Chapter 96

It was too cold for swimming just then. In a few months it would be spring and perhaps warm enough to swim again. He suspected he’d probably still be living at the old house.

He chose the lawn chair closest to Sebastian and plopped down heavily in it. With CeCe living with her husband in Palmdale, and Hector away at school, Mama was by herself. Or had been until he’d moved back. She had her friends and neighbors who’d look after her, but Pablo was glad she had him now. Peter had been a real dick. The thought of that made him smile a little. He’d been sorry it hadn’t worked out with Peter, but not sorry to be with Mama.

“Mama said you broke up with Peter,” Hector said, as though reading his mind.

Pablo took a large swallow of the cold beer. “He broke up with me.” He shrugged. “Not that it matters. I would have done it if he hadn’t. Irreconcilable differences.”

“I thought maybe he was a dirty cheater.”