West Side Love Story by Oliveras Priscilla

Author:Oliveras, Priscilla
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Montlake
Published: 2022-06-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Heading to the lobby. See you there.

Mariana hit “Send” on her text to Nina, then slipped her phone inside her satchel. Her eyes fluttered closed on a bone-weary sigh. Just when they’d gotten past one mess, another popped up in its place. Unfreakingbelievable.

If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear the organizers were punking all of them. But Galán and others had made it clear their commitment remained to the charitable organization. Plus, to avoid any semblance of favoritism, the band pairings had been randomly selected in a luck-of-the-draw—or bad-luck-of-the-draw—scenario.

Eyes still closed, she sucked in a deep breath. Needing just a second—or two—to quiet the emotions and thoughts cycloning inside her. The stress of the last twenty-four hours—the interview and meeting with Galán, the competition and awaiting the results, avoiding Angelo to avoid the crush of familia guilt only to feel its elephantine weight anyway because he deserved better—had taken its toll. Add this new, horrifying turn in the Battle . . . ay, all she wanted was a soak in the tub and a supersize glass of cabernet with her phone on “Do Not Disturb.”

She had time for neither.

After early mass at the Basilica this morning, Papo had picked up barbacoa for breakfast tacos on the way home. Those who weren’t too nervous to eat had filled their bellies, and their entire familia had crammed in the sala at Casa Capuleta. Some on the couch. Papo in his recliner. Several on dining room chairs they dragged over. The rest sprawled on the floral area rug. Everyone anxiously watching Sunday Morning in San Antonio, desperate for the segment when the Battle of the Mariachi Bands Round One results were announced.

A millisecond after Patricio Galán’s glorious words—“Landing in the top spot, Mariachi Las Nubes”—pandemonium erupted in their house. Shrieks and cheers and cries of “Ay Dios mío!” Group hugs and happy dances and claims of hearts pounding in their chests.

Once the celebration that had no doubt awoken the Gomez familia upstairs finally settled to a delirious hum, Nina had shocked Mariana’s socks off by hesitantly approaching her and Mamá to ask whether she could tag along with the band today. Nina was two weeks shy of reaching the end of her grounding, but this was the first time she’d shown any real interest in Las Nubes. More importantly, the flash of yearning in the teen’s eyes when Fabiola and Teresita had dog-piled on top of Claudia, the three of them rolling on the floor amid squeals of joy, had empathy welling in Mariana’s chest.

It had taken some convincing, but Mamá finally agreed to let Nina attend the meeting, then grab a late lunch with Mariana. Nina’s “thank you” and the shy smile that rarely cracked her tough-girl facade had Mariana praying the teen might be finding her way to trusting them.

“You okay?”

Angelo’s question pulled Mariana out of her musings to realize everyone else had left the orchestra seating area. Except him, standing in the aisle at the end of their row, waiting for her.

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