This Could Be Us (Skyland, #2)(70)

“Hey, at least you come home to a clean house and a home-cooked meal every night now that Dad’s home, right?” I deadpan, knowing damn well he’s asking her what’s for dinner as soon as she walks through the door.

“Boy, you know your daddy better than that.” She rolls her eyes and laughs. “But I will say he found all these easy Crock-Pot recipes online. He even made one last week. It was pretty good. I was shocked.”

“My father, Belmont Cross, cooked a meal?”

“He’s on the internet all the time now. Mostly Facebook, and he found this lady who has a recipe and a life hack for everything. She’s in Atlanta, I think.”

It could be anyone. Atlanta’s a huge city, and the internet makes the possibilities infinite, but something makes me ask, “What’s her name?”

“That Puerto Rican lady, Soledad something,” Mama mutters, brow furrowing, possibly with the effort to recall more. “Pretty. Smart. Your dad loves to watch her.”

“Must run in the family,” I mumble.

“All I know is I came home and one of her recipes was in that Crock-Pot and he wasn’t asking me for nothing. I approve. She’s great.”

“She is. I, um, know her. I mean, like in real life.”

“How so?” Curiosity spikes in Mama’s eyes.

“Remember that huge embezzlement case I worked on at CalPot?”

“Yeah.”

“Her husband was the thief.”

“You sent her husband to jail?” Mama whistles. “Bet she can’t stand the sight of you.”

“Actually”—I suppress a grin—“I think she likes me a lot. Almost as much as I like her.”

It’s so quiet, the hum of the refrigerator is the only sound for a few seconds.

“Do you mean like?” Mama’s eyes saucer. “You like her? She likes you?”

My almost-grin drops into a scowl. “You don’t have to sound so shocked that she would like me. Wow.”

“You’ve been divorced almost four years, Judah, and, as far as I know, have never shown much interest in anyone besides your boys and your laptop, so forgive me if I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Not like we’re in a relationship or anything,” I admit… reluctantly.

“Well, no, because your daddy told me she’s not dating. Got that whole hashtag datemyself thing going on.”

“You know about that?”

“Is she dating you?” Mama frowns. “Now that just don’t seem right to have all these girls running around here dating themselves when she dating you.”

“We’re not dating.”

“But I thought you said you liked her liked her.”

“I do.”

“And she likes you?”

Don’t stop.

Soledad’s parting words have haunted me ever since she spoke them, had me tossing in my sleep, playing on repeat in my head. I’ve taken those two words as something to hold on to until I can hold on to her.

“Yeah, I think she likes me, but she’s self-partnering.”

“Lord, if these girls don’t be making stuff up.”

“It’s not made up, Ma. Her divorce wasn’t that long ago. She wants to heal and make sure she’s ready for…”

Me.

Not me, but a relationship.

It’s more accurate to say she wants to make sure she’s ready for her, to be exactly herself when she is ready to be with someone again, but I hope she’ll be ready for me too.

“Ready for what?” Mama presses.

“She was a stay-at-home mom most of their marriage, and loved it,” I answer indirectly. “Now her ex is in prison, and she’s providing for herself and her girls. Standing on her own. Has her independence. She wants to enjoy that and make sure she’s healthy.”

“I admire that,” Mama says. “What does Tremaine think?”

“I haven’t talked to her about it.”

“You want me not to talk to her about it?”

Divorce didn’t change anything between Mama and my ex-wife, who bonded like mother and daughter almost from the beginning. They talk all the time, not having missed a beat when things changed between Tremaine and me.

“I’d prefer to bring it up with her myself, yeah,” I tell her. “And there’s not really much to say at this point. We’re not dating or anything.”

“Oh, I hear some anything in your voice, and that’s saying something.”

“I like her a lot,” I reply quietly, not embarrassed by my feelings for Soledad, but also not wanting to pull them out for someone else to poke at and examine. “And I hope when she’s ready, we can see where that could go. For now, we’re just friends.”

“‘Just friends,’ huh?” Mama teases, but she shrugs. “Okay. I’ll let it be until further notice. Does she know about the boys?”

“You mean that my situation is complicated by two amazing boys who need a lot of support? She does. Her situation is involved too. She has three daughters who are adjusting to everything being different, especially their father being incarcerated.”

“Do they know you were the one who discovered what he was up to?”