Page 41 of Mutual Discord

I nodded. “They couldn’t understand why I wasn’t searching for a new job more earnestly. At one point, they started to talk over me as if I wasn’t there, planning how they could move money into my bank account so I wouldn’t fall behind on my mortgage payments.”

“Oh no,” Alex whispered.

“Exactly.” I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. “So I just told them.”

“Told them…” Alex paused, shifting in his seat. “That social media was paying your bills?”

“Pretty much.” I lifted a shoulder. “As I predicted, they didn’t understand. So I showed them several videos, as well as my analytics. I think they started to realize I was being sincere when they saw my numbers.”

“I’ve never seen your numbers”—Alex whistled—“but I have seen your views, and they’re impressive.”

My lips twitched in a smile. “Thank you.” My gaze grew unfocused as I reflected on the night before. “I think what really solidified it for my mother was my video on Ángela Ruiz Robles.”

“Ah, yes, the mother of mechanical e-books long before Kindles were a thing. That was a good one.”

My body felt weightless for a moment. “I thought so. And my mother liked it, too, but she also scolded me.”

Alex chuckled. “Why?”

“Because she felt left out.” I glanced at Alex in time to see his expression darken. “She’s a historian, after all, and was offended that I hadn’t thought to use her as a resource.”

“That’s an excellent point.” Alex studied my profile. “So are you going to use her now? Now that they know?”

Slowly, I nodded. “I told them that if they kept the Matildas and my social media personality under wraps, I would include them in the brainstorming and fact-gathering part of the series. I could tell it was a hard decision because heaven knows my father loves to brag about Javi and me, but after reiterating my need to maintain some semblance of privacy, and emphasizing how weird people on the internet are, he agreed.”

“The internet is a wild place. I’m lucky that the one friend I’ve made online is weird, but in a good way.” When I shoved his shoulder, Alex laughed. “In all seriousness, though, I’m sure it’s a relief not to keep secrets from them any longer.”

“It is. And now hopefully they won’t worry about me as much,” I added with a sigh.

Alex scoffed. “Oh, they’re still going to worry.” He paused again, and I knew what he was going to say before he said it. “Do you think now you’ll tell Caitlin?”

“No.” I blurted out the word before my brain consciously thought it.

“Is it because of last night?” he asked gently.

Pressing my lips into a thin line, I simply nodded.

“She felt awful about letting the news slip.”

God, I did not need to hear Alex defend Caitlin. It made it so much worse.

“I know she did.” I focused on my breathing as I mentally organized my thoughts. “And I accepted her apology. But…I just don’t trust her…with the truth. Not yet.”

The air in the car turned thick, and thankfully Alex did not push the issue. Eventually, the tension began to leach from my bones over the silent miles we traveled. With a Fleetwood Mac album playing through the speakers, we made it out of Tucson into the desert that stretched until Phoenix. I was so relaxed that I jumped when Alex spoke.

“So, Puerto Rico.”

I groaned, briefly tapping my forehead against the steering wheel. “I hope they didn’t embarrass you. As you can tell, my parents have never met a stranger. But just because they can be overbearing doesn’t mean you have to feel any sort of pressure to go.”

“But I think I want to.”

Glancing at him askance, I frowned. “Why?”

“Why not?” He snorted. “Santiago and Carmen seem like exactly the kind of people to visit Puerto Rico with. They’re native Puerto Ricans. They are fluent Spanish speakers, while my own Spanish is subpar at best.” Alex held up his hand, ticking off the points on his fingers. “And lastly, and more importantly, their daughter is my friend. And I’d like to visit for the first time with a friend.”

Stupidly, I blinked at him before jerking my eyes back to the road. “You don’t think you should travel with your sisters first?”

Alex shook his head. “Camila and Elena have both visited on their own. Elena and Jenny actually honeymooned on the island.” He ran a hand over his head, and I wondered if his short locks were as silky to the touch as they appeared. “Because of the NBA season, I’ve never been able to plan a trip with them. And truthfully, the Scorpions schedule will make it hard to plan a June trip, but not impossible.”