Page 15 of The Overdue Kiss

“I will, when she gives me a second to?—‍”

“Maya, are you listening?” Mamá cuts in.

“Yes. Julia was just telling me to say hi for her.”

“Aww, that sweet girl. Bring her with you when you visit next so she can have one of my home-cooked meals. She was too skinny the last time I saw her.”

“Mami,” I admonish. It doesn’t matter how many times I remind her how taboo it is to comment on someone’s weight, she still can’t help herself.

“My words only come from love.”

I shake my head at her despite the fact she can’t see it.

“I know. Now that you know I’m alive and well, please call off the familia phone tree. I have to be at the school early and can’t have them buzzing me all night long.”

“Yes, I’ll do that now.”

“Gracias, Mami. I’ll see you soon.”

“Te amo, mija.”

“I love you too, Mami,” I say and hang up. I lean into the couch cushions and wait for my phone to stop vibrating.

Julia places her plate on the coffee table and squeezes in close to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

“You seem stressed. Want to organize my books? I know it calms you for some reason,” she suggests.

“Maybe.” I stare at the ceiling and wonder how far I’d have to move away to escape my family’s suffocation. Alaska? The moon?

“Don’t be mad at them. Some people would kill to have a loving family like them. And when I say ‘some people,’ I mean me.”

“They would adopt you in a heartbeat. Speaking of which, do you want to drive to Denver this weekend for my Mamá’s birthday?”

“This weekend?” She sits up and opens the calendar app on her phone. “Oh, gosh, I can’t. Lisa, one of the other teachers, asked me to help her cut out some activities for her kindergarten class.”

I sigh. “I guess I’ll have to go alone. Again.”

“I mean, I could cancel . . .”

“No, no, I’m just whining. I can handle it. It’s just the usual drama. Last time, they tried to convince me to call Felipe and work through our differences. I think they missed all the Denver Dragons hockey games he snuck them into.”

She tilts her head, her eyes softening. “Doyoumiss him?”

“I can say with confidence that I absolutely do not. Taking time for myself to heal has been very therapeutic. I refuse to waste even another minute or teardrop on him. I just wish I didn’t hear him piped through the radio when I order a cup of coffee or get a dental cleaning.”

“I’m glad you’ve finally moved on. It gutted me knowing you were so brokenhearted over that jerk and that I couldn’t do anything to help you feel better.”

I squeeze her hand. “But you did. You called and listened to me on the hardest days. You’re a good friend.”

“Good friend?Pfft.I’m your best friend.” She winks.

“Yes, you are. And you sent a lot of new books for me to read too. You’ve really helped my yearly statistics.”

“Not that you—‍” Julia sucks in a breath and blinks at me. “Put a pin in that because you just gave me the best idea.”

“Do I even want to know?” Based on the crazed look in her eye, I’m betting no.

“What if you asked Desmond to go with you this weekend? Don’t give me that face.”

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