“Elena-”
Elena grabbed the box from Will, then the hoodie. She held it up against him. “I think it’s the right size.” When he gave her a narrow look, she put it down. “If you decide to go to Glensford college, or anywhere else, I’ll get you a hoodie or shirt for that school. Okay? You get the point I’m trying to make. Don’t let the fear of losing us hold you back. We’ll be here, always.”
She knew there was a lot she had to learn about Will, parts of his life he’d probably always keep to himself. Elena was okay with that.
Will took the hoodie. “Point noted,” he said. Then he reached out to hug her but stopped. It had happened a few times, him stopping to think about hugging or getting close to Elena.
They stood awkwardly in silence until Elena decided they’d learn their new rhythm soon enough. She pointed to the tree. “Thank you for buying it.”
“We can’t celebrate Christmas without a tree,” Will said. There was a knock on the door.
“My dad must have bought so much takeout that he can’t touch the doorknob.”
“Or he forgot his keys.”
Elena walked to the door. “That too-”
Mia stood at the door. She had box of pastries in her hand. Her mom stood beside her, smiling. She carried a box of empanadas.
“Hi,” Elena said. Will looked wide-eyed when she caught his glance. Apparently he knew nothing about this either.
“We had an early Christmas Eve dinner,” Ms. Ortega said. “I’m helping to cater an event tonight, so I thought I’d drop by to say Merry Christmas. We didn’t know Bee’s was closing forever. Your dad gave us the address for your new apartment. Here.”
Mia’s mom held the empanadas out to Elena. Then Mia gave Elena the pastries. She didn’t look in Will’s direction.
“Thank you. Yeah, we’ve been moving quickly. Do you want to come in?”
Ms. Ortega shook her head. “We’re in a hurry, actually. I need to get Mia home before I get to the catering event.” She paused, catching sight of Will. “Tell your dad Merry Christmas.”
“I will,” Elena said. “Thank you.” She looked at Mia. This was her chance. “We have a few romance books if you want them. They’re at Bee’s, but when we finish moving them out next week, you can take them.”
Mia just gave a nod. “Thank you but-”
“Mia would love that,” Ms. Ortega said. “She’ll be there.”
“Mom.”
“Feliz Navidad,” Ms. Ortega said. “Enjoy the food.” She guided Mia away from the door.
“Thank you,” Elena called after them. She was still getting used to their apartment not being on a second floor. Mia and her mom walked straight out into the snow. Elena shut the door, turning to Will.
“I guess we have empanadas and take out,” he said, like Mia hadn’t been standing there. He paused. “I know Mia still hates me, so let’s move on.”
Elena decided she was okay with that. Her dad arrived a few minutes later with Chinese food in tow. They sat on the floor and ate out of the cartons. Andres gorged on the empanadas, until he stuffed himself to the point of sleep. He took the couch in the living room, since his bed hadn’t arrived yet. Elena and Will cleaned up the cartons, standing together in the kitchen.
“Your dad’s doing okay,” Will said. “Better than I thought he would.”
Elena nodded. “So I have a theory, but I don’t want to say anything to him.”
“What’s your theory?” Will asked.
“I think… I think my dad likes Mia’s mom,” Elena said.
“What?” Will looked at the box of Dulce Street pastries. “It would explain the awkward visit. Do you think they’re dating?”
Elena didn’t know how she felt about that, not because she didn’t want her dad to date, but because it would completely tangle up her life with Mia’s. And because she knew how much her dad had loved her mom. Was it fair to Ms. Ortega?
“I don’t think they are, yet. But, they might. In any case, if he does, it’ll be a long time before he tells me.”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to wait to see how things play out.”
Elena nodded. “I guess we wait.”
Will’s phone buzzed.
“It’s a text from Laura,” he said. “That’s weird.” He scrolled through his phone. His eyes grew wide and he looked up at Elena. “Were you and Marco pretending to date?”
Elena’s heart dropped. “Why would you ask that?”
Will slowly turned his phone so she could see the article.
Contract between Marco Silva and fake girlfriend revealed. Below it was a picture of the notes she and Marco had written up that night in the music room. He’d leaked them. He’d shared them with the world so they would officially be broken up. But why? It didn’t make sense.
Elena grabbed her coat.
“Can you drive me to the Glensford Country Club? “
“Uh, sure,” Will said. “Yes.”
“I’ll explain everything on the way there.”
Only Marco had access to the dumb rules they’d written up. Now she wanted to know why they were out in the world. There had to be a good reason that didn’t involve him leaking them.
She needed there to be.
________
Marco couldn’t help but smile as his vovô’s eyes filled with tears.
He hoped they weren’t sad tears, but ones shed for a memory long forgotten. Vovô had Preston Blanchard’s book open on the table, already marked to the page with the picture. He’d been staring at it like that for a good minute now. Everyone at the table was quiet, watching, waiting.
Finally, Vovô looked up from the page. He wiped a tear away and gave Marco a smile.
“Obrigado, Marco. Muito obrigado.”
Marco didn’t know much Portuguese, but he knew enough to understand that. “No need to thank me. A friend found it for me.”
Vovô smiled again, his face lighting up as he did. The people around the table calmed, now that they knew he wasn’t going to cry at the Christmas dinner. Lucas sat on one side of Vovô and a tired-looking Felipe sat on the other. Lucas looked up and gave Marco a quick wink. Marco made nothing of it. When Marco turned his gaze to his dad, though, he paused.
For once, his dad wasn’t looking at him like he’d done everything wrong, like he was now trying to calculate exactly what punishment would fit the crime.
He gave Marco a nod as if saying thanks too.
Marco simply nodded back and went back to staring at what remained of his dinner. They only had dessert left, and then his vovô’s usual Christmas speech. After that everyone would go back to their own homes to open presents and enjoy the night in a more private environment. Marco didn’t want to go home. He hated Christmas most of all. It had been his favorite holiday once, mostly because Abby counted down to it, and decorated the whole house. That had been before she’d been his stepmom. In his eyes, Marco had thought of as her as the world’s greatest nanny. He knew she worked more than she needed to, loved him more than a nanny had to.
Someone’s phone buzzed. It was Lucas. Marco watched him; there was an easy expression on his face, and then it shifted into the one he’d had the night at the hospital.
He stood up. “Marco, can you come with me for a second?”
Marco gave his brother a strange look, but decided it had to be important if he was interrupting their Christmas dinner.
“Sure,” Marco said. He turned to his grandpa. “Excuse us.” He set his napkin on the table and then followed his brother out. He waved to Cecilia who caught his eye and smiled. She sat with her family closer to the front of the hall. Marco had gone out with her for breakfast.
When they were far enough from the hall, Lucas held his phone out to Marco. “Who did you tell?”
“What?”
It was an article about him and Elena, how they’d pretended to date. “No one, it wasn’t fake. That’s-”
“I know you two weren’t really dating,” Lucas said. “At leas
t not at first. The question is, who did you tell?”
“Only Elena knows,” Marco said. “She said she wouldn’t tell anyone. We had a non-disclosure agreement.” He didn’t know how his brother knew that they’d been fake dating. “She wouldn’t do this.”
“I know she wouldn’t,” Lucas said. “Which is why I’m asking, who else knew about this? With Dad being ill right now, I don’t want him to have to face another scandal involving you. Is there anyone else who might’ve known?”
Had Elena told Will the truth? Marco knew Will wouldn’t tell a media outlet, though. He’d want to protect Elena’s privacy. Then it dawned him, the email his mom had never responded to.
“Mom,” he said. “I sent her some notes Elena and I had drawn up the night after the Hollace Thanksgiving dinner. She wouldn’t, though. I told her to ignore it.”
“So you were in contact with Mom,” Lucas said. “Shit.” He dialed someone on his phone. He held a hand out to tell Marco to stay exactly where he was. “Hello? Yeah, do you know if she’s already in the city?” He paused. “Landed early? Okay. Thanks.”
“Who was that?” Marco asked. His head raced. His mom wouldn’t do that. She knew it would get him in trouble, that it would hurt him in the process of hurting their family’s reputation.
“An investigator I got to track when Mom got into Glensford. Apparently, she landed today. Did you know?”
“Yeah, she said I could meet with her.”
Lucas sighed. He paced. Marco couldn’t remember when he’d seen his brother like this.
“Mom exposed this,” Lucas said. “And there is no agreement anymore. She can contact or see you if she wants to. You get that, don’t you? Why would you tell her this?”
“I didn’t,” Marco said. “Not on purpose. She wouldn’t, Lucas. She loves us.”
“No,” Lucas said. “Dad loves us. Abby loves us. Vovô loves us. Mom left us. And now she’s hurting you to hurt Dad. Why else would she be back in the States? All her family’s in France. She thought she’d get information, or try and blackmail Dad for more money. Do you know how much he paid so she would sign an agreement saying she wouldn’t write a book with secrets about our family? So now, she’s using this. You gave her an entry point, even if you didn’t mean to.”
“Mom wouldn’t write a book. We don’t have secrets. The whole world knows about Dad’s affair with Abby.”
“Mom wanted to spin it like she’d been the victim of the Silva family. I was there when she went to Dad’s office with the contract. I saw the check. I saw the look in her eyes when he handed it to her. How do you think she’s living so well in France?”
“She has her art gallery.”
Lucas nodded. “Yes, okay she does. But most of that was funded with Dad’s money. She spent what she got in the divorce settlement the first year after she left. She always wants more, Marco.”
“Stop lying.”
Lucas held the article up again. “Then explain to me how this got out?”
The doors to the banquet hall opened. Elena ran in, breathless, rosy-cheeked and looking half-furious and half-expectant.
“Did you tell someone about us?” she asked. She didn’t specify what, and Marco knew it was because Lucas was right beside him.
Marco also hadn’t expected to see Elena tonight, or any other night in the future. He’d started accepting that she was moving to a new place, far away from him, and the short-lived moments they’d shared.
“I didn’t,” Marco said. “Just like I know you didn’t either.” He knew his mom was the only other person who had had access to the screenshot printed in the article. He stared at the floor, then at Lucas.
“She told you where she was going to be, didn’t she? Or you know from your investigator.”
Lucas sighed. “She said I could meet her at the San Mateo Hotel.”
“She’s staying that close?”
Lucas nodded. “It won’t change anything. The article’s out. We’ll have to deal with this. I’ll deal with it. Anyone can fake a screenshot. Besides, a fake relationship won’t suddenly turn our customers against us. We’ll take a hit, but nothing major.”
Elena looked at both of them. “Who are you taking about? Do you know who did this?”
“My mom.” Marco looked at his brother, and for once decided not to think he was doing this to take their dad’s side. “You deal with this,” he said. “But I need to see her.”
“There’s no point,” Lucas said.
“I’ll know if she’s lying when I see her,” Marco said. “Did she give you the room number?”
Lucas looked around. “Yeah. Two-two-one.” He looked at Marco. “You sure you don’t want me to go with you?”
Marco shook his head. “I should do this alone. I’m sorry about the article. I didn’t think she’d tell anyone. I didn’t.”
Lucas started dialing on his phone. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “I’ll handle it. Go. And if you need me, call.” Then he did something he hadn’t done since they’d been young. He hugged Marco, only for a second. “Remember how much I love you. You have a lot of people that love you. And we’ll be here when you get back.”
Marco stepped back. He caught Elena’s glance over Lucas’s shoulder.
“You’re still here,” he said.
“I’ll go with you,” Elena said.
“Will’s here?”
She nodded. “He’s parked outside.” Marco waited for her to add something else. “We were having Christmas dinner with my dad. He saw the article. Will. I don’t know if my dad has yet. But, I’ll deal with that. Let me go with you. Please.”
Lucas’ phone rang. He motioned for them to go as he picked up. “Yes, hello…”
“Why do you want to come?” He was genuinely curious.
Elena sighed. She grabbed his hand. “Because I know sometimes it’s good to have some support.” Marco grasped her hand tighter. A car pulled up. It was Will. He rolled his window down.
“Are we going somewhere?” he asked.
Elena pulled Marco into the back seat. She didn’t let go of his hand as they slid inside. “San Mateo Hotel,” she said.
Marco didn’t let go of her hand until they got to the hotel. She kept her eyes on the hotel entrance. Then she finally turned to him.
“Do you want me to go with you?”
Marco knew this was something he should do alone, face his mom, and finally get the truth from her. “I-” He paused. “Yes. Please.”
Chapter 31
Elena held Marco’s hand on the walk to the front desk, on the elevator ride up, and as he knocked on the door of room 221.
She didn’t care about at the article right now. She only cared that Marco was okay. His grasp around her hand felt like it might cut off her circulation.
“I can stay outside,” she said. “I’ll be out here if you need me.”
Marco shook his head. Before he could say anything the door opened. A woman had her ear to a phone, not even looking up as she motioned them in. “Where’s my dinner?”
She had dark brown hair, like Marco’s, but a pale complexion. She had her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, tied with a red bow that matched the Christmas-patterned dress she wore. Elena swallowed a gulp of air. For a moment, she thought Will should be here, to make small talk with this stranger, to cut the tension she felt growing around them. Then she remembered he was outside, waiting in his car, as lost to what was happening as Elena felt now.
The woman looked up. “Do you need another payment method?”
Elena realized she was looking at her, not at Marco. She sighed.
Marco stepped forward. “Do you not even recognize me, Mom?”
The woman dropped the phone. She held a hand to her mouth. “Marco. You’re here. I was going to call you so we could get dinner.”
“Cut the bullshit,” Marco said. His hand tensed around Elena’s. “I think you should invite us in before I start making a scene in the hallway.”
The woman
motioned them inside. Elena tried to remember her name. She’d seen it in the articles about the big Silva divorce years ago, but she’d never spent much time reading tabloids. It came to her. Adeline Silva.
“Come in,” Adeline said. “Come in.”
She picked up her phone and hung up whatever call she’d been on. The hotel room wasn’t so much a room as a suite. There were shopping bags on the bed, and unopened suitcases near the small living room area.
“I don’t know what you father told you,” she began, “but I can’t see you, Marco. He’s always made that clear.”
“You released what I emailed you by accident,” Marco said. “And you expect me to believe that crap about not being able to see me?” He kept his hand around Elena’s, but stepped forward. “Don’t deny it. And you’re here because you’re going to write a book about Dad’s affair? Is that why you emailed me? To see if you could get some hook?”
Marco’s hand trembled. Adeline stepped back. She looked older suddenly, the lightness in her eyes that had been there when she’d opened the door was gone.
“That’s not-”
“Mom,” Marco said, “don’t lie. Please. Tell me the truth for once. Because if you lie, I don’t think I’ll ever want to see you again.”
Adeline looked around the room, as if something else might give her answer. Then she looked back at Marco. “The story won’t hurt you. Your dad will make sure to cover it up. He always does. And the book, it was an offer I couldn’t turn down.”
“You used me.”
“No.” She shook her head. “No. I saw an opportunity and took it. That’s the only way to handle your father. He never loved me, Marco. Our whole marriage, I felt like a caged bird. And now I’m free, and he hates that. He’s been threatening to cut off the money he sends me. I had to remind him that I know things too. This had nothing to do with you.”
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