Chapter 21
Nydia parked in the airport lot and walked to the terminal to wait for Lamar’s flight to arrive. Because he was flying in on Christmas Eve, she’d recommended that he fly into Charlotte, North Carolina, and then take a connecting flight to the Westchester County Airport. The airport was only seven miles from White Plains and her brother’s home.
She’d managed to keep busy since her return to New York. She assisted her mother in the salon and filled in for the receptionist and shampooer when they took their breaks.
Milagros called to ask her whether she wanted to join her bowling, but she had turned her down because she’d left her ball and shoes in New Orleans. She enjoyed bowling with the retirees, and she didn’t mind the hostile stares when the victorious Innkeepers posed for photographs holding their first-place trophy. Nydia ignored the snide remarks whenever someone called her a ringer. She wanted to tell them she wasn’t a ringer but someone for whom bowling had been a serious hobby.
She had set up a loop with Jasmine, Hannah, and Tonya for them to send and reply to texts. Hannah claimed she was through stressing over when the inn would open for business, and St. John had surprised her with plans to take her to an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean for two weeks during his college’s winter break.
Nydia’s cell phone rang. She took it out of her pocket, a slight frown creasing her forehead when she saw Cameron’s name on the display. Her heartbeat quickened and she prayed something hadn’t happened to Jasmine. She still had another month before her baby was due.
“Is something wrong with Jasmine?”
“Yes and no.”
“What do you mean yes and no, Cameron!” Nydia noticed people staring at her when she realized she was yelling, and she moved away from those waiting in baggage claim.
“Jasmine’s in the hospital.”
“What!”
“The baby’s okay, but Jasmine dropped a box on her foot and broke a bone. Right now she’s in a soft cast. She’s going to be laid up for four to six weeks.”
“What was she doing lifting boxes?”
“Please don’t get me started, Nydia. I’ve talked to her until I’m blue in the face about doing too much in her condition. She’s been complaining of backaches, and now the doctor tells me she’s spotting. That’s why the doctor wanted to keep her for a few days to make certain she’ll be okay. And . . .”
“And what, Cameron?”
“I did something to her that I swore I’d never do.”
Nydia went completely still, her hand tightening around the phone until it left an imprint on her palm. “What the hell did you do to her?”
“I yelled at her. I grew up with my father yelling at my mother, and I swore I’d never do it to my wife. Now she refuses to talk to me.”
Nydia blew out a sigh of relief. Her first thought was he had hit her. “Give her a few days to get over it. I’ll send her a text tomorrow asking how she’s doing.”
“I’d appreciate it if you would. I hate to dump on you, but I know she listens to you.”
She wanted to tell her friend’s husband that Tonya had said the same thing about her and Hannah. However, it was Lamar who reassured Hannah that his company would oversee the installation of the elevator once the fire marshal completed and submitted his report to the city.
“Don’t worry about dumping, Cameron. Jasmine, Tonya, Hannah, and I are joined at the hip when it comes to friendship. If her foot is in a cast there’s not much she can do. I’ll be back in New Orleans the first week in January, so if she needs anything I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you, Nydia.”
“No problem, Cameron. Have a very merry Christmas and happy New Year.”
“Same to you and your family.”
As soon as she ended the call a text came up on her cell. A smile lit up her eyes. Lamar’s flight had landed, and he would meet her at baggage claim.
It was another twenty minutes before she spied him and Kendra wearing winter jackets. Winter had come to the north-east with freezing temperatures and lightly falling snow, most of which disappeared before city officials had to authorize the use of snowplows. Meteorologists were predicting a white Christmas, much to the delight of her nieces and nephews, who were planning to sled down the hill fronting the house.
She waved to get Lamar’s attention, and he returned her greeting with a wide grin. Her smile faded when he came closer. Kendra ran ahead of him. Nydia noticed his face was thinner, and she wondered if he had been sleeping well or if he was working too hard. They spoke to each other on average of three times a week and usually before he retired for bed. He had a lot more to tell her than she did him because most of her days were uneventful. His firm had won another bid not far from the state’s capital to restore a long-abandoned antebellum mansion purchased by a tech guru who wanted to use the property as a family winter retreat.
Kendra, shouldering a backpack, appeared to have grown in the few weeks since Nydia last saw her. She hugged the girl. “Welcome to New York.”
Kendra smiled, and Nydia noticed the brackets on her braces were red and green in keeping with the holiday colors. “Thank you, Miss Nydia. It’s snowing a little bit.”
“I know. That’s why I told your father to make certain you pack winter clothes, especially gloves, scarves, and hats.”
“I think he packed too much,” Kendra whispered in Nydia’s ear when Lamar was only a few feet away.
* * *
Lamar set down his carry-on and leaned over to press a kiss to Nydia’s check. “How’s it going, snow bunny?”
He thought she looked absolutely adorable in a white ski cap and matching jacket. Lamar had deliberately kept himself busy so he wouldn’t have to think about the woman with whom he had fallen in love. He had spent many sleepless nights fantasizing about having her in bed beside him. When he finally did fall asleep, it was time for him to get up and go to work. And work he did, seemingly around the clock to the point of exhaustion, dividing his time between overseeing the restoration of the plantation north of Baton Rouge, around the town of St. Francisville, to checking on the installation of the elevator at Hannah McNair’s DuPont Inn.
Lamar had deceived himself when he’d believed he had gotten used to sleeping alone, but once he got into bed with Nydia, the moment he gazed upon her naked body, and the instant he joined their bodies he realized he’d lied to himself. And since making love with her Lamar knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Nydia Santiago.
“I’m good,” Nydia said, smiling. “I’m going to take Kendra with me to get the car while you wait for your luggage. I’ll be parked at curbside.”
“Okay.”
Turning, Lamar went back to the baggage claim area. He smiled. His last trip to New York had been to run interference for Nydia when she’d been hounded by the media, and now he was back this time to celebrate Christmas with her family. And he’d promised himself not to think of anything that remotely hinted of work for the next ten days.
His luggage was among the last to appear, and he grasped the handles and wheeled them out of the terminal. A blast of frigid air and lightly falling snow greeted him as he glanced up and down at the cars and taxis idling at curbside.
“Daddy, we’re here.”
Lamar turned and spied Kendra waving at him through the side window of a dark gray BMW. The hatch opened as he neared the SUV with New York plates and a NYPD placard in the windshield. He stored the bags in the rear, closed the hatch, and came around the vehicle to sit in the second row of seats behind his daughter.
“The heat feels good.”
Nydia glanced at him over her shoulder. “It’s not as cold as it is raw.”
Lamar rubbed his hands together as he stared out the side window. “How far is your brother’s house from here?”
Signaling, Nydia pulled out into traffic. “He lives less than fifteen minutes from here.”
“How old are your nieces?” Kendra asked.
“Eleven and thirteen,” Nydia answered. “I also have two nephews. They’re only nine and ten.”
“What are your nieces’ names?” Kendra continued with her questioning.
“Noemi and Brianna, but everyone calls them Mimi and Bree.”
Lamar closed his eyes, slumping down in the leather seat, and listened to the interchange between his daughter and Nydia. It was as if time and distance hadn’t been a factor during their separation. Kendra wanted to know everything she could about Nydia’s nieces before meeting them. There was no doubt that Kendra was her mother’s child, because not only did she look like her, but both found it easy to make friends, while he had been more cautious when opening up to strangers. He never was able to bond with his college roommates the way it had been with Ignacio Gonzalez.
“Daddy, we’re here!”
He opened his eyes, unaware he’d fallen asleep during the short ride from the airport to Nydia’s brother’s home. She had parked the SUV behind a row of vehicles lining a driveway with enough room for at least six cars parked side by side. The gleaming white, three-story colonial was set on a hill with magnificent views of the Hudson River. A towering pine tree on the front lawn was decorated with tiny winking white lights that reminded him of twinkling stars in the night sky. The property was decorated for the season with large wreaths adorning the double doors painted vibrant royal blue, and tiny electric candles were in the many windows.
Lamar got out and had unloaded the bags from the cargo area when Nydia reached for Kendra’s hot-pink luggage with four wheels.
“I’ve got this,” she said, smiling.
Lamar returned her smile. “It’s heavy. My daughter thought she was staying a month, so she tried to pack everything she could find and would fit into that bag.”
Nydia gave him the “you’ve got to be kidding” look. “It does have wheels.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he mumbled under his breath.
The front door opened, and a tall, slender man wearing a black pullover and jeans came out of the house. He knew the man was one of Nydia’s brothers because they claimed the same hazel eye color.
“Why are you guys out here in the cold?” He extended his hand to Lamar. “I’m Nelson, one of Nydia’s brothers. Welcome to the Santiago insane asylum.”
Lamar shook his hand. “Lamar Pierce. And this is my daughter, Kendra. Thank you for opening your home for two more patients.”
Nelson laughed. “You’re going to fit in quite nicely with this crazy family.”
“He understands and speaks Spanish,” Nydia said, “so you better warn the others when they decide to talk about him.”
Nelson took the bag from Nydia. “Coño, what’s in here?” he asked in Spanish. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, when he saw Kendra staring up at him. “Does she understand Spanish, too?” he questioned.
Nydia patted her brother’s shoulder. “Not yet. But I plan to teach her.”
“Let’s go inside before Sandra reads me the riot act for entertaining our guests outside in the cold. By the way, Lamar, do you drink coquito?”
“But, of course. It wouldn’t be a Puerto Rican Christmas without it.”
Nelson flashed a wide grin. “Wepa!”
Lamar followed Nelson, Kendra, and Nydia into the house and exhaled an inaudible sigh when the scent of burning wood and pine wafted to his nostrils. A chandelier and a real eight-foot Norwegian spruce covered with countless small red bows were the focal points in the great room. Fires roaring in twin fireplaces behind decorative screens added warmth to the space. The sound of Christmas music flowed from hidden speakers.
Lamar smiled when he saw the number of gaily wrapped gifts piled high on the brocade tree skirt. He knew his gifts were also under the tree. This year was the first time he’d done all of his Christmas shopping online after he’d asked Nydia if he could ship his purchases to her home to avoid packing them in his luggage. She’d given him her parents’ address because her father would be home to accept the deliveries.
“Your home is stunning.”
Nelson smiled. “I can’t take credit for anything inside of this monstrosity. That honor goes to my wife.”
“Did someone mention wife?”
Lamar stared at the slender woman with a complexion reminiscent of polished mahogany. She appeared doll-like with her tiny round face, delicate features, and short natural hairstyle. She wore a bibbed apron stamped with Happy Wife, Happy Life. Her hand went to her throat.
“Please don’t tell me Don Lemon is standing in my—”
“He’s not Don Lemon,” Nydia said, cutting her off. “Sandra, I’d like you to meet Lamar Pierce and his daughter, Kendra. The only thing Lamar and Don Lemon have in common is that they’re both from Louisiana. Lamar, this is my sister, Sandra Ruiz-Santiago.”
Sandra approached Lamar, went on tiptoe, and hugged him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you and your beautiful daughter. I know you must be exhausted from traveling, so Nydia will show you to your rooms, where you can change out of those heavy clothes. Kendra will be in the room with Mimi and Bree, and Nydia, you can put Lamar in one of the rooms in the attic.”
Nelson hoisted the pink bag. “I suppose this one is yours, Kendra?” She nodded. “Come with me and I’ll show you where you’ll sleep. I say ‘sleep’ because most of the time the kids hang out in the basement.”
Lamar followed Nydia up the circular staircase to the third story while marveling at the beauty of the grand residence. He took note of the beautiful rugs lining the landings and framed photographs on the walls. If Sandra was responsible for decorating her home, then she had exquisite taste.
“How many bedrooms are in this house?” he asked Nydia.
“There are six on the second floor, two additional ones in the attic, and the mother-in-law suite on the first floor bringing the total number to nine. Nelson had turned the attic into a playhouse for Mimi and Bree until Sandra suggested he convert them into bedrooms so they would have enough sleeping space for whenever they have the entire family over. The girls cried and pouted until he called the contractor back and had him finish the basement, where everyone hangs out twenty-four seven. There’s a bathroom with a shower, vanity, and commode across the hall that you won’t have to share with anyone. There’s also a closet in your bedroom if you need to hang up anything.”
They stopped at the top landing, and Lamar walked into the bedroom decorated in the cool colors of blue and white with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the river. A queen-size bleached pine sleigh bed positioned under an eave beckoned him to come and sleep away the hours. A bedside table with a hurricane-inspired table lamp, matching chest-on-chest and double dresser, and a rocker with plump seat and back cushions made it the perfect bedroom for guests.
Lamar set his luggage near the door. “Where are you sleeping?”
“I’m sharing a bedroom with Abuelita. As her only granddaughter she expects me to look after her.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, but how old is your grandmother?”
“She’s a very spry and spirited eighty-five-year old. You’ll have to forgive her if she begins to interrogate you about me, because she’s very protective of her nieta.”
“Does she know about the stunt your ex fabricated?”
Nydia shook her head. “I doubt it because if she did then she definitely would’ve mentioned it to me. I’m going downstairs to finish helping out in the kitchen. We’re going to have more folks than usual because Sandra invited a few of her coworkers to join us.”
Lamar wanted to know more about Nydia’s family but knew if he was going to spend a week with them, then he would become more than acquainted. “Thank you, sweets.”
“What for, Lamar?”
He stopped himself before taking her in his arms and kissing her with all of the passion he had repressed since seeing her again. Lamar had believed not seeing her for nearly a month was enough time for him to ask himself if it was love, loneliness, or infatuation that he felt for her, and in the end he knew it was love. For the second time in his life he had fallen in love with a woman and wanted her to share not only his life but also his future.
“For allowing me to share a little piece of your life.” Lamar went completely still when he saw Nydia’s eyes filled with tears. “What’s the matter, sweets?”
Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled not to cry. “You don’t have a little piece,” she said after a pregnant silence. “You have all of it.”
Turning on her heel, she ran down the staircase as if someone were chasing her, leaving Lamar staring at the spot where she had been. He stood there, unable to move for a few minutes, as he attempted to bring his tortured thoughts into focus. He loved her and there was no doubt Nydia loved him, but he wondered if it was too soon to ask her again to become his wife. They’d met for the first time in August and now it was December, and in the span of four months he’d fallen in love and made love with a woman whose mere presence had tied him into emotional knots. Sighing heavily, Lamar felt calmer than he had in a very long time. He would wait until January, when Nydia would come back to New Orleans to make it her permanent home. Closing the bedroom door, he opened the Pullman and unpacked.
* * *
Nydia opened the freezer and removed a plastic container. “How many pasteles do you want me to take out?”
Sandra, stirring sofrito, alcaparrado, salt, pepper, and cumin in a half cup of heated achiote oil in a five-quart pot with a wooden spoon, glanced over her shoulder. “There’s going to be sixteen of us, so take out at least thirty.”
“Make it forty,” Isabel suggested. “Luis and Nelson never stop at two.”
Nydia placed twenty parchment-wrapped vegetable and meat tamales in a large pot, covered them with cold water, and tossed in a handful of salt. She turned on the stovetop and adjusted the heat to a gentle boil.
Before driving to the airport to pick up Lamar and Kendra, she had set the table in the dining room with place settings for sixteen. Earlier that morning her brothers had added the extra leaves in the table, doubling its length. They had also set up warmers on the buffet server where everyone would serve themselves before sitting down at the table. The menu included roast pork shoulder, pasteles, tostones or twice-fried green plantains with mojito, a garlic dipping sauce, arroz con gandules, and sliced avocado. The beverage choices were lemonade and hot chocolate for the children, and coquito and white sangria for the adults.
“Nydia, could you please go and get your prometido and have him taste my coquito to see if it’s better than his friend’s abuela’s.”
She turned and stared at her grandmother. Although she’d informed everyone she was inviting a friend and his daughter to join them for the holiday week, her grandmother, in particular, wanted to know everything about Lamar. Nydia had told Ana Medina how he’d become fluent in Spanish and that he was fond of Puerto Rican food.
“Please don’t tell me you’re competing with his friend’s grandmother, Abuelita,” she said under her breath.
“I heard that, nieta,” Ana spat out. “Now, go and get your prometido.”
Nydia lowered the flame under the pot. “He’s not my fiancé, Abuelita.”
“What else can he be if you invite him to meet your family?”
“He’s my novio.”
Ana waved a heavily veined hand. “Boyfriend or fiancé is the same to me.”
Isabel closed her eyes and shook her head. “Nydia, please go and get Lamar before my mother starts arguing with you and ruins everything,” she whispered in her ear.
Ana’s bright green eyes narrowed behind the lenses of her round, wire-rimmed glasses. “What did you say, Isabella?”
“I just told Nydia to go and get her boyfriend so he can sample your coquito.”
Nydia left the kitchen and walked through a narrow hallway leading to the rear of the house and down a staircase to the basement. Recessed LED lights were dimmed, but there was enough illumination to see Lamar, Kendra, her brothers, and their children sprawled on reclining leather chairs and sofas watching Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
A long table was filled with bowls of snacks including popcorn, potato chips, guacamole, salsa, buffalo wings, deviled eggs, and pita chips to offset hunger until everyone sat down to dinner, which was scheduled to begin in an hour.
She leaned over the back of his chair. “My grandmother wants to see you upstairs,” she whispered in Lamar’s ear.
Nydia lingered over his head, savoring the scent of the body wash from his recent shower. He’d changed from his sweater and cords into a pair of charcoal-gray flannel slacks and a crisp white untucked shirt. Nodding, he stood and took her hand as they made their way to the staircase.
“Why does she want to see me?” he asked.
“You’ll see,” she said mysteriously.
Nydia watched Lamar’s reaction when he took a sip of the Puerto Rican eggnog made with fresh grated coconut rather than the canned sweetened cream of coconut. “What do you think?”
“Este es el mejor coquito que he tenido.”
Smiling, Ana Medina clapped her hands as a network of fine lines fanned out around her eyes. “I told you he would like it. He says it’s the best he’s ever had, and that means he likes it better than his friend’s abuela’s. I got the recipe from my mother, which has been passed down through generations. She always used fresh grated coconut instead of the canned coconut milk.”
Lamar nodded. “That really makes the difference.”
Isabel opened the oven to test the doneness of a pork shoulder large enough to feed at least twenty. “Lamar, Nydia told us how you learned Spanish, but I must say you speak it better than my grandchildren.”
Lamar met Nydia’s eyes. “Kids nowadays don’t know the importance of being bilingual until they’re older.”
“How often do you speak it?” Isabel continued with her questioning.
“Not often enough,” Lamar said as he took another sip of eggnog. “I must confess I only get to speak it with Nydia.”
Sandra added rice to the smoked neck bones in the pot and stirred them until they were coated with oil. “You’ll be able to speak it every day once Nydia moves to New Orleans.”
Lamar gave each woman a lingering stare. “That’s something I’m really looking forward to.”
“So she is your prometida.”
“Abuelita, Lamar is not my fiancé,” Nydia said, as pinpoints of heat dotted her face.
Sandra turned to glare at her. “If he’s not your fiancé, then what is he? Even when you were dating that bum Danny, you never invited him over for Christmas dinner.”
Nydia took a deep breath to slow down the runaway beating of her heart. “Lamar is my novio.”
“What’s going on here?” asked a deep male voice. Luis Santiago had come into the kitchen without making a sound. “Don’t everyone answer at the same time.”
Nydia felt with the appearance of her father she had been suddenly rescued from a pride of ravenous lionesses. She walked over to her father and looped her arm through his. “Papi, Lamar was just giving Abuelita his approval on her coquito.”
Luis gave her a questioning look. “That’s not what I overheard.” He rested a hand on Lamar’s shoulder. “You don’t have to answer anything until I read you your Miranda warning, because these ladies will interrogate the hell out of you without legal counsel.”
Sandra continued stirring the pot with the rice and pigeon peas. “I’m a lawyer, so I’ll act as his counsel.”
Luis, a retired NYPD sergeant, stroked the mustache and goatee he’d grown since losing most of his hair at fifty. “I’m sorry, Sandra, I’m not going to let you and these other chis-mosas put my daughter’s boyfriend on the spot just because you want to get into their business.”
Isabel crossed her arms over the front of her apron. “We’re not gossipers, and I’m sorry if you believe we’re putting you on the spot, Lamar, but it’s obvious you’re much more than a boyfriend to my daughter. I’m saying all of this because you know what she’s been through, and I just need to make certain you’ll be able to protect her.”
Nydia hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she felt the constriction in her chest depriving her of oxygen that made her feel slightly lightheaded. She met Lamar’s eyes, wondering what was going on behind the golden orbs.
“Not only do I love Nydia,” he said in a quiet voice, “but I’m also in love with her. That means you will never have to concern yourself about whether I will protect her.” That said, he turned and walked out of the kitchen.
“I like that young man,” Luis said, smiling.
Nydia bit her lower lip, as she chose her words carefully. “Mami, Sandra, and Abuelita, I hope you will stop with your inquisition. When I asked Lamar to celebrate Christmas with us, I didn’t think you would make him feel uncomfortable.”
Sandra made a sucking sound with her tongue and teeth. “He was hardly uncomfortable. Didn’t you see him give us the death stare? And I promise not to ask him any more questions.”
Nydia nodded. “What about you, Mami?”
Isabel rolled her eye upward. “Okay. My lips are sealed.”
“Abuelita?”
Ana narrowed the green eyes she’d passed along to her daughter and grandchildren. “The only thing I’m going to ask him is when is he going to marry my only granddaughter?”
“Abuelita!”
“Don’t Abuelita me, Nydia! You’re thirty-three, practically a vieja, so it’s time you think about getting married.”
“She’s not an old woman,” Sandra and Isabel said in unison.
Nydia affected a graceful curtsey. “Thank you very much.”
The chiming of the doorbell echoed throughout the first story. “That must be my coworkers,” Sandra said. She covered the pot, wiped her hands on a dishcloth, and left the kitchen to answer the door.