Summers are supposed to be that time of the year that you should look forward to. No school, hours at the beach, late night parties. What's not to love? Three words. My neighbor's grandson.
For once in her life, Maliah Arias is looking forward to h...
As if Jackson just showing up at my house yesterday and attempting to apologize wasn't enough to ruin my first few days of summer, my mama had to go and invite him and his mom over for lunch.
My mama, the one and only Nicole Arias is a woman of many talents. She's smart, social, and hardworking; things many people want to be. She's someone who isn't afraid to take advantage of people and play on their weaknesses, which is probably why she's the best realtor in San Diego. Although work consumes most of her life, she still is able to find a way to spend time with my papa and me.
My mama being the person she is, is what makes her friendship with Jackson's mom so different. Natalia Cruz is the complete opposite of my mom. She's a giver and will always put others before herself. She raised Jackson on her own, which makes no sense on how such an asshole could be related to the angel that Natalia is.
My mama and Natalia instantly became friends when my papa and her had moved. Natalia had just moved away from her home in Portugal so that she could live with her parents since she was currently pregnant with Jackson. Jackson's father had abandoned her after she found out she was pregnant, so when my mama moved in next door, someone who could be her friend and hold her hand through her pregnancy, the two of them instantly became besties.
Although Natalia moved back to Portugal with Jackson once he was a bit older, the two of them constantly kept in touch, never letting the friendship between them die. Eventually, she made the decision to move back to the United States when Jackson was about 11. Although they ended up moving to New York, which was all the way on the other side of the country, it still meant that they were closer than before.
Of course my mama had to invite them over the second she found out Jackson was in town. The two moms have always had this wild dream where the two of us get married and live happily ever after together. I don't think they realize the two of us absolutely despise each other.
"Honey, can you please help your papa in the kitchen? He decided to make a bunch of different dishes and is completely overwhelmed," mama says frantically as she quickly sets the table. I oblige and head into the kitchen to find papa rushing between dishes, attempting to handle four things at once.
"What do you need help with papa?" I ask as I tie my hair up, making sure it won't get in the way while I'm cooking.
"Could you just finish the arroz caldoso por favor? I'll do the rest but the arroz caldoso still needs to be mixed together?" he says as he throws some fish onto the grills. The fish sizzles as it hits the pan, sending a delicious aroma into my nose.
"I'll get on it right away."
"Gracias mija."
The two of us work quickly, mixing, cooking, cutting. Finally, after about thirty minutes, everything is in dishes and ready to be served. The two of us put together a variety of items generally eaten in Spain for lunch. Although it has been twenty years since he moved from Spain to the United States, papa still makes sure I'm fed all of the dishes he ate growing up in Spain.
As we bring the food to the table, someone knocks at the door. My mom yells "They're here," and that's when I realize I'm still in my pajamas.
"I'm going to go change real quick," I tell papa before rushing upstairs to my bedroom. I quickly throw on a pair of jeans along with a cute black cropped tee. I pull my hair into a messy bun and am about to head downstairs when my phone begins to ring. I check my phone to see who it is and my heart immediately skips a beat when I see that it's Trevor.
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