I’m shocked to hear that. “What kind of rehab?”
“Alcohol.”
“Seriously? Since when?”
“From what I heard from two other people, for a while now. He was blackout drunk when he married her and has no memory of any of it.”
“Come on,” Carmen says. “Is that the truth or what he wants people to believe?”
“I did a little more digging around and heard from two of his close friends that he’s been a mess with booze for quite some time.”
I’m shocked. “How did I not know this?”
“You’d been living apart for a long time,” Maria reminds me.
“Still, he came to New York and spent days with me, and I never saw him drink like that.”
“He probably made an effort to keep it under control in front of you, and it’s not like his friends were going to report to you about what was going on down here while you were in New York.”
“Me staying in New York when he moved home screwed up everything.”
“Don’t go there,” Carmen says fiercely. “Maybe it put some added stress on him, but it’s not your fault he’s an alcoholic.”
That may be true, but I feel sick hearing this. I notice Nico talking to Sofia at one of the waitress stations. He’s smiling, and her face is flushed as if she’s overheated or embarrassed. Knowing Nico, it’s probably the latter. I nudge Maria and use my chin to point her attention toward them. “What’s he up to?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
“I don’t, either,” Carmen says when she tunes in to what we’re discussing. “Sofia is a sweetheart. I’d hate to see him play his games with her, of all people.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Carmen says. “It’ll go better coming from me. I’m not his sister.”
“Let us know what he says.”
“What if…” Maria’s unfinished question hangs in the air.
“What if what?” I ask her.
“What if she’s really into him and is encouraging his attention?”
“If she’s into him, she doesn’t know him well enough to make that decision.” I feel immediately guilty for the harsh words about my brother, but his track record with women is awful. “And yes, I feel terrible saying that out loud.”
“It’s the truth,” Maria says bluntly. “I wouldn’t fix him up with my worst enemy.”
“Maybe we can fix him up with the skank to get him away from Sofia,” Carmen says, and the three of us lose it laughing. We laugh so hard that we have to hold each other up.
When we finally calm down, I find Wyatt watching me with the sweetest look on his face, as if it makes him happy to see me having a good time.
We leave the restaurant a short time later and head to my parents’ home to share our news with them and, if my mom is amenable, have him take a look at the chemo port that’s giving her trouble. I’m nervous about them hearing his story, although, knowing my family, they probably already know all about him. I’m sure one of my aunts called them after brunch to fill them in on the goings-on.
“My parents might already know everything.” We’re at a red light on Calle Ocho. “News travels fast in our family.”
He squeezes my hand. “I’m ready for them. Don’t worry.”
I love how he always wants to be touching me, even if we’re just driving somewhere together.
“Any thoughts on the possibility of coming to Phoenix and driving back with me?”
“I’d love to. My uncle and I agreed I’d start next month. He said they need some time to get a few things figured out on their end, but we’re going to start training this week.”
“That works since I’d have to give a couple of weeks’ notice to my current job. Can you get coverage for your shifts at the restaurant so you can come with me?”
“I won’t be able to leave the same day you do, but I’ll make it so I can come there later so I can help you pack and drive back with you.”
“That means a couple of weeks with no Dee. How am I supposed to deal with that?”
“We can FaceTime every day.”
“I guess. See what you’ve done to me in three days? The thought of being without you for even two weeks sends me into a deep, dark depression.”
“Stop being dramatic,” I say, laughing even as he sets my heart to racing with his sweet words.
“I’m not dramatic. I mean it. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too. Hopefully, it won’t be for long.”
“I’m probably jinxing myself by making plans as if I’ve already got the job.”
“You’ll get it. They’d be crazy not to hire you.”
“They may have the same concerns you do about my expiration date. I’m under no illusions that they haven’t already discovered I’m a transplant recipient.”
“I have no concerns whatsoever about your expiration date. I happen to believe you’re going to live to be a cranky old man who drives me crazy chasing me around the house trying to get lucky.”
“Will you still want to be caught when I’m old and crotchety?”
“Hell yes.”
“You give me hope it might happen.”
“We just have to believe. My mom has been reading a lot of self-help stuff since she got sick, and the one thing she’s always telling us is that we have to stay positive, that an optimistic mindset is as critical as the medical treatment she’s receiving.”
“She’s right. I see that a lot in my practice. Patients who stay positive and keep fighting tend to be the ones who live the longest. It makes a big difference.” He pauses before he adds, “I appreciate that you have such a strong belief that everything will be okay as long as we stay positive.”
I take my eyes off the road to glance over at him. “But?”
“The odds are what they are, no matter how much faith we have in miracles. We need to stay positive, but keep it real at the same time.”
“We can do that, can’t we?”
“We can certainly try.”
“I refuse to obsess over what might happen sometime far off in the future.”
“That makes you a unique woman, love.”
“I am rather unique, and did you hear I’m going to be the general manager of one of the most popular restaurants in Miami?”
“I did get that memo, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
“I have no idea what I’m doing, but Vincent and Viv told me they’d teach me everything I need to know, and of course, they’ll always be available if I need them. It’s just so crazy that they asked me.”
“No, it isn’t. They see something in you they need, and not just family loyalty, but a practical, no-nonsense, get-things-done professional woman who already knows their business and can pick up the reins from them and run with it.”
“Wow, you make me sound so amazing.”
He kisses the back of my hand. “You are amazing, and everyone knows it, especially me.”
“This weekend started awful and turned into one of the best of my life.”