Chapter Five #2
My throat worked on a swallow, but when I spoke, my words were filled with a lightness I did not feel. “Well, make sure you let your Realtor know that.”
I looked away when Alex grinned, his dimple flashing.
“So, Rosalind Franklin.”
Glancing back at him, I raised a brow at the change of topic.
“Did you still want to do our LIVE?” he asked.
“Oh.” I frowned, blinking rapidly. I glanced quickly about the panadería while my mind whirled. Returning my gaze to his, I raised a palm. “No, not really.”
Alex chuckled. “That’s fair. Your followers forced the idea on you anyway. Plus, things have changed, and your online life has suddenly collided with your real life.”
“Exactly! I had good reason for my panic attack the other night. What are the odds, though, that we would both know Caitlin?” A new thought occurred to me and I gasped. “Did you tell her that we know each other? Or know a version of each other?”
He shook his head. “I figured if you wanted her to know, you would have told her yourself.” His brows pulled low. “Why didn’t you tell her, Sofia?”
A long exhale whooshed from my lungs, and I shifted in my chair. “I haven’t told anyone about the Matildas.”
“No one?” When I pressed my lips together, he frowned. “Why not?”
That was hard to explain. And while it was easy to chat with Alex, I wasn’t sure I wanted to reveal this to him. Was it fair to explain my thoughts about the topic to a near stranger when I hadn’t even explained them to my best friend?
Toying with the pieces of pastry, I lifted a shoulder. “Caitlin has her own brand…and you know how busy she is. And I don’t want her to feel like she has to give me tips to grow my account. I don’t want her to feel obligated to share or promote my content just because we’re friends.”
Alex’s lips flattened. “Caitlin doesn’t strike me as someone who would offer to do those things unless she really wanted to.”
“Yes, well,” I began, scowling at the mess of crumbs before me. “Our content is nothing alike, and I don’t want her to feel compelled to do it. And frankly—” I snapped my mouth closed when I realized what I had almost shared.
He leaned across the table. “Frankly what?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I think it does, though.” Alex stared at me, but when I didn’t speak for several more seconds, he sighed.
“You obviously don’t have to tell me anything, but I find it incredibly surprising that I’m the only person in your real life who knows about your series.
It’s phenomenal, Sofia. I can’t believe you haven’t told anyone. I recommend it to everyone.”
“You do?” I whispered, my head swimming as if I’d taken a shot of tequila.
“Really.” Alex pulled out his phone and scrolled, a huff of laughter falling from his lips.
“I made an offhand comment to my sister about not having to worry about subway noise during our phone calls anymore, and she mentioned it was a twentieth-century woman innovator who devised a way to limit noise from elevated railway systems. She was floored when I told her, ‘Yeah, Mary Walton.’ ”
I grinned. “I bet that felt good.”
“It did.” Alex smirked. “My younger sister—Camila—is a structural engineer and constantly deals with bullshit from her male coworkers or supervisors, so she’s protective of the women pioneers in the field. The fact I knew Mary Walton impressed her.”
“Camila sounds like a badass,” I whispered.
I couldn’t imagine working in a male-dominated field where I constantly had to remind my peers that I deserved a seat at the table, especially as a woman of color.
The amount of racism and misogyny Camila had probably dealt with was frustrating and not at all surprising.
“She is. I’m immensely proud of her.” Alex’s cheeks flared on a noisy exhale. “I also worry for her constantly. Camila often charges into situations, lighter lit and ready to burn things to the ground, when sometimes all that’s needed is a few sweet words and a common sense suggestion.”
“I feel like you excel at sweet words and common sense.”
The sentence was out of my mouth before I had an opportunity to consider what I was saying. I focused on the stack of pastries in front of me as if my life depended on what I selected next. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alex studying me, no doubt wondering how he should take my claim.
“Sweet words can be a dime a dozen, but common sense seems harder and harder to come by these days.” His words were casual, but when I looked, there was a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks.
“You mentioned you have another sister. Is she younger than you as well?”
“Elena is older. I’m stuck right in the middle of two sisters,” Alex said, feigning a full-body shiver.
“But again, you were the only boy in a Latino family.” I scoffed. “I bet your parents treated you like a little prince. El jefe.”
“No,” he objected, his scowl fierce. I propped my chin into my hand and stared at him, my brows raised. After a moment, Alex rolled his eyes. “Okay, maybe a bit.”
My laugh was a tad too long and a tad too loud. Thankfully, Alex was a good sport because he simply crossed his arms and watched me, his lips trembling over a smile.
“I have an older brother who can do no wrong in my parents’ eyes.
And to be fair, Javi is pretty great.” I ticked off my brother’s accomplishments on my fingers.
“Was a star on the baseball team, graduated in the top one percent of his class, went to an elite school, and is now working as a pediatric cardiologist resident in Chicago. He and his wife, Olivia, are cool as hell, and I enjoy spending time with them. All of that doesn’t take away from the fact that Javi is adored, and when he comes to visit, oof, my parents roll out the red carpet. ”
Javi and Olivia were supposed to spend Christmas in Tucson this year, and I was looking forward to seeing them. But the holidays seemed so far away.