* * *
Dinner was lively. Everyone took turns contributing to the conversation.
Milán turned to her hostess. “This is a fabulous meal, Jeanie.”
“She’s outdone herself as usual,” her husband praised.
Sabrina gave Milán a nudge. “Jeanie excels at three things. Cooking, bringing a crowd together and fixing people up.”
Everyone nodded in agreement and the table buzzed anew with comments. Milán observed Adrian being noticeably quiet.
“Oh, don’t mind him,” Justin told her after following her line of sight. “He’s been fixed up more by his mother than he’s sold houses.”
Milán’s gaze returned to her plate.
Adrian rolled his eyes. “Quit exaggerating.”
“I’m just saying.” Justin laughed. “It’s been a lot.”
“An awful lot,” Sabrina chimed in.
“A whole lot.” His dad chuckled getting in on the fun.
Adrian shifted in his seat. “Okay, we get it.”
Milán directed her attention to Justin. “So what you’re saying is none of them were ever a love connection?”
“Oh, there’ve been plenty of love connections,” Heathcliffe alleged. “Just not for Adrian. Isn’t that right, son?”
When she pressed for details, a collective groan went around the table. Milán glanced at Norma Jean with curiosity.
“It’s a long story,” Norma Jean began.
“Mom, do we really need to bore Milán with details?”
She smiled at her son. “We most certainly do.”
Norma Jean recounted how she’d arranged a date with her best friend’s niece, Sabrina, but Adrian stood her up. Justin picked up the story from there.
“So naturally, I couldn’t let him do that,” he said with a laugh.
“Naturally,” Adrian said, drily.
“I went to the restaurant to break the date on his behalf.”
“And before I knew it, he’d assumed Adrian’s identity,” Sabrina added.
“But didn’t you know Justin wasn’t him?” Milán queried.
Sabrina shook her head. “How could I?”
Milán stared at Adrian. “You didn’t contact her before the date? You know, to break the ice?”
Adrian shrugged. “I wasn’t planning on going so there was no point.”
The expression Milán gave him could’ve melted steel. “You should’ve told her the truth and canceled the date like a gentleman.”
The table was silent for a moment before Sabrina said, “It’s amazing everything worked out in the end. Actually, we should thank my ex-boyfriend who happened to show up right then. He was a real jerk.”
Milán’s cool expression settled on Adrian. “Apparently, he wasn’t the only one.”
“Uh, anyway,” Sabrina continued, “he came over and introduced himself.”
Justin turned toward Milán. “I couldn’t tell him my real name before I’d told Sabrina the truth so I told him I was Adrian.”
Milán gasped, waving her hands excitedly. “¡Oh, Dios mío! ¡Que una aventura!”
The table collectively looked from Milán to Adrian and back again. Adrian’s expression was unreadable.
“Perdóname,” Milán apologized. “I said, what an adventure.”
“It certainly was,” Sabrina agreed. “I didn’t know you were Spanish.”
“I’m not. My mother is Mexican, and my father is African-American. My parents insisted we grow up bilingual.”
“That’s fantastic,” Sabrina replied. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”
“Two sisters, Nyah and Elena. I’m the oldest.”
“It’s great you’re fluent,” Sabrina complimented. “I barely passed French. You know Adrian—”
“Knows all about Milán being bilingual,” he interrupted. “I got a sample of the lovely senorita’s Spanish when we met,” he informed the crowd.
Justin and Sabrina shot glances at Adrian, but he didn’t make eye contact.
“So, what happened next?” Milán inquired, missing the exchange.
“They fell in love and are living happily ever after.” His mother sighed happily.
Adrian stood up and began clearing dishes off the table. “See? It turned out great for everyone. Now who’s up for dessert?”
“You all relax,” Norma Jean told the group. “We’ll be right back.”
Adrian followed her into the kitchen. As soon as they cleared the doorway, Norma Jean punched him. “What are you really doing here?” she demanded.
Chapter 6
“Ouch.” Adrian grabbed his arm. “What was that for?”
“You’re lying.”
Adrian rubbed his arm. “I’m getting really tired of hearing that. I told you. I was in the area, and since when has my showing up out of the blue been a surprise?”
Norma Jean placed her hands on her hips. “Oh, please, you were just here two days ago, Adrian. Like you had no idea we’d invited Milán over tonight for dinner. What kind of game are you playing?”
“None.”
Norma Jean looked skeptical. “I’m your mother, remember? I know when you’re lying to me. If you’re trying to pull the wool over my eyes, you’ll need to do better than this. I mean really, son, this isn’t even original.”
“Okay, detective. Tell me how I’d know Milán was here when I haven’t spoken to you since I left that night?”
“You’re resourceful, you tell me.” Going to the refrigerator, Jeanie retrieved the banana pudding and then the bowls from the cupboard.
Adrian regarded his mother while he gathered spoons from the silverware drawer. “Fine. You don’t believe me, I get it, but Justin and Sabrina dropped in, as well. Are you going to punch them in the arm, too?”
“Don’t be silly,” she chided. “And why are you acting like you don’t speak a lick of Spanish?”
“Hey, she assumes I don’t speak her language so why bother to change her opinion? And what’s with the inquisition?”
“Is that what you think this is?”
“It’s kind of hard not to. Two weeks ago you were trying to get Milán and me together. Now you’re throwing kitchen knives at me with your eyes across the table.”
“I was not,” she protested. “I was trying to help you for work—nothing more. You botched things up so badly when you met, the last thing I want is her thinking I set her up.”
He laughed heartily. “Since when?”
Norma Jean rolled her eyes.
The evening had definitely not gone according to plan. Adrian was used to being the topic of discussion in a crowd, just not in a negative light.
“It’s