Page 30 of Tied and Tangled
“Fernie, babe, this is really nice of you but—"
“No buts,” she cut me off, not letting me get a word in edgewise. She stood and extended her hand. “We’re Martinez women,” she reminded me sternly. “Life is going to toss our way. Good or bad, no matter what…” She paused so I could fill in the blank.
“Everything will be okay.”
“Hell yes, it will be!” She nodded. “Now, whatever is going on will look better after a shower and brushing your teeth,” she ordered. I exhaled slowly.
I knew she was right.
I’d had my time of hiding away. I had holed up in my bedroom for the last twenty-four hours. Shockingly enough, my mom had had something going on and let me have time to myself. But all good things come to an end. But as I looked at one of my five sisters, I knew Fernanda was right. I stood straighter and wiped the tears from my face. I took her hand and stood up.
“You’re right,” I said, my voice hoarse from all the crying I’d done.
“Wanna talk first?” she asked. I shook my head.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” My lips wobbled, and my older sister became blurry in front of me. Thankfully, no matter how tough Fernanda was, she had a soft spot for each of her sisters.
“Okay, Aria, spill. You screwed the single dad, didn’t you?”
“Hmm, screwed,” I repeated and took in a jagged breath.Screweddidn’t feel like the right word.
“Oh, honey.” I hated the pity I saw in her eyes.
“I didn’t screw him,” I muttered, but I could tell she wasn’t listening.
“What do I tell you guys? The best way to get over a guy is —"
“To get under another one,” I finished her sentence. The thought of just hooking up with some random guy felt… icky. Aiden hadn’t just been a hookup. “I fell in love with him,” I shared, and she gave me a sad smile.
“Tell me something I haven’t known since about the third week you started working there,” she noted. My lips wobbled.
“I was that obvious?” I asked.
“Nah,” my sister lied to make me feel better. “But I know you. So… what happened?”
“The night of the earthquake, I thought things changed. That we were starting something. Something more.”
“More?” she asked, but I could tell she was fighting tooth and nail not to roll her eyes. Fernanda didn’t believe in always and forever.
“We decorated the house for Christmas and watched old movies, and we share a birthday, but he woke up god only knows when and made me a cake and all my favorites.”
“You share a birthday?” I nodded, and I could see that got to her. “A twin flame,” she mumbled. “But?”
“But I was wrong. So damn wrong.” I shook my head. “Now I need to find a new job and—"
“He fired you?” I could see the heat start to flare in her eyes. She was getting pissed, and an angry Fernanda was never a good thing.
“I quit,” I shared. One of Fernanda’s perfectly plucked brows rose with curiosity. “He’s planning on sending the girls to boarding school in January. He was going to get rid of me anyway. I just beat him to it.”
“Well…”. She sighed. I could see she was trying to come up with a way to cheer me up. Some wise words to soothe my soul. “Maybe this is a good thing? Maybe this way, you take the holidays off and travel?”
“Travel?” I laughed. “With what money?”
“Come on. We both know you have money stashed away, and I can pitch some in. Getting away would be good for you. See new places, meet new people.”
“But the girls and Mom—"
“Are going to be fine. We’re all grown—" As she kept talking, something inside my chest stopped.