Page 62 of Spark
Not having the energy to argue, I nod. I haven’t slept in days, and eating seems more hassle than it's worth.
She walks across the room and slips into the chair next to me. Taking my hand, her voice softens. “Tell me what happened.”
"Cam didn't tell you?" I tilt my head, finding it difficult to believe Aileene didn’t have the low-down seconds after Cam found out.
“He did, but I want to hear it from you.” She pats my hand in the motherly way our own mother never figured out how to do, and I deflate.
Tugging my hand from her grasp, I cover my face. Maybe if my sister can’t see my expression, she won’t notice that I’mthiiiisclose to nosediving into shambles. “I bought Mateo a mattress, paid off his hospital bills, and made a payment or two on his loan.”
The soothing circles she’s been tracing on my back cease, and she smacks me upside the back of my head.
“Ouch!” I rub at the sting and glare. “What’d you do that for?”
“For being a dumbass.”
Even though she’s right, I pout and push away from the conference table. “Maybe I should have talked to him about the bills, but he wouldn’t have accepted my help.”
"And knowing this, you decided it was a good idea to pay those bills anyway?" Somehow her admonishment carries a hint of comfort. Leave it to Aileene to be a dichotomy.
Gazing out the window, the Philadelphia skyline taunts me as I choke back the emotion I’ve been suppressing since I stepped into work. As the leader of this company, I can’t let the mess of my personal life affect our day-to-day operations or our employees. Which is why I’ve been here for the last two days instead of holed up under the covers in my bed, drinking in the last remaining scent of Mateo still lingering on my sheets. "I didn't think he'd getthisupset.”
Aileene’s sigh is full of recrimination. “Do you understandwhyhe’s upset?”
Keeping my eyes glued to the skyline because it beats whatever look my sister is shooting at me, I lift a shoulder and trace my thumb along the wooden letters of the key chain in my pocket. Mateo made the most thoughtful gift I've ever received, so instead of telling him I loved him, I said I loved the key chain. Had I known then our time was limited, I would have taken the chance and said the words. Not that it would have changed things, but at least he would have known the full extent of my feelings. "He's obstinate and refuses to take help from anyone?"
“There may be some of that, but you were wrong to do what you did.”
“Iwas wrong?” I spin on my heel to face my sister, my tone as tense as my expression. “How is it wrong to make someone’s life easier? To pamper the person you care about?" I gesture around the room. The chairs at the conference table are ergonomic and comfortable. The assortment of coffee pods would put any coffee shop to shame, and the room is bright with framed photos of employees at work and at play. "We do it every day with our employees and their families. Why wouldn't I do the same for the man I love?" My chest heaves, and I clench my teeth to keep from screaming.
Aileene’s eyes are round rings of astonishment. I’m not one to raise my voice, especially at Aileene. Cam, maybe, because he does stupid shit and just laughs off my irritation. But Aileene is thoughtful and deliberate. Before I can form the words to apologize, my sister claps her hands together and sinks back into the chair. “I knew it.” A smug smile slides along her lips. “I told Cam you were in love with Mateo.”
“Wh-What?” I pluck the word from my suddenly parched throat while I rewind what I just said.
Aileen jumps from her seat and squeezes my waist, keeping me connected to the here and now. “I knew Mateo wasn’t your typical, date-until-I-get-bored guy. I’m so happy for you.”
Resting my chin on top of her strawberry-blond head, I try to calm my overactive pulse and my careening thoughts. “I can’t believe I told you before I told him.” Pulling her closer, I squeeze my eyes shut and sniffle. “And now I’ve lost the chance.”
“Dramatic much?”
At Aileene’s playful sarcasm, I open my eyes and pull away so I can see her. “You didn’t see him. Didn’t hear him. He was…”
Looping her arm through mine, Aileene maneuvers me to a chair and pushes me down. “Of course he was pissed. Remember how furious you were when Mom paid off your first house?”
“That’s because she has no clue. It’s not like I couldn’t afford the payments. She went behind my back and—” I wince and flinch as if a bucket of ice water has been tossed at me. At least ice water would cool down my feverish face. “Shit.”
Aileene pats my knee. “It’ll be all right.”
“No, it won't." I bolt from my seat and pace the length of the conference room. When I swivel to face Aileene again, I practically shout, "I'm Mom." Fisting my hand, I press my knuckles to my forehead, but the pressure does nothing to extinguish the stabbing throbs in it. I punch my thigh and pick up my pacing again. Un-freaking-believable. "How did this happen? How did I become so out of touch?"
Aileene doesn’t respond to my panicked rhetorical questions. Instead, she remains silent as I wear a path in the gray, office-grade carpet and berate myself.
I should have known. I should have seen what I was doing was totally out of line. Why didn’t I see it? “How long have I been this way?”
“First, stop with the back and forth. I feel like I’m watching the worst tennis match ever.” I glare at her but halt my trip to nowhere. Relaxed and seemingly unaffected by my outburst, she folds her hands on the table and speaks like she’s explaining atoms to a group of first-graders. “While Mom may be out of touch, she means well.” Aileene holds up her hand and puts a stop to my protest. "She paid off your house because she knew we were in talks to buy this company, and she didn't want you to be cash strapped. Remember the time I went on vacation and returned to a completely renovated kitchen?"
I grunt. Our mother is out of control. And I’ve turned into her.
“I mentioned to her that I wanted to cook more and was thinking about taking a cake decorating class.” Aileene trails her hands in the air like she’s showcasing the kitchen. "Voila, Mom has my kitchen renovated."
