“I hope we can.”
“And what about Kyle?”
“What about him?”
“Will you still have a relationship with him?”
“No.”
“Because...”
“Because one of us would get hurt.”
“You’re not hurt now?”
“We haven’t known each other that long, and it’s easier to move on sooner rather than later.”
“You’re that sure it wouldn’t work out.”
“I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t.”
“Okay. I’m happy as long as you’re happy.”
Lourdes managed a smile so her mother wouldn’t know she felt like crying and, thankfully, Renate talked about other, more cheerful things. They had several cousins coming for Christmas dinner. Lourdes’s groundskeeper had done a beautiful job draping her trees and shrubs with Christmas lights. Mindy had an interview at the school district where she wanted to teach, so she might finally be moving on with her life.
As soon as Renate pulled into her drive, Lourdes thanked her mother for the ride and hurried to get her luggage. She was afraid Renate would want to come in. They hadn’t seen each other for several weeks. But her mother obviously realized she needed some privacy; after a brief hug, Renate murmured that she should call if she needed anything and climbed back behind the wheel.
Lourdes rushed inside. She’d thought she’d find solace in the familiar, in her house, bought with her money, from her singing. But the house just felt...empty.
*
The following day Lourdes rubbed damp palms against her jeans. She was meeting Derrick for breakfast. She’d refused to see him last night. She’d needed time to adjust to being home, to determine how she wanted to proceed. But she couldn’t put him off indefinitely. They had far too much to discuss.
When he’d asked if he could pick her up, she’d insisted on driving into town on her own—to their favorite crepe place. They came here quite often. So did Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and his wife and many famous people. Some of the other patrons stared but rarely did anyone try to approach or take pictures. She appreciated their restraint and the fact that the owners of The Crepe Café tried to protect her from intrusion—by keeping an eye out for it and, if necessary, asking the offending party to leave. Lourdes especially appreciated knowing they’d look out for her today, when she was so nervous. She would’ve gone to Derrick’s house, or had him come to hers, except that she’d wanted to be on neutral ground, somewhere open and public, where she could walk away if she needed to.
She sat with a cup of tea, alternately eyeing the door and the clock. He’d texted her that he’d received a business call and was running a few minutes late, but she’d expected him to be here by now.
She was just getting her phone out to call him when she spotted his BMW pulling into the lot. He wasn’t as handsome as Kyle, didn’t have the same rugged sort of appeal. He was thickening around the middle, had a weak chin, which he compensated for with a full beard, and some gray in his hair. But he was always well-groomed and well dressed. And he was a genius about music.
She watched while he parked and made his way toward the entrance, then stood to greet him.
“You look gorgeous!” he said but hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure whether or not to touch her. In the end, she leaned toward him for a brief embrace, which only confirmed what she already knew. She wasn’t going to marry him. Those feelings were gone.
“You look good, too,” she said. “Are you all set for Christmas?”
“No. Haven’t done any shopping. And it’s right around the corner.”
“The packages in the picture I saw online were all Crystal’s?”
He reddened at the reminder but nodded. “I met her for lunch, to...to discuss everything, like I said.”
“I remember.”
“So are you excited about the song I found?”
“‘Crossroads’?”