19. Deck
Chapter nineteen
Deck
I pulled my truck into the parking lot in front of the Center and killed the engine. My fingers gripped the steering wheel as I stared at the toolbox resting on the passenger seat. I’d drag my ass into the building soon enough, but first, I needed a minute.
My older sisters and my brother Raymond had gone to the Center regularly as kids.
So had Marisol once she was medically allowed.
I’d always been too cool for it. I still knew Rosa from the neighborhood, and she and Mamá had grown closer since I got locked up, but the building itself was mostly a mystery.
There were snippets of connection, though. The front steps where I’d sat with Cori while she talked to me about school. The bike rack where Eliazar used to lock up his old BMX. The massive parking lot where Pop taught me to drive a stick shift.
The Center was part of the collective memory of all the kids who grew up around here.
Whether you attended there your whole life or only went to play baseball or go to summer camp, you knew about it.
At the very least, you knew other kids who went.
This stayed true even as the outskirts of the neighborhood gentrified.
Unlike the McDonald’s that turned into a fancy hot pot restaurant, and the old apartments they tore down to build boxy condo buildings, the Center had stood for generations.
That was why I’d agreed when Cori texted last week and asked me to help fix it up.
Her messages had been short and to the point.
She’d spoken to Marisol and hoped I could do some free building repairs while she helped Rosa sort out the place’s finances.
After talking with my sister, I got more details about what was going on.
I’d known about Lupe’s illness from Mamá, but Rosa had done a great job concealing the Center’s money troubles.
Initially, I thought maybe Juan could do the work. But when I asked him, he reminded me of the conversation we had at Tubby’s, telling me again I needed to stop avoiding Cori.
“You need to clear the air with her, hermano ,” Juan had said. “It’s not just about repairing the drywall.” Pointing to his head, he added, “You need to fix up here.”
“I know. It’s just… Sometimes it’s hard to know how we even got to this place.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets.
“ Amigo , you know I have so much love for you, so I’m telling you this as your friend because I’m tired of having the same conversation. You need to move on. Figure this out. You’re so stuck blaming yourself for the past that you’ve barely been living since you got out.”
I glanced sideways at him. “That’s not true. I have our business. My house.”
“A business you let me make all the big decisions on. We’re supposed to be partners, and you act like I’m gonna walk if you don’t agree with me on everything. And you still haven’t unpacked those boxes in your house. You get up, work, go home. You’re still living like you’re in a cage—”
“ Bien. Bastante .” I dug my fingernails into my palms. “I know.”
Juan put his hand on my shoulder. “You’re allowed to have a life, Deck. Go to the Center. Spend some time with Cori. See that she’s alright. Maybe get to know her again as grown-ups. Your baby sister, too. And do something good for the neighborhood while you’re at it.”
He was right. I’d been keeping myself from having to face her recovery. Her resilience. To admit it might be okay for both of us to move on.
I exhaled and got out of the truck. At the glass-walled entrance, I hit the button, and Marisol let me in.
“So good to see you, big brother.” She came around and gave me a hug, always holding on a little longer than anyone else did.
“Thanks, squirt.” I held up my toolbox as I glanced around the brightly decorated atrium. “Where should I start? I want to make a list of everything you need, but I’m hoping to knock some easy things out today.”
She laughed. “Glad to see you’re all business.
Chuck should be here in about ten minutes, and he can take you on a walk-through.
For now, why don’t you head into the office—last door at the end of the second hallway—and check in with Cori.
” A vibrating sensation bubbled under my skin.
Despite my decision to stop actively staying away from her, I hadn’t expected to face Cori five minutes after getting out of my truck.
My hesitation must have shown on my face because Marisol added, “Deck, you need to rip the Band-Aid off. It won't help anyone if you two are awkward around each other. Go say hi. That’s all you need to do. Geesh.”
My annoying baby sister had a point. No time like the present. Heading to the hallway, I tried to act cool. Inside, my gut churned.
At the open office door, I saw Cori hunched over a laptop on the desk, humming confidently as she looked down at the screen and made notes on a yellow legal pad.
I knocked on the doorframe.
Her eyes lifted, and I swallowed down my instant reaction to her sky-blue gaze.
She was so beautiful.
Memories flooded my mind. So many times in the past we’d locked eyes like this. Sitting next to her on the couch laughing at a movie, or across Mamá’s table as she helped me with schoolwork. Moments when I’d felt everything and said nothing.
I wasn’t sure what to say now. I’d behaved badly since she’d shown up on my doorstep, and I needed to reverse course.
The last time I’d seen her, at the hospital with Johnny, our parting had been strained, with me declaring again that we should limit any non-essential contact. I didn’t know how to dive into being friendlier . My only actual plan was to not be a dick.
Then I remembered the hospital had given us a bit of a roadmap, even if it was for show.
“Hey, wife,” I deadpanned.
She startled, head snapping back slightly. When I didn’t say anything else, a hint of a smile appeared on her face.
“Yikes. Did Artie Decker just make a joke?”
I shrugged, attempting to return the smile.
“Marisol told me to let you know I was here and ready to work. Chuck can take me around when he gets in. That will give me an idea of what equipment I need to bring next time and how long everything will take. And the weather’s good today, so if there’s stuff outside that needs doing, I might start there… ”
Shifting my weight from one foot to the other, I glanced away briefly before meeting those azure eyes again.
Her brows furrowed. “The weather…”
“Uh-huh. Checked my app in the car. Should stay clear all morning.”
“Well, then…I guess that’s…a smart plan.”
I tugged my collar. “So I’ll circle back around with you to go over everything and come up with a repair list once Chuck and I talk?”
Cori stared at me. “It’ll be good to know exactly what’s needed,” she finally replied, voice stilted.
“Really, really good,” I agreed, trying for enthusiasm, but my high-pitched voice and wide eyes might have tipped into crazy territory. ? Mierda ! Why was it so hard to talk to her like a normal person?
Her expression narrowed. “Alright, Deck, what’s going on?”
“What?”
“You know what. You only talked to me under duress last time I saw you, making a big deal about boundaries , and now it’s like you’ve been body snatched.” She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest.
I inhaled, taking a few strides closer to the desk.
“Look, Cori,” I spoke hesitantly. “I thought a lot about it since we last talked, and… I’m sorry.
For a lot of things, but especially for not telling you I was back in town.
” Her eyes shot lasers at me, but I forced myself not to retreat.
“I’m working through some shit… but we have a lot of history, not to mention people in common, and I realized that my avoiding you can’t be our new normal.
Neither can barely speaking. So I’m trying here. ”
“Just like that?”
“Not just like that. I told you I’ve been thinking about it. A lot.” I tilted my head from side to side before rolling my shoulders. “I want us to be able to be in the same room together.”
She sat up straight. “Obviously, I want that too, Deck. It’s just a total one-eighty from how you were a week ago.
” She shook her head, putting her hands against the edge of the desk before rolling her chair back a few feet.
“You know what? Never mind. I’m too busy to overthink this.
I’ll take this realization of yours no matter how it happened.
” She steepled her fingers together. “I accept your apology. And I think it would be great for you to talk to Chuck and then let me know the plan for repairs.”
I nodded as a low cracking sound split the air.
That was all the warning Cori got before the two back casters of her chair disconnected from the bottom, causing it to tilt backward.
Her arms flailed as she tried—and failed—to grab the desk.
Racing to her side, I caught her elbow before she could fall, pulling her up against me as the chair toppled over with a crash.
In the stunned silence that followed, she let out a whoosh of air, and I felt the heat where her palm rested against my chest.
“Well, that was exciting.” She chuffed nervously. “Can you please add fix office chair to your list?”
I pushed back a strand of red-gold hair that had fallen across her face. “You okay?” I asked softly.
“Mm-hmm.” She pressed her fingers lightly against my T-shirt before stepping back as I released her.
Cori pulled out a folding chair from next to a filing cabinet and set it up behind the desk, pushing the broken one to the side.
I kneeled to glance at it, quickly diagnosing that the casters were bent beyond repair.
On the bright side, the almost-fall seemed to have distracted her from asking more questions about my change of heart.
I stepped toward the hallway. “I’ll see about new casters for your chair.”
“Thank you.” She looked back down at the papers on the desk, mumbling under her breath, “You may turn out to be an okay husband after all.”