James had given Cadence the larger guest room down the hall, on the other side of his study. It had a private bathroom and a better view than bedroom across the hall. From the balcony on her side of the house, she would be able to see the sunset over the Greenbelt every evening if she wished. The room had been adorned in shades of pale blue, grey, and cream but James told Cadence she could decorate it however she wished. James and Daniel had just brought her chair up and were now moving it around to see where it fit best. In the end, it was settled neatly in the corner by the window. Incidentally, her stuffed grey arm charm looked very appropriate in the room, which the exception of a large faded spot on the head rest. The chair was well taken care of, but the signs of use were still apparent. James noticed all this but said nothing. He did not want to offend Cadence in case this chair held sentimental value. Cadence arranged the cushions to her liking and scrunched up her face slightly, seemingly in consideration of that faded spot. It was as if she was only noticing it for the first time, now that it had new surroundings. Her face cleared of it's anxiety quickly though, hinting that she had already decided on a solution.
It didn't take long for James, Daniel, and Cadence to move the rest of her things upstairs. Once everything was inside, James observed Cadence go directly to a black suitcase and hoist it on the neatly made bed. She quickly found what she was searching for - a delicately crocheted blue shawl. The way she looked at it made it's importance to her unmistakable. She arranged it decoratively across the top of her armchair until it expertly concealed the faded spot and added a much needed feminine quality to the room. All the heavy lifting was out of the way. James stood awkwardly while Daniel poked curiously through Cadence's belongings, commenting on this or that. She didn't seem to mind until Daniel accidentally opened a large bag (containing what James immediately recognized as under garments) and had started taking something out. Cadence looked mortified as she snatched everything away, giving Daniel an admonishing look. Just as Daniel started to sputter an apology, Mrs. Garcia entered the room.
————————————————————
Cadence had heard Mrs. Garcia walking up the hall, making her look up just in time to see Daniel beginning to pull one of her bras out of a bag. It was a simple white bra with just a touch of lace trim that he held in his hand. Looking at it, his face went from confusion, to realization, and all the way to remorse in an instant. Cadence spanned the length of the room in just a few strides and snatched the bag and bra from his hands. She stuffed the bra back in and zipped up the bag, not sure what to say. Luckily, Mrs. Garcia had plenty of words for both gentlemen. "What is the matter with you Daniel? You think you can just touch a girl's things? And you, mijo? You're just going to let your friend act like that. No, I don't want your excuses. You've helped enough and now you're both sweaty. I could smell you from downstairs. Go clean up before the whole house smells like my grandson's gym bag" Mrs. Garcia said, with maternal authority in her voice. Both men looked sheepish as they shuffled out of the room, offering some final apologies as they left. Cadence tried hard to hold back her amusement at the sight until Mrs. Garcia closed the door. Then both women shared a laugh while shaking their heads. Without the two men, Cadence and Mrs. Garcia worked quickly to unpack and put each item in it's proper place. All the clothes fit nicely into the spacious closet with plenty of room to spare. She placed personal items here and there on the vanity and little tables. Her delicate lamp found a home by her arm chair. Mrs. Garcia even went downstairs to gather a bouquet of lavender from the greenhouse to place in the small glass vase Cadence brought with her. They both looked around the room with satisfied expressions on their faces. "Thank you so much for your help! This would have likely taken me hours without you" Cadence said, giving Mrs. Garcia a quick hug. "It's no problem mija. Why don't you wash up too? I'll get started on lunch and make sure those boys aren't getting into trouble" she replied.
Eager to eat whatever Mrs. Garcia had planned for lunch, Cadence showered quickly. She hastily towel dried her hair and skipped the makeup altogether. Wanting to be comfortable, she decided on capri style blue jeans and a green and white striped tank top. She brushed her hair and let her damp curls hang freely down her back. As soon as she stepped out of her room, she realized she'd forgotten to call her mom the night before. Resolving to contact her this evening, Cadence walked down the hall. As she started to descend the stairs, her nostrils were filled with a wonderful aroma. The delicious combination of comino, garlic, onions, and cilantro filled her senses. Reaching the kitchen, she saw a large pan bubbling on the stove filled with a mixture of something that clearly included ground beef, diced potatoes, and tomatoes. "Picadillo!" Cadence exclaimed, as she moved to sit at the counter. "You're really too good to me, Mrs. Garcia" Cadence continued, as she watched the older woman arrange and flip freshly pressed flour tortillas on the cast iron comal. Mrs. Garcia was too focused to reply with more than a smile. She continued her work, using only her quick hands to move the tortillas to a large lidded warmer. By the time she was finished, the stack had grown so tall that the lid wouldn't fit properly anymore. She turned all the burners off and wiped her hands on a thin white kitchen towel draped over her left shoulder.
"Mija, can you tell the boys lunch is ready? They're on the back porch" Mrs. Garcia asked as she bustled to set out chips, salsa, and drinks. "Of course! I'll be right back" Cadence said, wondering what they had been doing all this time. Cadence smiled at Mrs. Garcia calling her "mija". It wasn't the first time the older lady had used the affectionate term with her, but it always reminded her of her Lolo and Lala, who used to call her "mija" often. In Spanish, grandfather is "abuelo" and grandmother is "abuela", but as a toddler she struggled to say these words. Instead they were "Lolo" and "Lala" to her and they never complained. Mrs. Garcia often made her think of them and she couldn't help but feel more connected to the Mexican part of her culture when they were together. Cadence had almost reached the back porch and stopped at the window to look for James and Daniel. As she glanced to the right, she was greeted by the sight of them drinking beers and laughing easily. She didn't see James laugh often at the office. She watched him carefully, unwilling to let her presence be known just yet. His usually smooth skin became crinkled at the corners of his eyes. His body shook with mirth, drawing attention to the prominent muscles of his strong arms and chest. It was certainly a sight she could get used to. Even his eyes seem to transform under the spell of his laughter, suddenly becoming vivid green orbs spurring an urgent longing inside her. He rolled these captivating eyes at his friend, before finally registering Cadence's presence. They held each others' gaze briefly through the window and she noticed the humor drop from his gaze to be replaced by something more primal and piercing. She was suddenly experiencing a different kind of hunger as she opened the door to join them.