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She made it to Lola’s door before turning around at the sound of someone shouting. All at once the temperature in the place dropped, bodies stilled, everyone turned toward the reception area. The frosted glass door obscured their ability to see, but the cursing was seeping through loud and clear.
Leaving lunch on Lola’s desk, Carmen stepped out in time to find Lola rushing toward the noise, her face an unreadable mix of anger and fear.
Was it a disgruntled client? In her years in practice, Carmen had seen more than one full-grown adult throw a tantrum when things didn’t go their way. She imagined famous could be even bigger brats.
There was something in the way Lola moved toward the door that made Carmen nearly break out into a sprint to follow her. Without time to ask questions, she went on blind faith and bolted to Lola’s side.
When Lola swung the door open, the source of the chaos was obvious. A woman in skintight black jeans was demanding something from the receptionist that looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“Mami!” Lola shrieked like a mousetrap snapping shut. “What are you doing here?” Her voice was hoarse, failing. And if Lola’s eyes were any wider or her skin any paler, she might faint.
Understanding that Lola’s mother was here. Here and screaming. Here and making a scene in Lola’s place of work, a fire roiled in Carmen’s belly and flipped her into lawyer mode.
“What am I doing here?” the woman echoed dramatically, spinning away from the receptionist and toward Lola.
Before she could get within a few feet of Lola, Carmen stepped in front of her. Blocking the woman’s advance with her body, Carmen made it clear that she was not going to get within touching distance. Not unless Lola wanted that.
Lola’s mother halted, her eyes all but shooting laser beams at Carmen. “And who are you to stand between me and my daughter?” she asked, like Carmen might believe that she gave a single shit about Lola.
Carmen stood tall, using her most authoritative courtroom voice. “I’m going to have to ask you to lower your voice. This is a place of business.”
“A place of business I wasn’t allowed into!” Lola’s mother shouted shrilly, only getting louder. “My own daughter, banning me from her fancy office!” She coated every word in venom.
Behind her, Lola begged with a ragged, “Mami, please. You’re going to get me fired.”
There was a terror in Lola’s voice that reached down into Carmen’s chest and tore out her heart. She imagined all the times Lola was a frightened child. How many times she’d begged before finally appeasing this woman.
“Ma’am, I need you to leave the premises immediately or Iwillcall the police,” Carmen stated evenly, anger making her pulse dance behind her eyes.
What she really wanted to do was shove this woman back into the elevator. To get her away from Lola. Lola had done so much work in therapy over the last couple of months. There was no way she was going to let one person undo it in a single afternoon.
“You can’t kick me out!” She seethed. “Lola, mi vida, are you going to let them treat me this way?” She protested dramatically, as if she wasn’t the source of the conflict. “I’m your mother!” She made her voice crack like she was crying, but there wasn’t a single tear in her wide eyes. “This is the only place I can find you since you’ve stopped returning my calls and threw me away like garbage—”
“Mom, just go, please. I’ll call you—”
“And the bank keeps sending letters about the mortgage—”
“Your mortgage is not Lola’s responsibility,” Carmen cut in, refusing to let Lola give in to the naked manipulation.
“Do you all know that she moved and didn’t even tell me where?” she screamed, eyes darting around the room like she was the victim in all of this. “I’m her mother!”
“So act like it and respect your daughter,” a voice, calm and razor sharp, said from behind her. “She asked you to leave.”
Carmen turned to see Adriana had arrived in the reception area, eyes laser focused and advancing on Lola’s mother. Tagging Adriana in with a glance, Carmen turned and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Realizing that Lola was trembling from head-to-toe, that her fiery, fearless badass was completely unable to cope with this, Carmen started to guide her gently backward. “Let’s get back to your office,” she said softly.
Lola wouldn’t move. She was rooted to the ground, staring at her mother in horror.
“You need to go,” Adriana commanded. No sympathy, no leeway.
“You’re going to let them do this to me?” her mother wailed again, still not a single tear in sight despite the false quiver in her voice. “Shaming me? Humiliating me? Ganging up on me because I don’t have fancy clothes or a big degree?”
Carmen was trying to figure out how this woman was masquerading as the aggrieved party when Lola was breaking in front of her. A violence Carmen never imagined possible got lodged in her back teeth. She clenched her jaw, remembering that despite her opinions, this was Lola’s mother and she couldn’t unleash the tirade gurgling to break free. Couldn’t deploy all the horrible truths Lola had confided in her, even though she wanted to so badly.
Adriana pulled her cell phone out of her blazer pocket — calling the police or security or both. Lola’s mother's screaming intensified just before it suddenly stopped.
“You,” her mother hissed, eyes narrowed and lips an angry thin line.
