Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
She held a little chest in her hands. “I have something for you.”
“What is it?”
“Teresa gave it to me to give to you. She told me to deliver it on a good day, and I think today is a good day.”
I arched an eyebrow, perplexed about what Tatiana meant. “What do you mean Teresa told you to give it to me?” My brows knitted. “You knew my aunt?”
“When I was a little girl,” she mentioned. “My family called me Ana.”
My chest tightened as the realization settled in. “You’re the little girl Teresa nannied?”
“That’s me.” She chuckled as she showed me the locket around her neck. The one I’d read about in Teresa’s diary. “The one and only.”
What in the world was happening?
“Tatiana… I’m a bit confused,” I told her.
She nodded. “Yeah, I know. I figured as much. About a year ago, Teresa showed up to me with these letters. I remembered her the moment she smiled my way. She had that kind of smile. The kind a person could never forget. We caught up for a while, and she told me she was sick and didn’t have much time left. Then she asked me if I could do something for her great-nephew.”
I stood taller, trying to force my knees not to buckle in. “What did she want you to do?”
“Make sure you got to know a sweet girl named Yara Kingsley. She and Mr. Parker both came together over the past few years through these letters they sent back and forth with one another. They were almost certain that you and Yara were meant to at least meet one another, and perhaps be friends, so they started scheming up a way to get you both to meet. Insert Feliz. Teresa knew you’d keep the dog, and Mr. Parker knew Yara would help you train him. These are the letters, and Teresa told me to give them to you on a good day. Today felt right.”
I took the small chest from Tatiana, with my mind still spinning at the reveal of what was happening.
Tatiana was Ana.
Teresa was her nanny.
And I was so confused.
“This is a lot to process,” I confessed. “So you were a part of the scheming this whole time?”
“Yeah. Even down to me forcing you to give me a job. I wasn’t certain it would work, but Teresa said you’d hire me.”
“That was Teresa for you. Always so sure.”
Tatiana smiled and moved over to me. She patted my hand in hers, just like Teresa, and then patted my cheek and said, “Sweet boy.” Just like Teresa. It was all adding up. The little things that reminded me of my great-aunt lived within Tatiana because she, too, was raised by Teresa’s love.
“When your great-aunt moved back to Madrid, my heart broke as a kid. I loved my parents, but Teresa made me feel extra loved.”
“She had that effect on people.”
“Yes.” She laughed, nodding. “She did. Then when I met her again last year, I felt that same love and was so upset that I missed so many years of feeling it. I felt robbed of having her in my life. That’s why I fell apart when you shared that she passed away. She was a good thing, and I wasn’t certain I’d feel that kind of warmth from a person again. Then I met you. Alejandro, you are Teresa’s living legacy, and I’m so proud to have witnessed your healing.”
I huffed and snickered, shaking my head. “It’s like you’re trying to make me cry, Tatiana.”
“Yeah, well. What’s a holiday without a few tears?”
Before I could reply, Yara came darting out of the house with a panicked look. “Alex. We have to go.”
I stood taller, alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I just got a message about Isla Iberia. It was vandalized again, and I guess this time it’s bad. We need to go. Now.”
CHAPTER 42
Yara
They’d destroyed it.
Whoever went on a mission to destroy Isla Iberia had succeeded. My gut sat in knots as I stared at everything before me. A crowd had formed outside the restaurant, gossiping voices surrounding the place. Police car lights flashed, painting the darkened night with reds and whites as my family and I stood beside Alex, speechless.
All the windows were shattered.
Graffiti was sprayed all over the outside—and inside.
The sign was only half hung, with the other half dangling over the front door. The front door was kicked in. Alex began to walk toward the building. His hands were in fists, yet his movements were slow and steady. I followed his steps, moving across broken glass as we entered the establishment.
Knives slashed the chairs and booths. Tables were flipped upside down, and chairs were tossed across the space. The kitchen was destroyed. Food was pulled out of the storage rooms, and flour was dumped over everything. The oven racks were removed and hammered. Everything was destroyed.