“Well, nice to meet you all. You must all be such good friends to be here for Claudia today.”
“We are.” I nodded, sizing him up.
Even more uncomfortable under my scrutiny, Dustin laughed nervously and walked farther into his apartment.
He had the whole top floor to himself, the space like a loft apartment. Lots of light streamed in through the windows and I could see in the far corner was his studio. Whatever he was working on was covered up, but paint smattered the floor and walls. A kitchen ran half the length of the adjacent wall and in the center of the room was a massive corner sofa and coffee table.
My eyes stopped abruptly on the sofa.
There was a woman on it.
“Uh, I hope you don’t mind, but I invited my girlfriend Pedra to join us,” Dustin said, hurrying toward the woman. She stood up and eyed Claudia grimly. Pedra was younger than Dustin. A lot younger. Tall, olive-skinned, pretty, with dark eyes and hair, she looked like a model.
“I brought my friends, so I understand,” Claudia said. She stepped forward, holding her hand out to Pedra. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Pedra looked at her hand and I thought for a minute she wasn’t going to take it. She eventually did but her grip was loose and the action reluctant. “You have his eyes,” she said, somehow managing to sound flat in her musical Spanish accent.
“Yup.” Claudia threw me a look that clearly screamed, “Help!”
“Why don’t we sit?” I stepped forward, gesturing to the sofa.
“Right, right, of course.” Dustin watched us take a seat. “Can I get you all anything? I have water, herbal tea, and a few beers.”
“I’ll take a beer.” Beck nodded congenially and I noticed Pedra’s eyes swing to him and stick. Typical.
“I’ll have a beer as well, thanks.” Jake leaned back against the couch, his arm around my waist, resting on my hip. His grip tightened, telling me to relax, but I couldn’t.
This situation was too important.
“Water, please,” I said.
“Me too.” Claudia gave a long, shaky sigh that Dustin didn’t even seem to notice. I was guessing he was too nervous.
When we were finally settled with our drinks, the conversation continued to be stilted and awkward. However, slowly, as smiles became less tremulous and laughter less forced, Claudia and Dustin touched on more serious issues—such as her parentage and the fact that her parents had asked Dustin to stay away.
Pedra sat tense throughout the entire thing, her lips pinched into a sour, disapproving look. I wondered if it was because she didn’t want to give up the spotlight to a daughter.
It was clear that despite both needing people there for backup, neither Claudia nor Dustin were comfortable discussing the whole situation with us in the room. We talked about college instead and Dustin told us about his artwork and his upcoming show. It was clear that art was his life, his passion; it totally consumed him, turning him from this nervous guy into a pretty intense one. He insisted we should go to Plaça St. Josep Oriol, a square in the Gothic Quarter not far from our hotel where we could view amazing artwork from some of the best local artists.
After a few hours, Claudia said quietly, “Well, I know you’re busy so we’ll go, but I thought maybe we could have dinner, just the two of us, while I’m here.”
“Of course.” His seemed genuinely happy and I felt a spark of hope for Claudia. “I’d love that. Tomorrow? I’ll make reservations at El Pintor and email you the details.”
“I have my phone. Do you want my number instead?”
“Yes. Let me…” He stood, looking around the space with a furrow between his brows. “Let me just find my phone…”
“I saw it on the bathroom sink,” Pedra muttered, scowling at Claudia.
Usually Claudia would scowl back but I knew she was playing nice, so I scowled for her. As if sensing my stare, Pedra looked at me, and whatever she saw on my face made her look quickly away.
I probably looked murderous. It was the momma bear in me.
Dustin returned with his phone and took Claudia’s number, promising to text her soon with the details of their date. He gave her another awkward hug and we left.
As soon as we stepped outside the building, Claudia sagged into Beck’s side and he wrapped his arm around her waist. “You okay?” he asked, concerned.
She shrugged. “It wasn’t so bad, right? He seems nice?”