by Sera Taíno
“Papi stayed in,” Val volunteered, smiling into her cup.
“He’s sixty years old!” Nati complained. “How do I have less of a social life than a sixty-year-old man?”
“You need to do something about that,” Val said, taking her seat.
“No way. Don’t let her off the hook. It’s her turn to abstain,” Rafi said. “That was me while I was working on my masters. Didn’t have a minute to breathe.”
“She’s almost done,” Val said. “And we’re having a huge party to celebrate.”
Nati winked, giving Val a fist bump.
“What about you?” Rafi asked Philip, saying the words like he was throwing down a gauntlet. “Must have been easy for you, with your dad being rich and all.”
The tension in the air was sharp and thick. Val held her breath, but Philip set down his mug and grew thoughtful. “Actually, he wasn’t born rich. He’s the kind who believes if he had to work for it, so do I.” Philip broke a corner off his bread. “He doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase ‘free pass.’”
Rafi hummed. He was doing a lot of that, and there was a world of meaning behind the sound. “You know, maybe that was his way of keeping you from being a spoiled brat.”
“Or maybe it’s because he struggles with authentic human relationships that aren’t filtered through the lens of work.”
Val nearly choked on her coffee. Nati and Rafi gave each other a look that spoke volumes.
“That was really...real,” Rafi said, refilling Philip’s mug with the last of the coffee.
Val exhaled in relief. Philip had survived a round of the Navarros. She squeezed his hand beneath the table and joined in the general banter until Nati gave a wide yawn.
“Okay, kids, I’m off to bed. Last night’s shift wiped me out.”
“Leave everything. I’ll clean up,” Val said.
“Nope,” Rafi said, collecting the empty mugs in one swift motion. “I got ’em. Nati, go to sleep. You look dead on your feet.” He indicated with his head toward both Val and Philip. “You two, go do something fun.” He waggled his eyebrows at Val, who rolled her eyes in response. “When I’m done, I’ll check on Papi and take a little nap. I got tests to grade.”
“Thanks, bonito,” Nati said, giving him a kiss on his cheek, which Val repeated on his other side. He then turned to Philip and offered him his hand, which caught Philip by surprise, but only for a moment before returning the gesture.
Chapter Twenty-One
Val retreated to her father’s office to do paperwork, the sound of banging pots, running water and clinking glasses forming the familiar background noise that she’d been listening to all her life. She sorted receipts, stopping every now and again to respond to a message from Philip. It killed her productivity but it also made her happy, so the trade-off was an acceptable one. Philip’s father had accepted the proposed community benefit agreement, which meant it would be finalized and ready to present at the upcoming hearing.
They’d get together again this weekend, this time at his place. Much as Val loved her family, she was not looking forward to a repeat of their walk of shame.
She smiled again when her cell phone vibrated, but it was a call from the loan officer, Mr. Graham. It had been such a long process, putting in an offer, checking certificates, permits and other endless due diligences. And that was all before the mortgage application. Val hoped for good news, so they could be done with it and call the building her own. She imagined the surprise on Philip’s face when she told him she was the new owner of this building. She took the call with her fingers crossed.
“Mr. Graham. I’m glad to hear from you.”
“Likewise, Ms. Navarro,” he answered, always polite and competent, which was something Val could appreciate. They exchanged a few pleasantries, which she endured with patience, eager as she was to finalize the sale of the building.
“Ms. Navarro. Val.” The way he way said her name put Val on edge and the euphoria she felt when she answered the call drained away. “I apologize, but I’m afraid your application has been declined.”
Her field of vision contracted, fixed on the calendar with Father Pius hanging on the opposite wall next to the portrait of her mother. “Denied? Why were we denied?”
“There were some irregularities in your credit card payment history that our system flagged. I’m sorry.”
“We went over everything before submitting our application,” Val said, trying her best not to sound petulant. “Why is this coming up now?”
Mr. Graham was all business, while Val’s world was coming apart. “Preapprovals are not a guarantee of financing.”
“I know, but I had this application reviewed. There was nothing that should’ve resulted in a rejection.”
Mr. Graham’s response came in clipped tones. “I assure you, we maintain the utmost rigorous lending requirements.”
“Sounds arbitrary to me,” Val muttered. Something about the whole thing didn’t add up.
“I understand you’re upset. Your family has been our customer for thirty years and we value your patronage—”
Val snorted but he continued. “You are invited to apply again in twelve months, when the payment under question is no longer an issue.”
“If I do that, the property won’t be available anymore. No, I’ll be taking my business elsewhere. Have a good day.”
Val shut her phone off and set it down to avoid the temptation to throw it at something. Felicia had had a colleague review the assets and income and he’d given the application the highest probability for approval. That application had not been rejected on its own merits.
Val’s mind spun as she thought about the larger picture. There were only three stakeholders to whom the building might matter—the Navarros, the Gutierrezes and Wagner Developments.
Val sat up straight in her chair. Had she been steamrolled? The mortgage process was supposed to be confidential. Who would want that building so badly, they’d be willing to bend rules that, when broken, could get them in a world of trouble? And who would have the money and influence to get out of those problems if they were caught? Who could afford the audacity of interfering with her application?
Gripping her mother’s crucifix. Val picked up her phone again, this time dialing Philip’s number.
“Val,” he said after the first ring. Despite her cross-eyed anger, she would never get used to the intimate way he said her name.
“Philip, listen, I need to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
She explained everything about putting an offer on the building nearly a month ago, as well as her conversation with Mr. Graham.
Philip was quiet for several seconds. “You put a contract on the building and you didn’t tell me?”
Val leaned back in her chair, the leather squeaking in protest. “No, I didn’t.”
“Why?”
She didn’t like the turn the conversation had taken. “Isn’t it obvious? Your company is dead set on buying this entire block. I didn’t want to do anything that might ruin my chances of getting this building.”
“Essentially, you didn’t trust me not to use this to my advantage.” Philip sighed and she could see him rubbing his face the way he did when he was confused or frustrated.
“It isn’t you I don’t trust. This is about not letting your company take advantage of the situation for its own gain, like what just happened to my application.”
“You think Wagner Developments might have something to do with your mortgage denial.”
“Are you saying it’s impossible?”
“I wish I could say that it was, but these things aren’t unheard of.” She heard shuffling on the other end of the line again. Val was afraid he might rub the skin off his face. “If something happened on our side, I’ll fix it. But, Val...after everything, why do you still believe you ca
n’t trust me? I could have helped you.” Philip paused before adding, “I’ve stepped up, tried to show you that I’m not who you think I am. Gone to bat for you—”
“Because it was the right thing to do.”
“Yes, but also because I care about you. I want to be with you. And all this time, you thought I was capable of taking advantage of you. I’m not Luke.”
Val’s temper snapped. He was not going to turn around what was practically a crime against her into a pity party about his insecurities. “There is no reason to bring up my ex.”
“Then who should I blame for your inability to trust me?”
“Philip...” She could barely say his name, it was starting to hurt too much.
They were both quiet for a long while until Philip spoke again. “I lied about who I was, and that lie has poisoned everything between us.”
“No. I mean, maybe?” she whispered, but it sounded like denial to her. “I’m just trying to protect my family’s home and livelihood. I can’t risk that just because I caught feelings for you.” Val was out of her chair and pacing. “If things don’t work out, I don’t have a fallback. I don’t have anyone who can write me a check and bail me out. I’ve got myself and my family and that’s it.”
“I know you don’t believe me, but you also have me. I’m on your side. One hundred percent.”
Val stopped her pacing. Her mind whirled again. She accepted his willingness to support her on an intellectual level, but her feelings were having a hard time catching up.
“I want to believe that so badly,” she said finally.
Philip sighed. “I’ll look into this. But, Val, we’re not going anywhere if you can’t trust me. I don’t know how else to show you that you can.”
“I will trust you as soon as Wagner Developments stops screwing around with me.”
Philip’s silence was so absolute, Val thought he might’ve hung up on her. Instead, she heard the slow intake of breath. “I am not my company.”
This was exactly the kind of thing she’d been trying to avoid. She’d let her feelings cloud her purpose. Now she was too exposed, too flayed open because she’d let herself become emotionally vulnerable. And now, her family stood to lose everything.
She could never let that happen again.
“It doesn’t matter if you are your company or not. Our interests aren’t the same. I don’t think this is going to work.”
“So that’s it? You’re not even going to try to work things out?”
“We tried, didn’t we?”
Philp didn’t say anything else and Val took it as confirmation.
“Goodbye, Philip.” She ended the call, shoving the phone away from her as if it would set her hand on fire.
When she sank down into the office chair, her hands were trembling while tremors spread through her body. Her chest locked up. The tension squeezed her in iron bands, forcing the air from her lungs. She broke into a sweat, then shivered when goose bumps appeared. Cold. Hot. Burning, then freezing. And all the while, shattering into a thousand pieces.
She hadn’t had a panic attack since the night Luke had humiliated her in front of everyone, and before that, when her mother died. But now she sat doubled over in her chair, attempting to take long, deep breaths while forcing her heart to slow its maniacal galloping.
Disaster scenarios plagued her. Developers taking over her building. Raised rents. Evictions. The forced closure of Navarro’s. Her neighborhood changed beyond recognition, as if it was disposable, as if what was already here wasn’t worth nurturing. No longer having Philip in her life—
“Stop!” Val shouted, swiping at her tearstained face. “What the hell!” She bent her head between her knees and counted to ten. Breathed deeply. Tried to still her racing heart. She needed to calm down first, talk to her family and regroup. There were other banks in the world and not all of them would be in Wagner’s back pocket. They could still make this purchase happen.
And as for Philip, well, she had to put her feelings about him aside and resolve the issue with this building. The consequences if she didn’t were impossible to imagine.
So Val did what she always did. Put the well-being of her family ahead of everything else, whatever the cost to her personally.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Philip let himself into his parents’ town house, the dread that had been weighing him down ever since his phone call with Val receding before the instinctive relief of being in his family home. He reviewed their conversation, the deep hurt he’d felt when she’d basically admitted to not trusting him when every decision he’d made since telling her his identity was designed to win her trust.
But it was hard to mount an argument in favor of trusting him if his father was going to undermine everything Philip had done.
Philip breathed in the familiar scent of fresh flowers that his mother loved so much. The immaculate mirrors and wood surfaces comforted him with their neatness. Elegance warred with intimacy, the aloof perfection of paintings existed alongside fun, candid pictures of him and his family, all arranged in precise order. This was his family, in all their hyperorganized glory, a contrast to the chaotic warmth that characterized Val’s family photographs.
Grace met him in the corridor with open arms, but her smile evaporated when she caught his expression.
“Darling, what is it?”
Philip melted into her embrace. “How do you always know how I’m feeling?”
“I’m your mother. It’s what I do. Are you okay?”
He gave a tight shake of his head. “Has Dad arrived from the airport yet?”
She smoothed a curl from his forehead. “He’s in his office, organizing his things.”
“I need to see him.”
“Just go on up. You won’t be disturbing him.”
Philip gave her a quick squeeze of the hand before taking the stairs. His father looked up when Philip opened the door.
“Come in, son. I wasn’t going to debrief you on my trip until tomorrow, but now is as good a time as any,” Andreas began, but Philip put his hand up.
“I’m looking forward to hearing all about it. But first, I need to ask you about something.”
Andreas stopped shuffling his papers and pointed to the chair opposite his desk. “Have a seat.”
Philip sat down. He was a mess of nerves and anxiety. He hated having to ask his father if he’d essentially committed a crime. But he had to do it because he had promised Val, and no matter where they ended up after this situation, he was committed to doing the right thing.
“You know that mixed-use you were talking about a few weeks ago. The one you said went under contract?”
“Do you have an address or lot number?”
“You didn’t say at the time but I’m going to venture a guess. Does the corner of Muñoz Marin Boulevard and Clemente Avenue ring any bells with you?”
Andreas leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. “Ah, yes. It went under contract about a month ago, pending financing. But not to worry. It’s not under contract any longer.”
Philip’s stomach turned sour. “Why?”
“My understanding is the buyer was not approved for financing.”
He took a deep breath, the bile now somewhere in his throat. Val was right. She had been steamrolled. “And how do you happen to know all of this?”
Andreas shrugged, undoing a cuff link to roll up his sleeve. “It’s a small world, Philip. You know that. The bank manager and I go back many years.”
“Dad,” Philip groaned. “Do you realize how illegal that is?”
Andreas dropped his hand and leaned forward in his chair. “It was a weak application. Probably saved the buyer a foreclosure down the road.”
“Are you even listening to yourself? Do you have any idea who that buyer is? Or what the circumstances are behind that purchase?”
“It’s not my job to know that.”
“Well, I happen to know. That application you interfered with belongs to Val Navarro. Do you remember her from the fundraiser? You spent over an hour talking to her at dinner.”
His father’s face went impassive, but there was no mistaking the way the color drained from it. “You’re joking.”
“I wish with all my heart that I wasn’t.”
Andreas stared at him and not for the first time did Philip wish his father didn’t have such a damned good poker face. “I’m surprised she’d have the means to buy the property. I can’t imagine the income from a small restaurant would cover the purchase value of the building.”
Philip’s breath came hard and fast. “That’s beside the point. Not only is what you did professionally unethical, that restaurant has been in her family since they moved to East Ward and they were all pulling together to buy the building. She was within her rights to put an offer in for it, and she was the preferred buyer. There was no reason for you to interfere.”
“I don’t see why she can’t continue to operate her restaurant, regardless of who owns the building—”
“You’re not listening to me! If you could so callously block her ability to buy that building, how is she going to feel safe having the same company who sunk her application as her landlord?”
Andreas’s face hardened. He was slipping into raider mode, and Philip wasn’t going to be able to reason with him if he did so.
“Dad,” Philip said. “Do you remember when you told me about Grandfather, how after the uprising, he brought the entire family from Slovakia to live in the United States?” It was a legendary story in their family—his grandfather selling his farmland and equipment to pay the passage for his family to come through Ellis Island and relocate in New Jersey.
Andreas looked uncomfortable. “Yes, of course. your grandfather Filip was a giant of a man.”
Philip nodded. “When he came, he had just enough money to rent a little apartment in Hibernia, and little by little, he and his brother bought and flipped the rentals along the river. You remember what people used to say about him?”