Page 125 of Along Came Amor
Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?
I can say whatever I want to anybody.
I’m just telling the truth—
In the middle of it, Willow mouthed a teary “thank you” to Ava and slipped away.
Ava stood her ground, Esperanza’s angry words crashing against her like waves battering a cliff in a storm. Ava didn’t argue, she didn’t talk back, but nor did she back down.
And for once, her grandmother’s criticism didn’t touch her.
Instead, she recalled her high school graduation party.
Her grandmother had pressed a hundred dollar bill into her hands and given her a tight hug.
We were so worried you were going to do something foolish, like major in drama, Abuela had said.
It had been a dig at Jasmine, who’d been standing right next to Ava. Everyone had known Jasmine’s dream school was Juilliard.
Ava had accepted the money and murmured,That wouldn’t have been practical, but the words had pricked like daggers on her tongue, because deep down, she’dwishedshe had Jasmine’s courage.
Her whole life, this was what Ava had been trying to protect herself from. She’d twisted herself into knots to avoid her grandmother’s ire.
And where the fuck had it gotten her?
Nowhere. Her grandma was an angry old woman, and no amount of outward perfection would change that.
“Bwela.” Ava broke into the tirade and leaned down to kiss Esperanza’s cheek. “Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?”
Esperanza blinked, and her face cleared. Maybe she sensed this for the olive branch it was, or maybe she was just winding down, because she nodded and returned Ava’s kiss. “Sí, nena. Pero not too sweet, tú sabes? My blood sugar.”
“I know.” Ava carried the pitchers she’d abandoned over to the beverage table and began to fix a cup of coffee when Titi Val joined her.
“Hi mamita.” Titi Val rubbed Ava’s back between her shoulder blades. “What was the old lady lambasting you for this time?”
Ava huffed out a laugh and felt some of the tension in her body ease. “You saw that, huh?”
“Sure did.”
Of all of Ava’s aunts, Titi Val was the one Ava had always felt closest to. Maybe it was because Val was Ava’s godmother and best friends with Patricia, or maybe it was because Ava had slept over at her and Uncle Dom’s house countless times. Ava still had a set of keys, which was how she’d discovered that Michelle and Gabe were hooking up last year. Make no mistake, Valentina Rodriguez Amato was as big a gossip as they came, but Ava would never forget the way Titi Val had stood up to Esperanza after the announcement of Ava’s divorce.
“She said something mean to Willow about her outfit,” Ava explained. “I told her not to do that.”
“Ah. That went over well, I see.” Val’s eyebrow quirked. “Mami can be a bitch, but we all love her anyway.”
Ava’s hands slowed as she stirred sugar substitute into her grandmother’s coffee. Her aunt was right. Esperanza was controlling and difficult at times, but they still loved her.
What if—
“You’ve been doing a lot to help with this wedding,” Val observed. “Don’t overdo it, okay? Ask for help.”
“I will,” Ava replied automatically.
But her aunt’s smile was knowing. “No, you won’t. Here, I’ll bring the vieja her coffee. Why don’t you pour yourself a mimosa and take a minute to yourself before this shindig really gets going?”
Ava gave her aunt a grateful smile and took her advice. She was just finishing her drink when the door to the suite opened and a raucous cry went up—the sound of half a dozen Puerto Rican women exclaiming over the real life telenovela actor in their midst.
Michelle came up to Ava and rolled her eyes. “You’d think they’d be used to him by now.”
