Opened Up

by Eva Moore

  “¡Ay, Dios mio!”

  Adrian stood on the front porch behind his mother. Getting her out of the truck had taken fifteen minutes of coaxing. That was down from the hour it had taken him to extract her from his sister’s house. The weekend full of mothering Mahalia and snuggling little Jeremiah had brought back Mamá’s smile, the one he’d inherited, the one that had grown increasingly rare. That child hadn’t slept in his crib the entire time Abuela had been there. She’d spent so much time cooking and cleaning and holding the baby, Adrian didn’t think she’d had time to be afraid. Or maybe the medicine from her doctor had given her back a little control. Either way, the weekend had been a good break for everyone, but he knew she was anxious to get back into her own home. They’d left early Monday morning to avoid traffic and the anxiety that would bring.

  During the drive home, she’d twisted her purse straps and scanned the windows constantly for cruisers. Her smile had slipped off her face, replaced by the more familiar mask of fear and anxiety. Adrian wished he could take all of the fear off her shoulders permanently, but he didn’t know how.

  The fact that his mother was frozen on her doorstep instead of immediately hustling inside filled Adrian’s gut with lead. What had Sofia done? Was it so bad that his mother was literally trapped between two terrifying realities? If she had ruined his mother’s one safe space…

  Mamá clutched his arm for support, and he pushed the door wider so he could help her get inside.

  “Come on, Mamá. I’m sure it’s not that bad…”

  He trailed off as he got his first clear view of the room, and his jaw hit the floor, now covered by an inviting Persian rug. He froze beside her, unable to process the complete transformation that had happened in just two days.

  “It’s…it’s…maravilloso!” His mother cautiously stepped over the threshold. “Are you sure we are at the right house?”

  Adrian leaned back outside to check the numbers on the mailbox, but yes it was their house. His keys were still hanging from the lock in the door. He couldn’t find the words to reassure her, because frankly he was stunned.

  Gone was the dark, cozy cave he’d gotten used to seeing behind this door. In its place was a bright, airy retreat.

  He managed to get the door closed behind them and then just stood there, arm around his mother, trying to absorb every detail.

  “Look at the windows, mijo.” Tears welled in her eyes as she pointed. “So bright, but still private.”

  The blinds were lowered about six inches from the top, allowing the bright California sunshine to stream in. The cream-colored paint on the textured walls fairly glowed.

  “Is that my chair?” Curiosity broke through her shock, and she walked across the room to her favorite spot.

  The room felt so open without all of the couches pushed up against the walls. The new couch and armchairs anchored the space around the rug, creating an inviting place to sit with friends. He’d worried about seating for the times the entire neighborhood gathered in this room, until he noticed the built-in bench and bookcase topped with throw pillows in every size and texture. Meanwhile, his mother was bouncing in her chair like a toddler at snack time.

  “She fixed it!”

  “It was broken?”

  “Not broken, just well-loved. The seat drooped. Now it is firm again, and this fabric!” She ran her hands lovingly over the rioting poppies in muted reds and oranges with hints of green vine. “It’s gorgeous and so soft! And look at this side table, with a place for my tea and books! And this light is the perfect height!”

  Every new detail brought more of the joy back to his mother’s face. This was Sofia’s gift. This wasn’t for acclaim or to show off for any producer. Hell, she wasn’t even here to see Mamá’s reaction. She listened to people and asked the right questions. She heard what was said and what wasn’t. And then she fixed it.

  And it wasn’t just with her designs. The reason she was so good at her job managing the office stemmed from her ability to get the right information and act on it. Who did he go to when an order got screwed up? Who did he rely on to make sure his guys still got paid when they forgot to punch their time card?

  She’d been fixing things for him for years. How often had he not noticed? He had been so busy fixing things in his own sphere that he hadn’t appreciated the gift of having a competent partner on his team. Imagine what they could do together— No, he had to quit thinking about them together. That was screwed up beyond repair. But he could think about how he would say thank you.

  This transformation was amazing and would definitely change his mother’s day-to-day life. There was no way Sofia had stayed under his tight budget, but he wasn’t even mad. That smile on his mother’s face was worth every extra penny.

  “She even labeled my shelves! TBR, Keepers, Lending Copies! Oh, I can’t wait to organize.” She ran her hands lovingly over her beloved books.

  He hadn’t seen that she was fading slowly in this cave of a house. What else had he missed? He walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Mamá. Sorry I didn’t think to do this sooner.”

  “Now, now, none of that. You have taken very good care of me and this house. And be honest, there’s no way you ever pictured this room looking like this. You see four sturdy walls and windows that keep out the wind. And for that I am truly grateful. Just as I am grateful to Sofia for lending her vision to us for a little while. Oh, and this couch!” And she was off, investigating the other details she had yet to coo over.

  Adrian walked through to the kitchen and found two letters and a bottle of wine on the table. He ran the one with his name on it through his fingers while he remembered the last time Sofia had brought a bottle of wine to his house. What had she written? Would she laugh and tease? Or flirt and tempt him to take her back? Would she apologize for not supporting him and ask for a second chance? After all, redoing his living room was a pretty big olive branch… Unable to take the suspense anymore, he tore open the letter.

  Adrian-

  Here are the receipts.

  I hope she likes it.

  -S

  That was it? His annoyance rose. Not even a “How are you”? Or an “I’m sorry”? He looked at the receipts she’d so helpfully provided and saw that she had indeed kept it under his budget. She also hadn’t charged a dime for her services or labor. She’d truly done this out of the goodness of her heart because she’d told his mother she would. No self-interest. No profit. This image of Sofia clashed with the one he’d constructed in his mind of her scheming to scuttle his proposal. Which was the real Sofia?

  He brought the letter with his mom’s name on it to her in the living room, and she squealed a little as she opened it. When he tried to read it over her shoulder, she tucked the paper against her chest and shooed him away. He only caught a glimpse, but it was enough to see line after line of Sofia’s flowing script.

  “If you are so anxious to hear what she says, why haven’t you brought her back over to the house? Why isn’t she here today?”

  “We kind of broke up.” Had they ever really been together?

  “How do you kind of break up? You said something stupid, didn’t you?”

  “No! She sided against me when I brought my proposal to Dom.”

  “What exactly did she say?”

  “Dom said she couldn’t see how it would work.” His mother gave him that look she’d always given him when he’d said something dumb. It was just as effective at hunching his shoulders now as it had been at fifteen. “What?”

  “I didn’t ask what Dom said. I asked what Sofia said.”

  “She wouldn’t give me a straight answer. She just kept asking questions and shooting it down. What about Enzo and Frankie? What about her? Who would be the boss of who?”

  Graciela sat in her chair and shook her head at him. Adrian perched on the armrest next to her, resenting the comfort Sofia had dropped into his life and then taken away.

  “What? What is that look for?�
�

  “Ay, mijo, she asked logical questions about how this deal would work, which I assume you couldn’t answer.”

  “She didn’t give me a chance to figure out the answers.”

  “If you didn’t know the answers, your proposal wasn’t very strong, was it? Don’t interrupt.” He clamped his mouth closed, the counterpoint dying on his tongue as his mother continued to school him. “She asked me hundreds of questions about the living room and how I use it. I hadn’t ever thought of the answers to most of them before. But she took those answers and gave me an amazing space in return.” She reached both hands up to hold his face and tilted it so he would have to look into her eyes. It was the same thing she had done to him when he was a little boy and she wanted him to pay attention. “She asked you smart questions, and you decided she didn’t support you? She shook her head and patted his cheek, clearly conveying her disappointment in his logic. “What is wrong with questions? Is she supposed to read your mind?”

  Adrian felt like he’d just been smacked in the face with a shovel. True, Dom had been the one to say no, but Sofia hadn’t argued. She’d thrown more questions at him. He’d thought she would be on his side, but she’d only added fuel to Frankie’s fire. True, they were the same questions he’d been trying to get Dom to answer for months now. Had she really just been trying to gather information, not shooting his plans down? Damn it. In light of what his mother said, he realized it was true. Sofia’s questions were often abrupt and rapid-fire, but he couldn’t say they were unreasonable. As he’d seen over and over when she was on the phone with a new supplier or subcontractor, her questions often got them exactly what they needed.

  He’d thought they were building toward a future, but when she’d asked questions about what that future would look like, he’d felt attacked and bailed. Had he really expected her to behave differently, to change her personality, just for him? He really was an idiot. His heart clenched at the thought that he’d spent over a month angry with her for his own stupidity.

  She didn’t owe him an apology. She didn’t owe him anything. He’d let his pride and temper get in the way of his logic, and he’d blown his chance with her for good. With no chance at winning the girl, and even less at winning the company, he needed to figure out a new plan. Whether that meant accepting his lot at Valenti Brothers or working for someone else, he couldn’t say. He’d signed those damn contracts, so he was locked into the show for at least a season, but he needed to get his head on straight so that he was ready when the next opportunity presented itself. He’d spoken to a few companies based up in Oakland that seemed promising, even if he’d be starting at a lower level and working his way up again. If they called, he’d seriously consider leaving, because it would hurt too much to stay. For now, he’d stay and support the show. It was the least he could do to make amends. She deserved to see her dreams succeed.

  When the dust settled, his reputation would get him through the door somewhere else. It would mean moving his mother from her home, but that might be for the best anyway. He’d have to figure out what this all meant to his crew, too. Their livelihoods were tied to his own, and he hated letting them down. He hadn’t honestly thought about what would happen if Dom said no. Dread and disappointment roiled in his gut.

  But if he left, Sofia wouldn’t be the boss’s daughter anymore.

  That silver lining popped into his head and stopped his anxiety cold. After everything that had happened, after all that had been said, he still wanted her. He spent embarrassingly large portions of his day wondering where she was and what she was doing, wishing he was still welcome to be by her side. He kept a running list of things he wanted to tell her, if only he was speaking to her. Maybe leaving Valenti Brothers wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe he could have it all. Maybe, like this living room, his dream wasn’t broken, but it could be better. He’d have to think on that.

  “Adrian.” His mother snapped her fingers in front of his face.

  “What?”

  “This Sofia is a good girl to do all of this for me, even after you broke her heart.”

  “What makes you think I broke her heart?”

  “You’re my son. Who wouldn’t fall in love with you? Don’t let pride make you stupid, mijo. If you love her, go make it right.”

  When Jake had asked Adrian to join her on the walk-through shots Wednesday morning, Sofia had cringed. She knew that the network execs had liked the tension between her and Adrian on screen and had requested more scenes together, but this was the last thing her heart needed. They still hadn’t cleared the air, and she hadn’t managed to reconstruct those walls around her heart yet.

  Every time she saw him, her heart pinched at her conscience. She could break the standoff just as easily as he could, but her pride stood in the way. They couldn’t even talk about the little things because the bigger issue felt like a boulder in the middle of the path between them. It had been two days since Graciela had come home, and Sofia still didn’t know how his mom had liked the room. She didn’t know how the trip had been. She didn’t know if Adrian had been missing her as much as she missed him this last month. She hadn’t even had a chance to tell him how she’d modified the plans after she’d seen his reports. So now they were going to end up having this conversation on camera. Fabulous.

  At least she’d been able to give more attention to this design, since Meena had gotten up to speed over the last week fairly quickly. With the bulk of the office work off her mind, Sofia had been able to really create. She was very proud of the plan she’d put together, and she tried to channel some of that into excitement for the camera.

  Sofia stood with Desmond and Patience Ong on the front lawn, trying to ignore the man making her heart race, standing to their left. “So, out here, we were thinking of adding a short wooden fence, since your property does face a busy street. This way, if you have kids or decide to get a pet, there is one more layer of safety between them and the traffic. I would love to do horizontal slats to give it a more modern feeling.” It would also keep the costs lower with fewer cuts and less planking, but she didn’t need to tell them that. “What do you think?”

  “I think that will work. We’ve got the post hole diggers already, and I can lend a guy or two to Enzo and knock it out more quickly,” Adrian said.

  “I wasn’t asking you.” Asshole. “Patience, what do you think of the horizontal idea? I can show you pictures if you want to see what I was thinking.”

  “No, I’ve seen them in the neighborhood. I like the fun and kind of funky look. What color were you thinking?”

  “A very natural stain on the cedar to keep it slightly rustic.” Patience nodded, and Sofia pressed on. “In keeping with your request to turn the yard into garden space, we will add lemon, plum, and persimmon trees to the front yard, making it into a small orchard, with benches built in around the trees for comfort and ease of harvesting. I’ve got some beautiful raised planters going in the back as well.”

  “Oh, I can’t wait!” The small Singaporean woman bounced on her toes and clapped her hands. Patience clearly did not possess much of her namesake.

  “It’s going to be beautiful. Enzo does amazing work.”

  “I know. I vetted his work on his website.” Desmond Ong, pediatrician and researcher at Stanford, was the more straight-laced of the two. It was clear that while he was willing to indulge his wife’s design ideas, he wasn’t going to commit to anything without thoroughly researching it. Sofia considered it a compliment that they’d chosen Valenti Brothers even before the show had been a consideration.

  “Then you know. As for the exterior of the house, we are going to touch up the stucco in a few places and repaint it a nice neutral.”

  “All this neutral. Does anything about me say neutral?” Patience gestured to her brightly colored maxi dress and grinned.

  “In terms of resale value, this is the better choice for the exterior, but never fear. I’ve worked your love of color into the interiors.”

  “She�
��s right. It makes good sense to keep the exterior in line with the rest of the neighborhood.” Adrian voiced his opinion again, and Sofia couldn’t help the glare that crept onto her face. Like she needed his help convincing Patience. Who did he think he was? This was her area of expertise.

  Oh wait, that’s right. He didn’t think she had a lick of sense. She wasn’t about to give Jake the satisfaction of melting down on television, so she gritted her teeth and moved on. “Let’s head inside, and I’ll show you what I mean.”

  Once inside, they all crowded into the small foyer, while Trina set up the shot from across the room. Adrian ended up behind her, while Desmond and Patience stood spooning on her right. She could feel his heat warming her even though they weren’t touching. While her heart was urging her to lean back into his strength, her head reminded her that his support and comfort were no longer hers to claim. The battle inside her was exhausting. It was all she could do to keep still as she painted the design picture from memory.

  “So this is your living room.” She gestured with her hands as if she was literally throwing ideas at the walls as she spoke, knowing that was exactly how it would look after the special effects crew got their hands on it. “Over here, we’ll have a seating area, cozy couch, lots of fabrics and textures in the pillows, the rug, the window treatments. We keep the walls a bright white so that the colors all pop. Picture reds and oranges in here. I saw the picture over your fireplace at your other house, and I’m using it as an inspiration for the color scheme in this room. What do you think?”

  “I love those colors. We bought that picture on a vacation in Thailand before we married, and I would love to keep it in the room.”

  Yes! Another intuition validated. She didn’t need Adrian to value her work. Only her clients mattered, and so far she was two for two.

  “I noticed that this living room flows into the dining room, and it looks kind of small. What are your plans for that space?” Adrian asked calmly as if the answer wasn’t a ticking time bomb he’d lobbed in her lap.