Chapter 17

17

W hat was the saying? When it rained it poured. It had started unequivocally pouring on Sol. She'd just had dinner with her parents and was saying her goodbyes when they decided to unleash some last-minute financial news on her.

"Sol, cari?o," her dad started. "You don't need money, right?"

"Money?" she asked, confused. She'd just told him she'd lost her job.

"You have savings, right?" he continued.

"Of course."

"Good. Because with the news of your job, and while you find something else, you'll probably need that money," her mother joined in.

"I most certainly will," Sol said. They were acting strange.

Her mother took a deep breath. "Especially since your trust is not liquid at the moment."

"What do you mean it's not liquid ?" Sol asked. Money talk could be so confusing. Did she have a gaseous fund now or what?

"We've made some investments that haven't proved as quick and profitable as first expected, and part of the family money is entangled," Sol's dad explained. When she stared blankly at him, he continued, "The money in your trust was part of that investment, so your funds will be unavailable for some time."

"But fortunately you're a smart girl and have savings," Sol's mom said.

Sol decided not to disappoint them for a second time during the same day and tell them that her savings were actually the trust, and that she had counted on that money. She kissed them both goodnight and promised to call the following day.

There was nothing like being jobless and penniless at the same time. In a way, the news had almost been like being laid off all over again. The safety net she always thought would be there wasn't as immutable as she'd believed it to be.

She checked the time and decided to put the whole affair aside for at least half an hour. Once she got home, she'd have all the time to worry about being destitute.

…

Sol was trying to get there before Luke did. She wanted to partake in the whole early-is-on-time, on-time-is-late creed they seemed to share, but when she got to the terrace on carrer Parlament, he was already seated at one of the street tables.

"Hola," she said, bending down to kiss him on the cheeks. He smelled musky, with notes of wood and lavender. "You found a table!"

"Ciao, bella," he replied, and Sol almost melted. "I came in early and grabbed a bite to eat here. I hope you approve."

"Absolutely." She sat down with wobbly legs.

She should have never kissed him. What exactly was she thinking? This wasn't a friend or family member, so there was no justifiable reason for such an intimate greeting. Plus, there was no way she could get that smell out of her mind. And he needed to stop with the Italian. Immediately. It was confusing her already incongruous thoughts.

"How was your dinner?" he asked, and Sol almost didn't hear him.

Did he look more tanned?

"Uneventful," she managed to say when she finally processed what he'd asked. And, of course, her answer wasn't even true.

"No remarkable food to ensure an appropriate out-of-body experience?" Sol recognized his playful tone.

"It's not that. The food was excellent. My parents wouldn't have it any other way," she said, smiling. "It's just… they are a lot."

She had left her parents' place feeling like they were too much. But the truth was, by the time she saw Luke there, she had pretty much forgotten all about dinner, her parents' unsettling money revelations, and their repeated pleas for her to move back to Barcelona for good.

They'd been intoning some variation of the same come-back-home theme for more than fifteen years, and Sol was running out of energy to deflect their attempts. It had been hard to come up with compelling reasons to say no when her whole argument for living abroad had always been her profession and, at present, she found herself without a job.

Should she reconsider and stay in Barcelona? It wasn't like she didn't love and miss her hometown, and her family and friends in the city.

A waiter came to take her order then. On her way there, Sol had resolved to stay for half an hour, stick to water, and leave early to mull over her newfound lack of money. Luke was a complication, and she couldn't deal with more drama at the moment.

But once she saw him, she forgot everything about her resolution. She ordered a glass of Mencía and reclined on her chair, making herself comfortable, relaxing perhaps for the first time that day.

They were seated on opposite sides of a small square table. Luke had both arms over it and was leaning forward, looking at her intently. She allowed herself to drink in his dark chestnut eyes. They were severely warm. And they didn't seem to want to move from her face.

Even though it was a chilly night and they were seated outside, she almost took her leather jacket off. Why was it so hot suddenly?

"I realized this morning I never asked you about your job," Sol finally said, averting her gaze after a few minutes of a too-intense stare play between the two of them.

"What about my job?" he asked.

"What is it exactly that you do?"

The waiter came at that instant with a glass of red wine for Sol and a bottle of beer for him, and Luke decided to tell her everything, even if it didn't look good for him and it could get him in trouble with his bosses. And probably with Sol too. Even if he couldn't be completely confident about her innocence. But it was about time he did it. The duplicity was killing him.

"Merda," she said suddenly, right when he was about to come clean. "Come closer!" She waved him toward her.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Move your chair and come closer. I need to use you as a human wall," she explained. He did as he was told, moving his chair and seating himself mere inches from her. "There's someone I know and don't particularly like. I'm trying to hide."

"Let me know if this is too close," he said. She was literally making herself smaller behind him.

"This is why I hate hanging out in this neighborhood," she said in an almost whisper. "If it was during the day, I'd be wearing a pair of big sunglasses and it would be easier to go unnoticed."

"Any reason why you like going unnoticed?"

"I just hate small talk, remember? Especially with people I barely know and have never cared about."

"And this is better?" he asked, signaling her present situation.

"I know, I'm the worst… Okay, I think they went away." Her gaze was somewhere on the street corner, and her posture relaxed. "I'll admit, that wasn't my most empowered or social moment."

"I get it," he told her, and he sort of did. "My older sister has an aversion to certain acquaintances as well. Next time, do the opposite though."

"What do you mean?"

"Do the whole hide-in-plain-sight thing. It's easier to spot someone who is trying to conceal themself. And if they see you and recognize you, just pretend you have no clue who they are. That normally throws people off."

"Should I ask why you know so much about this?" She paused. "Oh, your sister probably told you all her secrets."

"You could say that. I'm very close to both my sisters."

"I gathered," she said with a smile.

"I feel like this keeps happening though." Luke realized he should probably move his chair back.

"What keeps happening? And where are you going?" Sol asked him when he started to shift his chair.

"You keep bumping into people," he told her, halfway to his previous position. "And I'm not going anywhere if you don't want me to, but I assumed you'd like to have your personal space back to yourself."

"I'm not going to argue with you about the size of my city again . This was just an unfortunate coincidence because I grew up in this neighborhood and know way too many people whose names I don't necessarily remember," she said adamantly. "And don't make assumptions about my personal space. I might still want to hide behind you, just to be extra prudent and avoid future unwanted encounters."

Luke moved back closer to Sol.

"Right. Sorry about that." He fixed his eyes on her again. "I really hope you don't do the whole hiding thing with me the next time we run into each other—here or in London."

He knew he should be going back to telling Sol what his profession was and why he was in the city, perhaps even trying to clarify some of the remaining questions he had about her. But this was much more fun.

"I promise I won't," she told him with a sly smile.