Chapter 29 - Cat
Cat
“?Hola, mi amor! Dios, it smells delicious in here.”
Carmen’s voice drifts through the apartment, and my lips instantly tug up.
I check the time on the slow cooker and then peer into the oven where the roast is basking in the heat, its skin bubbling as it turns crispy.
I wipe my hands on my apron and reach for the glass of wine on the counter when she and Mary enter the kitchen.
“?En serio, Kitty Cat? Pernil? You are trying to make me fat.”
“Not trying, hermosa.”
“Hey!”
Mary lets out a soft chuckle and reaches for a fresh glass behind me.
I grab her wrist midair and tug her softly toward me so that my lips brush hers in a fleeting kiss.
Carmen instantly rolls her eyes, but I can see the twinkle in them.
For now, at least. Mary blushes while she hands me a fine bottle of Argentinian Malbec, and I reach for the corkscrew.
“Good choice, Car,” I mumble as I open it up.
I’ve always appreciated that in her. She might not have the biggest paycheck, but she never skimps on her gifts.
They are always thoughtful and of high quality.
Few people know that side of her. She is often seen as whimsical and hyperactive, but Carmen has a soul that runs deep.
She sees things others miss, and I think that’s beautiful.
“Gracias,” she quips back and peers into the oven like I did only moments ago.
“Are we having be—”
The doorbell interrupts her, and Mary instantly hops toward the door.
I can’t help but softly shake my head. Mi conejita, my little bunny.
Carmen watches her go, too, that same soft look in her eyes that she had at the fundraiser.
Something in me bristles at her eyes on my girl, but another part feels… seen.
“Dios, Cat, she really is something else.”
“Careful, Carmen. I would almost think you have a crush on her.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” She turns toward me and grins.
I squint my eyes, knowing perfectly well she is teasing but also knowing that there is more to it than she’d ever want to admit.
It’s not that she has a crush on Mary, but she sees what we have, and I get the feeling it makes her a bit lonely.
For someone with such a big mouth on them, she is surprisingly timid when it comes to approaching possible love interests. But I guess that’s where I come in.
“Joke all you want,” I say, slowly raising a single eyebrow, “but I know you have your eye on somebody else.”
Her pupils enlarge, and she pulls back a bit before regaining her composure and putting on her brave face.
“Oh? Then you know more than me.”
“Mm-hm,” I hum in reply and turn to get the pork out of the oven.
“Hiiii.”
Riley’s light voice fills the kitchen with an audacity that is borderline invasive for a first visit, but, for some reason, I smile anyway. Maybe it is because her free spirit reminds me of Mary’s.
“Doctor Durand,” Celeste’s clipped voice follows.
Before I can address it, Mary already hums.
“Cat, you can call her Cat. Right, babe?”
I huff quietly, closing my eyes briefly as I shake my head in amusement.
“Yes, outside of the OR, call me Cat, please.”
“Cat,” Celeste acknowledges with a soft nod, and Carmen raises an eyebrow.
“Well, okay then,” she quips. “Are the ice queens continuing their standoff all night, or can we please, please, please get to that delicious-smelling dinner?”
I whip my head to the side, ready to berate her, when both Riley and Mary let out a loud laugh and nod ferociously. My mouth gapes as I am stunned by the temporary coup that is taking place in my own home until Mary wraps her arms around my waist and presses her lips against my cheek.
“Are you done?” she whispers playfully as she nuzzles my neck, and I grumble in reply.
This only makes her chuckle more and press her lips against my skin before stepping back and gesturing at the round dining table.
“Please, please, sit. Carmen, you have a drink, yes?” She lifts her glass in response, and Mary smiles. “Good. Riley, Celeste, what can I get you? Would you like to join us with some red?”
“Oh, that would be lovely. Baby, did you bring in the liquor?”
Celeste reaches for her tote and pulls out a bottle of Baileys, holding the neck effortlessly between her nimble fingers.
Surgeon hands, as my mother would say. People with long fingers either end up playing the piano or cutting people open.
I guess she is right about that. Celeste hands the bottle over to Mary, who accepts it gracefully, an amused frown on her face.
“That’s your drink of choice, right?”
For the first time since we met, Celeste’s voice carries something warm, uncertain almost, as her eyes lift from the bottle toward Mary’s. A part of me recognizes it, and I feel she is a lot more like me than I might care to admit.
“Ye—yes, but how did you…”
“At the fundraiser, you swapped the champagne out for this.”
I blink. When did that happen, and why did I not notice?
“You don’t like champagne?” I say more than I ask, but she shrugs regardless and looks at me sheepishly.
“Too much of it makes me feel queasy, and I don’t really like the bubbles.”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
“I only grabbed it because I thought you’d like it.”
“Really?”
“Claro que sí,” Carmen interjects before I can reply. “She prefers rum-based cocktails, like a true Cuban descendant.”
I roll my eyes at her and shake my head.
“I prefer Sazeracs, actually, but Old Fashioneds usually will have to do.”
“Oh.” Celeste sounds surprised. “Didn’t peg you for an absinthe girl.”
I don’t even know why I’m surprised that she is familiar with the obscure, but I find myself liking that she does.
“What is your pick?”
“Pornstar Martini,” she answers without missing a beat. “There is just something about passion-fruit-flavored foam that I like.”
Riley’s instant giggle gives away that there is an inside innuendo that the rest of us miss, but none of us press the matter. Not even Carmen.
“What about you, C?” Mary asks like she can already sense the upcoming brattiness in my best friend and knows how to rein it in.
“Cuba Libre, of course,” she beams proudly, and I snort.
“A Jack and Coke is not the same as a Cuba Libre, hermana.”
“Kindly, fuck off.”
I grin and let my eyes find Riley’s.
“What about you? And please don’t tell me it’s a Doctor.”
My eyebrow bounces up as I glance quickly at Celeste, who is smirking in amusement. Riley just frowns and shakes her head.
“That’s a cocktail?”
“Oui, ma chérie,” Celeste purrs, her gaze full of warmth now, and Riley blushes. “But one from the early nineteenth century. It has a lot of rum and punch.”
“Oh! Yeah, no…” Riley smiles at Cat. “I’m just a simple girl. A G&T will do it for me. Nothing too sweet.”
Mary’s lips tick up, but she doesn’t respond. Instead, she looks at the bottle in her hands again.
“Thank you, girls. It will go great with dessert.”
“Oh, what are we having for dessert?” Carmen instantly interjects.
“Well, I…”
“Mary tried to make flan—” I start, and she cuts a look at me.
“Oh, yum,” Carmen beams, completely oblivious.
“So we are having baked plantains.”
“Wait… wha—”
Carmen freezes, and her eyes dart to Mary, whose face is so red she could stop a car.
“Oh, my,” Celeste hums, and Riley bursts into laughter.
“Well, at least you tried, right?” she says in between hiccups, and she brings her hand up to Mary’s shoulder in a supportive gesture.
“Hmm, yeah,” Mary says, now chuckling a little through her embarrassment.
“And next time, she’ll succeed. Right, amor?”
“Sí,” she replies instantly, and I couldn’t be prouder.
“Sí.”
“Yo, Mary, not to be rude or anything, but you added one plate too many.”
Carmen’s attention has already shifted, and the rest of us feel the jerk of trying to keep up. We all stare at the table, where six plates are set.
“Oh, that,” Mary smiles. “No, we are still expecting someone.”
Only five minutes or so have passed when that someone rings the bell.
Mary’s blue eyes instantly meet mine, and she holds my gaze for a beat.
I nod softly, and she moves to open the door.
Carmen and Riley are chatting about some new action movie that is about to come out, but Celeste’s eyes follow my girlfriend before they land back on me.
Her face carries a puzzled expression, but when I smirk slightly, it quickly turns into amusement. I start to like her even more.
“Buenas noches, Doctora. Gracias por la invitación,” Isa says as she steps toward me holding a small box.
On the other side of the room, Carmen goes really quiet. I glance over to see her gaze completely transfixed on the Fellow, her eyes wide. Is she holding her breath?
“De nada, Isa. Please feel welcome,” I answer, returning my attention to her and accepting her gift.
The box feels light but sturdy. The thicker kind of cardboard that you get in specialty shops.
My fingers brush the lace ribbon, and my eyes fall on the golden logo of River Sea.
I’ve heard about this chocolatier before.
They are located somewhere in Chantilly, one town over, but are definitely worth the drive.
Their aim to provide sustainable and ethically sourced products only increases my appreciation.
“Thank you,” I say, my eyes still on the box.
“Wow, that’s so thoughtful, Isa. We will enjoy those after dinner,” Mary says warmly and puts her hand on Isa’s arm.
Something in my chest opens and fills with warmth. I wasn’t expecting any of this thoughtfulness when Mary mentioned a Friday night dinner. If anything, I expected the opposite. Except from Carmen. But all of these people pleasantly surprise me, and that… that is a feeling I want to get used to.
“Please, sit,” I croak, slightly humbled, and hasten to put the chocolates away.
I don’t even think about asking her if she wants wine.
I just pour her a generous glass. When I turn back around, I see her slide into the seat next to Carmen, who has her eyes on the table and is biting her lip.
Isa’s lips tick up in an amused smirk, but it’s gone so fast that I doubt anyone else saw it.
They don’t need to, but I am glad that I did.
It tells me everything I need and want to know.
There is a real chance there for my sister.
“So, Isa, how are you adapting?” Mary asks, almost as if she can read my mind. “I know it can be challenging moving to another city.”
“Oh, for sure, but I’m an army brat. I’m used to it.”
“Wow, that must have been horrible as a kid,” Riley mumbles, but Isa just shakes her head.
“Not really. I learned there are great people everywhere. You just have to find them.”
Carmen glances up at her, her eyes a little darker than usual and her complexion a bit more pink. She fidgets with her fingers. Dios, I can’t remember the last time I saw her this nervous.
“Do you think you have found them here?”
Her voice is so thin that I can’t help but raise my eyebrows in surprise. She is more smitten than I had thought, and that could become a problem if…
“Claro que sí,” Isa smiles warmly at her as she places her hand over Carmen’s. “Would I be here if I didn’t?”
Mary locks eyes with me, and I know she is fighting every single urge to scream at what is happening.
My stomach flutters with anticipation for them, too, when Carmen’s smile spreads and opens up her whole face.
Where most women would get shy at this point, she takes it in the opposite direction.
Isa just handed her the reins, and, if anything, mi hermana likes to be in charge.
“Have you seen much of the city yet? There is this really cute Cuban bar that Cat and I go to for dancing. Are you into dancing?”
Isa’s expression doesn’t change. She just studies Carmen, who is now staring at her expectantly. The surgeon doesn’t rush but takes in the moment before she speaks.
“Yes.”
Somehow, she makes that single vowel sound warm and welcoming.
Carmen beams up at her, her eyes gleaming.
It tugs at my heart, and I strongly like how Isa keeps her gaze on my best friend.
The attraction is palpable, and she isn’t shying away from her.
This is good. This might be more than good.
It makes Carmen glow, and that is worth everything.
“Can I take you there?”
This time, there is no wait, just a small pleased smile.
“Yes.”
Carmen flushes again, but this time it comes with a huge smile. When I put the roast on the table, she barely even glances up.
“Who’s hungry?” I taunt, and both Mary and Riley let out a chuckle.
“I can eat,” Celeste hums, oblivious, and they chuckle even more.
It is going to be a gorgeous evening.