“He’s a good man. I don’t deserve the kindness, and I’m going to give him a kitchen that he and your mother will be proud of. In time for Christmas.” Miguel pulled the tab on the measuring tape and stretched it across the top of the nearest stove.
“Did he faint when you gave him the estimate?”
“No, he turned sort of pale. Gave me a check for half of the amount. I only wanted a third up front, but he insisted on half.” Miguel shrugged but smiled. “So, what’s this about you starting your own restaurant?”
“I was saving up to buy my own house, but after spending the summer at my abuela’s in Mexico, I realized I want to stay in the kitchen and run my own business.”
“Hmmm … Don’t you pretty much run La Cocina now?”
“Some days, yes. But Pop won’t vary the menu at all. I want to try some new things, and he stonewalls me. It’s his business. Sí, Mama cooks some days, and me, and Pop cooks, too, plus we have a few sous-chefs. But Pop is king of La Cocina.”
“Which is why he’ll be proud if you open another restaurant.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why not? Just sit him down in the office one day and tell him your plans.”
“Because he’ll tell me everything that could go wrong, how hard it is, and he’ll probably tell me how he and Mama need my help at La Cocina.” She bit her lip. If only she’d been another son, maybe Pop would think she could handle running a place all on her own. He’d practically passed out when she talked about moving out.
“Fine, be stubborn. But give him the chance to tell you no. What’s the worst that could happen? He wouldn’t fire you.”
She laughed. “No, I don’t think he’d do that.”
They looked at each other for a moment. Then Gabriela fumbled with a cherry-red knob on the stove that caught her eye.
“This is the first time since—well—you haven’t run the other way when you see me coming. Like at church.” His gentle tone made her look up. “Even though I sort of snuck up on you today.”
“I haven’t run the other way.”
“Yes, you have, Gaby. Even if you haven’t used your feet.”
“Miguel, we can’t go back.” Her voice caught in her throat. He used to call her Gaby, which got on her last nerve when they were younger.
“I know that. I know that as well as anyone. As well as Tommy does.”
She’d never wanted to have this conversation with him, not in a restaurant supply store, not in La Cocina, not in her parents’ kitchen. “I—don’t know—”
“I want …” He ran his hand through his unruly hair. “I want us to be friends again. Can we start with that?”
Gabriela nodded. “Yes. Yes, we can.”
“Good.” Miguel smiled, his slow grin spreading. But his eyes were a little sad.
He should’ve known better than to push Gabriela Hernandez. She could push back better than anyone. Friends, right.
Miguel had never wanted to kiss someone in a restaurant supply store before. Never wanted to kiss anyone besides Gabriela, although over his years of wandering he’d kissed a few women, and then some. But this morning, among the stainless steel, he wanted to take Gabriela in his arms right then and there.
All things new, the Bible promised. Who was he kidding, though? Sure, New Life Center had helped him kick the addiction, ignited a fire in his heart for serving God with his whole heart, but now that he was out in the “real world” again, the answers to dealing with those he’d betrayed and hurt in the past didn’t come so easily.
The last time he’d talked to Brother Pete, one of New Life’s pastors, Brother Pete told him that because the Hernandez family hired him and welcomed him into their home, healing had begun. Juan Hernandez didn’t say that he’d forgiven Miguel, but he knew the elder Hernandez tried to live according to the Bible, and forgive.
He popped his Salvador CD into the truck’s CD player and sang along as he rattled through downtown. A few of the streets were blocked off. He remembered the news said something about street repairs in that area. The detour sent him in the direction of the Hernandez’s neighborhood. While at the restaurant supply store, Miguel realized he’d left his good tape measure at the Hernandez home and had planned to go by and pick it up. Now was as good a time as any. Maybe Tommy was home and they could go to the gym. Demolition didn’t start on the Hernandez kitchen until Monday, and he was still waiting for a final quote on the cabinets. Once demolition began, Miguel’s time would be completely devoted to the kitchen project.
He continued away from downtown and finally turned onto the street that led to Gaby’s neighborhood. One day, he’d have a house in a neighborhood like this. To be able to look a man like Gaby’s father in the eye. The fact that Miguel had been welcomed into their home and been entrusted with a five-figure deposit on the kitchen said a lot. Miguel appreciated Mr. Hernandez’s trust.
There was the Hernandez house, a two-story home faced with limestone and an elegant stamped concrete driveway. A large truck was parked across the street, its side proudly proclaiming “Sheppard Christmas Lighting.” Somebody was getting ready for Christmas.
But as he pulled in front of the Hernandez house, he saw Gaby on a ladder propped against the house, trying to hook some lights to the gutter. Unopened boxes of Christmas lights sat on the front steps in stacks.
He left the truck and glimpsed Gaby’s expression as he approached. “Hey there,” he called out.
“Hi, again. Are you here to take more measurements?” she asked, climbing down from the ladder.
“No. I forgot my good tape measure the other night, and thought I’d swing by to get it. I should have called, but I figured someone would be home.”
“That would be me. Mom’s at the restaurant, Tommy’s at Nadine’s.”
“How’s she doing? I haven’t seen her in forever.”
“Super. You know she’s married, two adorable kids, and living in Universal City. Her husband’s a lawyer.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.” What sort of profession would be good enough for the other daughter of Juan Hernandez? He shoved the thought aside and gestured to the truck in the street. “Sheppard Christmas Lighting, huh?”
She shook her head. “Nope, not here.” She laughed. “I stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home and bought some LED lights. We’ve got the old fat Christmas lights, but they’re stuffed away somewhere, and nobody has really had the energy to put them up for a few years.”
“So you’re using your day off to put up lights?”
She shrugged. “We need a little Christmas now, like the song goes.”
“If you want, I can give you a hand. It won’t take long if we work on it together,” he heard himself saying.
Gabriela opened up those soft-looking lips of hers and was just about to reply, when an approaching vehicle made them both look toward the street.
Chapter 4
Gabriela froze at the sight of a gleaming silver Mustang, its passenger window gliding down. Travis from church, an air force officer stationed at Lackland. Here, at her house. Didn’t people use phones anymore?
“Gaby,” Travis said through the open window. “I didn’t know you lived in this area of town.” He turned off the engine, unbuckled, and left the car.
“Yes, I sure do.” Gabriela felt Miguel’s stare, and she had the distinct impression of two banty roosters facing off. Ridiculous. Travis had mentioned this past Sunday about getting together for coffee sometime.
“I’m house shopping.” He grinned. The guy was good-looking, loved the Lord, seemed focused on his career, and had made her laugh more than once during Sunday school class. All pluses in her book of qualities she liked most in a man.
“Really?” Why he’d want to buy a house big enough for a family was beyond her. But then she wanted to do the same thing, didn’t she?
“I know what you’re thinking. Why buy a huge house only for me? It’s a good time to invest. After I’m eventually transferred, I can rent the
place out.” Travis had a bright smile. Then he glanced at Miguel. “Hi. Miguel, isn’t it?”
Miguel approached him first, his hand extended. “That’s right. Miguel Rivera.”
“Good to meet you officially. I’m still getting to know people at church.” The two men shook hands.
“Same here. I started attending again earlier this year,” said Miguel. “It’s nice to see how much it has grown. Lots of families.”
This was definitely not how she’d imagined spending her day off. Here came Travis stepping closer to her, with his friendly blue eyes, boyish dimple, and short-trimmed hair. What a contrast with Miguel, who crossed his arms across his chest, his dark hair curling as if in defiance.
“I know we talked about getting coffee sometime,” Travis said. “But how about lunch after the Sunday morning service? That is, unless you have plans with your family.”
“I don’t.” She bit her lip. “But I’ll have to check the restaurant schedule. I might be scheduled to work in the afternoon.”
“All right. Let me know on Sunday.” He smiled again, and Gabriela wasn’t quite sure, but she thought she glimpsed Miguel’s jaw tighten slightly. Then Travis was off, pulling away from the curb with a honk and a wave.
“Well, that was unexpected.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
Miguel only grunted in response.
“Oh, your tape measure. C’mon inside. It’s either on the hallway table or the kitchen countertop.” She stepped over the boxes of LED lights and into the entryway.
“I still want to give you a hand with the lights, if you don’t mind. That ladder could be tricky.”
“So you think I can’t handle stringing up Christmas lights by myself?”
“No—no, that’s not what I meant. I mean, what if you fell off the ladder, or needed an extra pair of hands?”
She glanced at Miguel, and he flushed. There was the tape measure. They both reached for it, fingers tangling. Hers tingled, and she laughed.
“Oops. Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I didn’t really want you to stay.” She rubbed her sleeves. “It’s a ‘Pop reaction.’ He makes me want to show him I can do things without a man’s help.”
“I get it.” Now his smile captivated her like Travis’s hadn’t. “Gabriela Hernandez, I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do on your own.”
“Thanks.” She felt herself blushing at the words of praise from him. He admired her. “But I appreciate the extra hand hanging the lights.”
They paused a moment, and she didn’t know what to say to break the silence. They had that undeniable chemistry, like the old days. Except neither of them had ever stepped beyond glances, Miguel probably out of fear of her father, and her …? Until Tommy’s accident, she didn’t know why.
All she knew now was that her heart hammered in her chest, and she wanted to throw her arms around Miguel’s neck and kiss him.
Miguel wasn’t about to stand down, not after the good-looking air force officer left. He’d seen Gaby’s hesitation when Travis asked her out to lunch.
“Guess we’d better get those lights up.” He held up his measuring tape. “But this is going in my truck first.”
He left Gabriela in the entryway. That something had zapped him again, too, just like it had this morning at the store. But the zap of attraction wasn’t enough to keep a relationship going, not one that truly mattered. He knew that.
But Gaby deserved so much. A guy like Travis could probably literally give her the world, or show her most of it. And with Gaby’s profession and culinary skills, any restaurant in the world would be lucky to have her.
He quit his mental tailspin and tossed the measuring tape into his truck. Loco, the idea of having Gaby married off after one lunch invitation. By the time he reached the front of the house again, Gabriela had resumed her earlier position, up on the ladder and holding icicle lights. Her cheeks flushed, her lips red, she looked down at him.
Miguel reached for the end of the light string. “I’ll feed this up to you.” Mr. Air Force could have stayed to help, but he hadn’t.
“Thanks.” She slipped the light’s wire into one of the gutter clips. “Pop and Tommy used to do this. It would take them all day to get the lights up. You’d think Tommy was getting a root canal, as much as he moaned and groaned about it.”
“Funny. Sort of like, ‘Russ, time to put up the lights.’”
Gaby nodded. “Sure, Pop was a regular Clark Griswold.”
“I never told you how sorry I was about—everything. And now Tommy can’t do this again. Hanging lights, I mean.”
“I can picture him trying to wheel himself out here and hold the lights for Pop. But Pop would never ask him, not now.” Gabriela’s hand shook as she clipped another light to the gutter, and she paused. “I know you’re sorry. You didn’t plan for what happened.”
“No, you’re right; I didn’t.”
She blinked hard a few times then cleared her throat. “I can’t throw stones at you. I can’t dwell in the past. Not with the future rushing up to meet me now.”
“I wanted to call, so many times, after the accident.” Miguel fed more lights up to Gabriela. “But my lawyer told me it was a bad idea. Then when it was either more prison, or rehab through New Life Center, I knew it was a chance to start over. So I took it. Court orders.”
Gabriela nodded. “I know. We—asked about you.”
“Thanks.” Now he felt his cheeks flame. “My mama didn’t call me for a long time after I went to NLC. She thought it was another one of my tries to get clean. One more failure.”
“But you’re here now. You haven’t failed. And we’re—we’re trying to go forward. You have friends, and you have the Lord. You’re—you’re not alone.”
“Thanks.” He repeated himself. So, she’d asked about him. Or, they had. If only he could claim her heart, a healed heart, and he could look at her without seeing the mess he’d helped cause for everyone. He should have never let Tommy start hanging out with him, going along with what he’d done. Old things have become new …
A car pulled into the driveway. Mrs. Hernandez, home again.
“M’ija, you’re putting up lights.” Her face lit up as her gaze flicked from her daughter to Miguel, then back again. “Your papa will be so happy. And you’re working so well together.”
Together. Sort of. Miguel looked up at Gabriela, and he couldn’t read her face this time.
Chapter 5
Gabriela made sure she arrived at La Cocina early on Saturday morning. Most people didn’t get to see the Riverwalk before the shops and restaurants opened. A handful of tourists ambled along the pathway, pausing every so often to take photos. A vendor was sweeping the walkway in front of his store as Gabriela passed. A cool breeze teased at her hair, and she pushed some of the stray locks away.
This morning at the house, she’d waved at Tommy as he left for his physical therapy appointment on the service van. He had a fire in his eyes.
“I’m going to walk again one day. I know I will.”
“You’re so brave, Tommy.”
“Not brave. But I can’t go back to being helpless. Even in this chair.”
With that, he left, just as Miguel pulled up in his truck, and Gabriela scrambled for her own car.
She paused now at the water’s edge and clutched her travel mug of coffee, warm to her fingers. One of the river taxis glided past, and Gabriela looked up in time to see a tourist point a camera at her and shoot. The taxi continued along under one of the stone arch bridges, toward La Villita and the amphitheater.
Christmas lights swung in the breeze. This morning they looked dull and listless, as if they weighed the branches down. But at night the Riverwalk glowed with the thousands of bulbs in the trees.
This Christmas Gaby wasn’t feeling the joy of the season, even though she and Miguel had hung the lights on the house. Again, Christmas was coming, whether she was ready for it or not.
“You’re thinking pretty deep th
oughts, Chef Gaby,” came a voice behind her. It belonged to Marcy, one of La Cocina’s fixtures and one of their best waitresses.
“The lights look so dull this morning. I almost wish they could be on all the time.” She smiled at the waitress. “Are you ready for Christmas?”
The woman returned the smile. “Ah, the usual question. Not yet, but I will be. My granddaughter is so excited about Christmas.”
“How old is she now?”
“Six.”
“Wow. I remember when she was born.” Gabriela counted back the years. “She’s at that perfect age when Christmas is still magical, special, and uncomplicated.”
“Oh, it’s complicated when they get a certain toy stuck in their head that they have to have.” Marcy rolled her eyes. “But, honey, Christmas can be special at any age.” She laid a gentle hand on Gabriela’s arm.
“It seems Christmas always reminds me of how much everything is changing.” Gabriela glanced at her arm.
“The first Christmas was full of changes for Mary and Joseph, changes they certainly hadn’t expected.” Marcy’s eyes sparkled.
“You’re right.” Gabriela shivered. “That’s very true. I guess I’ve not bothered much with Christmas in a while. After my brother’s accident, we spent time focusing on doctors and physical therapists, keeping the business running.”
“Do you mind if I give you another slice of advice?”
“Ha! Of course not. Why stop now?” She grinned at the waitress.
“Just enjoy Christmas this year. Find something special and don’t try to recapture what happened in Christmases long ago. Find something new.”
“Okay, I’ll try that. Thanks.” Gabriela sipped her travel mug of coffee. “You’re here early.”
“So are you.”
“We’re having Las Posadas tonight at church, so I’m cutting out early. It used to be a sort of tradition that my family went to the pageant together. My sister and her kids are even coming from Universal City.”
“That’s a nice tradition.”
“We haven’t gone, all of us together, for a few years. I can’t wait to see the sanctuary lined with luminaries and the entire stage set up like Bethlehem.” She always felt sorry for Mary, traveling so far with a baby belly, and being turned away from inn after inn.
A Riverwalk Christmas: Four-in-One Collection Page 15