Page 101 of A Dish Best Served Hot

He grimaced. “I love you too,” he mumbled under his breath. A moment later he spoke again using his normal voice. “When are you going to bring my favorite little person to see me?”

It was Saint’s turn to grimace. “I don’t think it’s a good idea until you look a little better. Seeing you like this with all these machines might scare her even more.”

He settled back into the pillows. “How is she?”

“Not good. She’s pretty much stopped talking completely. She sleeps in my bed every night and wakes up crying multiple times. I’ve had to start using the bathroom with the door cracked while also talking or singing and I have to take ninety-second showers while she’s sleeping, because she wants to be with me at all times. The only way I got her to leave my side today was to physically hand her off to Liam.”

“Liam?” Leo’s voice was smoothing out, signaling the beginnings of the drug’s effects.

“Yeah. She clings to him like Saran Wrap whenever I’m not around. I think his size makes her feel safe.”

Leo yawned. “And he’s basically mute too.”

“Inappropriate.”

“You’re right. Sorry.”

“Anyway, Rosie’s going to therapy twice a week, so hopefully we see some improvements soon.”

“I hope so, because I’m not trying to listen to you sing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ every time you have to take a shit.” Leo blinked multiple times in a row.

It had been decided that upon his release from the hospital, Leo was going to stay with Saint since he couldn’t stay alone and he refused to stay with anyone else who had the space for him. Saint couldn’t exactly say he was looking forward to it. Leo had already proven himself to be a horrible patient, but he wanted to be the one to take care of him regardless. Maybe then this ball of guilt in his gut (justified or not) would dissolve.

“I’ll leave any singing to you,” he told his brother. He was surprised when his words seemed to cause Leo to pause. Singing had always come naturally to Leo. It had always been something he just did, singing since before he could even talk. All the worries the doctors had about Leo’s underdeveloped lungs were a nonissue as soon as he’d begun belting out notes while listening to the boleros their abuela liked.

Before Saint could ask him what was going on, Leo said the one thing that could distract him. “Lola came to visit me yesterday,” he forced out around another yawn.

“What? Why?”

“Because apparently you both have delusions of grandeur and like to think that you’re responsible for the actions of others.”

She’d come to apologize to his brother. “What did she say?”

“She said she was sorry that I was caught in the cross fire because she didn’t take the threat seriously.”

“You told her something similar to what you said to me?” He hoped Leo had least used more metaphors and fewerfuck offs.

“I told her that they would’ve come for her regardless and I’m just glad I was there to help her distract one guy while she took down the other.”

“Wait. What?”

Leo looked at him in confusion. “Has no one told you?”

“Told me what?”

“Bro, your girl is like an action movie character. After I jumped at the first guy, she disarmed the other guy and beat his ass in the space of a minute. If she hadn’t been so careful because of Rosie and the viejos being around, she probably could’ve taken both dudes out by herself.” He took in Saint’s face. “If you don’t believe me, watch the video.”

“There’s a video?”

“Of course there’s a video. Our building has at least three cameras back there, more if you include the Ring ones at the doors. Ask Cristian. I’m sure they pulled them for the investigation.” Then Leo closed his eyes and finally fell asleep.

He wanted to, but he failed to see what difference it would make. His relationship with Lola was done either way. She simply didn’t love him. She cared deeply about him—that he didn’t deny at all. He knew that she cared deeply about Rosie too and even the other members of his family. Lola cared about many people and the many things that affected them, but that was as far as she was willing to go.

He couldn’t blame her, not really. All her life she’d had to count on herself to fulfill her emotional needs, so that’s what she did. She didn’t trust anyone else to love and support her and that mistrust caused her to keep everyone at a distance.

It was like having a neighbor who was super friendly when he ran into them outside. They waved at him and stopped to chat. They would talk, laugh, and share stories. They would even offer help with his car or advice about his garden. He invited them over to his house for cookouts or to watch the game, and they came and enjoyed themselves. He could almost think he and his neighbor were friends except they never once invited him into their house. In fact, all of the windows were blocked with thick curtains, they had security cameras all over the place, and their fence was six feet high with a hidden gate. As if once they entered their home, everything and everyone else ceased to exist.

That’s what loving Lola León was like. She was never going to let him into her inner sanctum no matter how much he wanted to be there and tried to prove that he was worth the risk.

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