finding in his journal?”
I shrug, hugging my knees to my chest. “I don’t know, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s like every time I uncover something, I find out I knew even less about him than I thought. It’s scary. And it makes me wonder if I’ll ever really get the full picture. But I feel like I have to try.”
Valentina nods, her expression softening.
“It must be hard, not knowing. But it sounds like you’re starting to piece things together, right? Maybe this whole thing, as weird as it is, will help you finally understand who he was.”
“Maybe,” I say, smiling faintly. “It’s just…there’s so much I didn’t know about him. And now I have to figure it all out while I’m here, pretending I’ve got everything together.”
“You’re not pretending with me,” Valentina says quietly, almost to herself. For a second, I feel exposed but also comforted.
I nod, grateful for the moment but also ready to move on, the weight of the conversation still lingering. “Enough about me,” I say, forcing a small grin. “So, what’s your next step?”
“What do you mean?”
“To sabotage Sofia’s wedding. So far, your plan has failed hilariously. I mean, insulting him at the first dinner didn’t work. No one knew you had even stolen the tents at brunch. I’m curious about what else you have up your sleeve.”
She laughs at that last part. Then, she stays quiet for a moment. As if she’s thinking of what to say. Or if she’s considering telling me something secretive. I hold my breath.
“All right, there is something.”
“Okay, tell me,” I say, trying not to appear too eager.
“How about I show you?”
Valentina reaches into her pocket and pulls out two gold rings.
“My precious,” she says in a hiss.
“Uh, are those what I think they are?” I look at her, eyes wide.
“Maybe.” She grins. “The ultimate sabotage. Luciano is in charge of the rings. Sofia’s going to be really upset when she realizes he lost them.”
“But…you stole them. He didn’t lose them.”
“Well, he shouldn’t have made them so easy to take,” she retorts.
I stand up, slightly slipping on the old moss collected on the dock.
“Val, you have to put those back,” I demand.