Page 29 of Fixed Up Ever After
School ended promptlyat 2:45 p.m., but apparently parents started lining up so much earlier. Except Javi didn’t realize this, so by the time he finished up with his work and let Monique know he was leaving, it was already 2:30 and the line was wrapped around the school.
One would have thought the president was in town, but no, the mile-long line was full of impatient parents waiting for their children. Though, if there was one thing the school knew how to do, it was getting the kids out of the building in a safe, but fast manner.
It took about twenty minutes before he was pulling up to the same lady from earlier. Camilia stood next to her, Elsa backpack draped over one shoulder as she ate the grapes he packed for a snack. Her entire round face lit up the moment she saw his car.
“Hi papá!” She greeted him as soon as the door was opened for her. “We got to touch frogs in school today! They were slimy and a little smelly.” She then went on to list all the facts she learned about frogs today, while her principal finished getting her in the car, waving a hasty goodbye, and closing the door.
“Can we get a pet frog?” she asked as he drove off. It was her thing to ask about any new animals she learned about and Javi was not about to try and keep up with a frog. He could only imagine where it would end up.
“Let’s keep frogs at school.”
A dramatic sigh from the back answered him, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He only hoped his next words got him a different reaction. “Are you hungry? Why don’t we go out to eat?”
Camilia’s hazel eyes grew wide, her long eyelashes fluttering. Going out to eat was a novelty that they rarely did, unless it was Maverick and Ofelia taking them. Then they would pay the bill after some protests from Javi, even knowing damn well he didn’t have spare money lying around to pay for the fancy-ass places they liked.
Lola had given him financial security and although it felt weird to use the money on such trivial things, Camilia enjoyed going out to restaurants. He didn’t want to deny her because he was uncomfortable spending money.
The excited hollering coming from the back seat was all the indication he needed to know she liked his idea. The Italian restaurant down the road from their house was one of her favorites and a large greasy pizza sounded like exactly what the two of them needed.
Not even fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant and Javi requested a booth by the window so Camilia could look out and people watch. Water for him and juice for her were brought to the table and Javi waited until they ordered their half cheese, half sausage with onions pizza before he continued on with their conversation from the morning.
He hadn't yet told her about leaving for a week. Partially because he wanted to make sure it was still happening and partially because he was afraid of her reaction. After telling his sister, only a day after their accidental double date, he was grilled with dozens of questions, each of which he had to answer to avoid suspicion.
Ofelia was smart; his sister knew how to read him better than anyone else, and although she seemed skeptical about the situation, she agreed because she loved spending time with his daughter. Especially now that she had a son she could play with. How a two-year-old and six-year-old played together, he didn’t know, but they always had a good time.
“Mija, you remember what I said this morning about having to talk?” Camilia looked up from the Barbie she snuck into her backpack this morning and nodded. “Well, papá has a friend who needs my help. She—”
“What’s her name?” Camilia interrupted. “You have friends that are girls?” His six-year-old looked flabbergasted and it made him laugh. She was a perceptive little girl.
“Her name is Lola. Remember her from the bookstore?”
Camilia scrunched up her nose, deep in thought. “Yes, but why does she need your help?”
“Well…” He trailed off, thinking of the best way to tell his kindergartner this, but also not wanting to lie. “She really needs a friend and I’m available. But it does mean I’ll be gone for a week.” He hadn’t ever been away from her for more than a day, so he was anxious about how this would turn out. He trusted no one like he trusted his sister, but Camilia was his daughter and he couldn’t stop the guilt bubbling within his chest.
“How many days is a week?”
“Seven.”
“Oh.” Camilia’s forlorn gaze amplified the guilt. She picked at her Barbie’s messy hair before her face brightened suddenly. “Wait, does that mean I’ll stay with tía Ofi and tío Mavy?”
The tension eased, but only partly as he nodded. “And Arturo. Abuelo will be around too if you need him. You are going to have a lot of fun and I promise to call you every night, mija. But if you don’t want papá to go, just say the word.”
He waited on bated breath. He didn’t believe in making all the decisions simply because he was an adult and excluding his daughter’s opinion. She got a say in what happened to her too and if she wasn’t comfortable, he wanted that to be known. Of course, that would mean losing out on one hundred thousand dollars and potentially any relationship he might have with Lola, but…
“That’s okay. I’ll have fun. You’ll bring me back a surprise?” Relief washed over him like a tidal wave. Knowing Camilia was comfortable with his trip eased a tightness within him he didn’t know he was holding on to.
“Of course, anything you want,” he said, which launched her into an explanation of a new racetrack she just had to have for her Barbies and described it in great detail before making Javi pull out his phone and look up the exact racetrack she needed so he could commit it to memory.
Thankfully their pizza soon came out, sparing him another lecture on which racetrack was the best, for the time being. He chose the cheesiest-looking piece and placed it on the plate in front of her, while he grabbed two slices for himself. He couldn’t remember the last time it was just the two of them out to eat, but he needed to cherish these moments. They went by too quickly.
Enjoying their night out together was much easier now that he got the secret off his chest and they began to brainstorm everything she needed to pack for a week-long trip to her tía’s house. What clothes, toys, and bathroom products she needed.
They ended their dinner with a slice of chocolate cake and once they were done, Javi carried her and the leftovers to the car. They hadn’t even pulled out of the restaurant when he heard soft snoring from behind him.
CHAPTER19
Lola
