A Cross-Country Christmas(32)
“I flirted my way into her heart.” He grinned at her, having perfected the art of simultaneously acting totally fine while packing unwanted emotions in a box. He was desperate for the heaviness on his shoulders to lift.
“Let’s go eat our weight in tacos.” He wasn’t about to let this heaviness follow him inside that house.
Joe and Rosa welcomed them into their home loudly, as if they were long-lost, beloved relatives they hadn’t seen in years and not as two people who’d been there less than twenty-four hours ago.
“Coach!” Joe shook Will’s hand and pulled him into a tight hug while Rosa wrapped her arms around Lauren. Rosa introduced Joe to Lauren, so naturally, he drew her into a fatherly bear hug. To her credit, she remained good-natured about the whole exchange.
Will inhaled a deep breath. “It smells amazing in here.”
“A lot better than the diner food we’ve been eating.” Lauren smiled.
“You are going to eat a home-cooked meal tonight! Entra, siéntate, tenemos mucha comida!”
Rosa hung their coats on a hook by the door and ushered everyone into the living room, where Jackson sat in the same spot he’d been in yesterday.
“Coach, they’re gonna ruin Chipotle for you for the rest of your life,” Jackson said.
“That’s true, we are.” Jackson’s dad grinned. “But if anyone deserves Rosa’s authentic tacos, Coach, it’s you. And your beautiful girlfriend, of course.”
“Oh, no, no, she’s not his girlfriend,” Rosa tutted.
“What? Why not?” Joe’s eyes darted to Will. After sizing him up, he said, “She turned you down, eh?” Back to Lauren. “You’re too smart to fall for this bufón, I bet.”
Lauren’s eyes found his, and to his surprise, she granted him a single smile. “I don’t speak Spanish, but I know exactly what that word means,” she laughed.
“Oh, Joe, leave them alone.” Rosa stood at the doorway. “Dinner’s ready, so let’s eat.”
Rosa had made a huge spread, far too much food. Homemade tortillas, street corn, Mexican red rice, carne asada and grilled chicken all made for—hands-down—the best taco he’d ever eaten.
Jackson was up and moving around, already much improved than when they’d first arrived.
Lauren sat quietly, but her demeanor had changed—softened, lightened—even since last night when they were here the first time. He held on to a foolish hope that he was winning her over.
Never mind that he had no idea what he would do if he did.
After dessert—Joe’s homemade pineapple upside down cake, Lauren helped Rosa clear the table, walking the dishes into the kitchen while Joe, Will and Jackson continued their conversation about baseball.
To Lauren, Rosa was an amazing wife, an overly concerned mother—and an even better cook. And while Lauren may never be any of those three, she appreciated it. Admired it.
This is what a family is supposed to be like. She shoved aside the hollowness that had carved a space in her belly.
Rosa filled the sink with water and soap and smiled over at Lauren. “You don’t have to help me with this. You’re our guest.”
“I don’t mind,” Lauren said. “It sure beats talking about baseball.”
Rosa laughed. “Coach Will hasn’t given you his ‘why baseball is the best sport on the planet’ speech?”
Lauren’s eyes widened in horror. “No, thank God, and I hope he never does.”
Rosa was quiet for a long beat. She washed a plate and handed it to Lauren to dry. “Your Will is a really special man.”
“He’s not my Will, remember?” Lauren smiled over at her.
“Oh, right,” Rosa said. “Though the two of you seem so good together.”
As Lauren wiped her towel in circles on a wet dish, she replayed moments over the past several days. But Rosa didn’t let her mind linger there.
“It means a lot that Will is so open with Jackson,” the older woman said, pulling Lauren back to earth. “It can’t be easy for him to watch one of his players repeating his own mistakes.”
Lauren’s ears perked up at this. Rosa was assuming Lauren knew more than she did.
“How so?” she asked lightly.
Rosa looked at her. “Coach doesn’t want Jackson to lose his scholarship, to lose baseball, the way he did.” She studied Lauren for a moment, then looked ashamed. “He never said this was a secret! Ah! Dios mío, should I not have said anything?”
“No, no,” Lauren shook her head quickly as she took another wet dish from Rosa’s dripping hands. “It’s okay, Will and my brother are best friends. I know a lot about his history.”
But not this chapter, apparently.
After that one fateful night during her freshman year of college, the night that split her young existence into ‘before it happened’ and ‘after it happened,’ she’d purposely distanced herself from anything having to do with Will Sinclair. It was surprisingly easy to stop tracking his every move once she’d made up her mind to do it.
After all, Lauren had distanced herself from her own family. She had a lot of practice.
“Oh good,” Rosa sighed relief. “He said he took it so hard when he lost baseball. Did you know him then?”