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“There isn’t a man.” Denying Casildo made her heart break just that little bit more.

“Claro que no, but you had a glow, Beatriz. The same glow your sisters had when they introduced me and Papá to the boyfriends who became their husbands. And now you don’t.”

“He’s a friend.” Although she wasn’t sure of that anymore.

“It’s good to be friends with the man you love.” Her mother took her hand under the table.

“Love isn’t enough,” Bea said. Despite all the hype and social media promises.

“Without love, you have nothing.”

“I’m not without love.” Bea let some of her frustration show. “You and Papá love me, on a good day, my sisters love me.”

“It’s not the same, and I hope you’re not giving up this friend because of your family.” Her mother’s rebuke made her feel five years old. “Tell me his name.”

“Casildo Hariri.” Saying his name hurt.

“I guessed.”

“Guessed what?”

“There’s a photo of you smiling at each other in Anna and Hunter’s wedding photos. He came to pick you up when you moved out. You brought him to dinner when I asked. Tell me about him.”

“He’s Hunter’s best friend. His family’s lovely. They adopted Hunter unofficially. There are two sisters, one married.”

“You’ve met his family.” Another rebuke.

“It’s complicated, but Casildo asked me to go to dinner with him, his parents, his eldest sister and the man she’s seeing. Sort of run interference for them.”

“And you could run interference because you were a new couple?”

“He’s Hunter’s best friend and I’m Anna’s. We were missing them. It was a friendly invitation, like yours.”

“Tell me more about this friendly boy?” Her mother patted her leg under the table.

“He works in advertising, but his dream is to design and create beautiful textiles. For homes, not for fashion. He’s been sharing Anna’s apartment with me for the last month.”

“Ah. I wondered who you were living with.”

“It was an accident. We both needed a bolthole and turned up on the same day, so we agreed to share. It has two bedrooms.”

“I’m sorry you needed a bolthole.”

Bea winced.

“But it made us rethink some timelines on our plans,” her mother said. Before Bea could ask what she meant, her mother continued, “I hope you didn’t waste a whole month sleeping in separate bedrooms.”

“Mamá!”

“You had that glow.” Her mother’s face became wreathed in smiles.

“That’s what I want to talk to you about. Talk to you and Papá about.”

The promotion would cover the increase in the mortgage payments.As Casildo would say,Thank you, Jaddatee. Now, she was looking for extra work to pay her share of rent on an apartment with Casildo.

Then, I’ll ask him to take me back.

“Here comes Papá.” Her mother made the words an announcement, as if the sun, the moon and stars had stepped into the restaurant. She’d always been like that. Her parents had always been like that.