Page 58 of Family Bonds- Gabriela & Luca

“You’re doing that thing again,” her mother said.

“What thing?” She finished her muffin and washed it down with coffee.

“That thing where you’re having a conversation in your head, asking yourself questions and wondering what the answer might be.”

Guess she didn’t hide that as well as she thought.

“I do it all the time. Doesn’t everyone?”

“Not like you,” her father said. “Selena, why don’t we let Gabriela go on the topic of Luca? It’s obviously confusing.”

“Very. But I’m not lying when I say he’s a friend. We are good like that.”

“Are you really?”

“Mom! That’s the opposite of letting it go.”

Her father lifted his mug like he was ready to end it and help her out. “All we are saying is, if he’sjusta friend, he’s a very popular one in your eyes.”

So much for her father being on her side. “That’s because he’s pleasant to be around,” she said, nodding her head. “I like pleasant people.”

“No, you don’t,” her father said. “You normally pick pleasant people apart.”

They had her there. “Pleasant men rarely get invited to fundraisers and survive with you,” her mother said. “That takes skill.”

“Oh my god,” she muttered. This was getting way out of hand. She should have stayed at the hospital today. “You’d think I brought home a stray puppy the way you two are acting.”

Her mother smiled sweetly. “If you had, I’d ask if we could keep him too.”

Her father laughed outright.

Before she could form a proper reply, the front door opened. Garrett appeared in the doorway and she only hoped that he was going to save her.

“So,” Garrett said, surveying the room. “Is this the official Luca discussion, or did I miss it?”

So much for being saved.

“There is no Luca discussion,” she said quickly.

Garrett’s grin widened. “That’s what people say when thereabsolutelyis.”

Her father leaned back. “We were just talking about how nice he is.”

“I thought he was nice too,” Justine said.

“Nice,” Garrett repeated. “That’s an interesting choice of word.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“It means,” Garrett said, helping himself to the coffee pot, “that you don’t usually bring ‘nice’ guys around unless you’re at least a little invested.” He scratched his chin. “Wait. When was the last time you were even with a nice guy by your terms?”

She snarled. This was turning into pick on Gabriela day. “I bring plenty of nice people around.”

“Name three,” Garrett said immediately.

She opened her mouth. Closed it.

“Exactly,” her mother said. “Also—friends don’t text each other like teenagers avoiding curfew.”