Moreno's: Moreno Brother's prequel (Moreno Brothers)

by Elizabeth Reyes

  This time Isabella did smile. She was not about to argue, not when she’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted: confirmation that, even as he’d gotten older and was now going to high school in the city with older girls, Alejandro was still one hundred percent feeling for her what she felt more profoundly for him with each passing day.

  Capítulo 3

  The Invite

  Isabella

  With the pueblo growing so fast, it started happening more often now. Newbies to town, especially older ones who attended the preparatoria in the city, weren’t immediately in the know about Alejandro’s and Isabella’s unspoken claims over each other. But the chisme still got around fast about other things in town, like when the Negrete family bought a huge piece of land on the outskirts of el pueblo. The parades of workers crossing back and forth through town to get to their land and build the lavish ranch and stables were daily. It also created jobs for people in town as well. A whole lot of local handymen were hired. Instead of having to go all the way into the city to look for work, they now had jobs just a twenty-minute walk from town. Faster if they had a car or horses.

  As usual, news traveled fast, and word was that the Negrete family consisted of El Vuido Negrete and his three sons. From what Isabella’s mother had heard through the grapevine, Señor Negrete had inherited his fortune from his late wife. Apparently, she’d been an heiress of her family’s fortune from their long-standing tequila distillery. Rumor had it, he’d had a falling out with his in-laws after she’d passed suddenly, and he decided to leave the big city and retire in greener and more peaceful pastures.

  At first, Alejandro and Cido had been grateful and excited about the amount of traffic this brought through town, and they set up in just the right spot for all the workers to stop and buy a bite to eat before, during, and after work. But as the work on the main ranch was completed and the family moved in, the handsome and charming Negrete brothers started strolling through the pueblo often. They’d drop big bucks in all the shops, restaurants, and cantinas in town. So, the townspeople appreciated their business, including Alejandro’s and Cido’s families, not to mention all the solteras looking to land a marido with that kind of money.

  The señoritas flocked to the placita whenever there was word the Negretes would be in town. Isabella, her mom, and her grandmother had even gotten in on all the new business the heavier traffic had brought to town by making churros and aguas frescas and selling them in the placita after Sunday Mass let out. It’s how Isabella met El Viudo Negrete and the youngest of the brothers, Luis. From what little she knew of the Negretes, Luis was the only one of the three brothers who was still in school. He now went to the same preparatoria that Alejandro and Cido attended. Up until then, Isabella wasn’t nearly as curious as all the other girls in town about meeting any of them. Of course, in such a small pueblo, running into them and eventually meeting them was inevitable, and she’d known it was just a matter of time.

  Isabella was in the middle of pouring a customer an horchata, when Señor Negrete walked up to their stand and addressed her mother. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.” He held out his hand to her mother with a smile. “I’m Javier Negrete and this is my youngest son, Luis.”

  Her mother took his hand and shook it. “Pleasure to meet you, Señor Negrete. I’m Belén Franco. This is my daughter Isabella and my mother Sofia.”

  Before her mother could take her hand back, he brought it up close to his mouth. “El placer is todo mío.” Without taking his eyes off Isabella’s mom, he kissed her hand and smiled. “But please, call me Javier.”

  Her mother blushed a little but smiled politely with a nod. “Can I interest you in some aguas frescas or some churros, Javier?”

  “Yes,” he said, immediately ordering both an horchata and a bag of churros. “Order something,” he said to Luis as Isabella poured the horchata.

  “What kind of aguas do you have?” Luis asked Isabella.

  “Aside from the horchata, we have jamaica, piña, sandia, and limonada de fresa.”

  She couldn’t help smirking when he went with the strawberry lemonade. It reminded her of Alejandro teasing Cido for preferring the bright pink drink to all the others and calling him a marica for it.

  “You’ve lived here all your life?” Luis asked, glancing around the placita.

  Concentrating on not spilling the drink she was pouring, Isabella nodded but then shook her head. “Well, mostly. We moved here when I was ten.” She handed him the cup with his lemonade. “Almost five years ago. But it feels like I’ve been home forever. You’re gonna like it here.”

  Luis smiled, sipping his lemonade. “I already do. Not just the pueblo, but the people. Everyone’s been so nice and welcoming.”

  Isabella bit her tongue and refrained from smirking. She’d bet the gushing girls and women were making them all feel welcome. Even her mother was still carrying on with Señor Negrete, giggling a little too much for a grown woman. Her grandmother had even taken over her mother’s spot at their stand, no doubt to give her mother time with the wealthy widower. Not that either her mother or her grandmother had ever been gold diggers. With her grandma’s constant worry of qué dirá la gente, there was no way she’d dream of it. But Isabella had overheard her grandmother comment to her mother, not a day ago, about what a catch the handsome viudo was.

  “Aside from hanging out here in the placita,” Luis asked, pausing to take another drink of his lemonade. “What else do people my age do around here for fun?”

  Another customer stopped by and ordered an agua. “I got it, mija.”

  Isabella turned to her abuela, who moved over, forcing Isabella to slide over to the side while she got the agua for the customer. Like with her mom and Señor Negrete, was her grandmother encouraging Isabella to chat it up with the Luis? Couldn’t be. Just the other day she made comments about Isabella still being too young to be courted.

  Paying no further mind to her abuela’s behavior, Isabella turned back to Luis. Admittedly, he was handsome, and from what she heard and could tell so far, he and his three brothers were very charming and respectful. They were in a position where they could be snooty, and so far, he seemed far from it. But he wasn’t Alejandro, and Isabella’s heart belonged to him. No amount of money or charm from even the most handsome of other guys would change that ever. Only she didn’t see the harm in chatting with him for a bit.

  She told him about some of the best fishing holes in the river where lots of the young adults liked to hang out fishing and having picnics. The big meadow where others hung at times making bonfires and such. “The river paranadas are usually Friday afternoons but are mostly for kids my age. The dances they have on Saturday nights here in the placita are for the older kids your age.”

  Luis smiled, peering at her curiously. “How old are you, Isabella?”

  Isabella cleared her throat, smiling a bit nervously. “I’ll be fifteen in a few weeks.”

  “Le estamos preparando una quinceañera fabulosa,” her abuela said as she took a seat again under the umbrella, since they had a break from customers at the moment. Isa turned to her abuela, who sipped her drink and smiled at her. “Don’t be rude, Isa. You should invite your new friend to your quinceañera.”

  Feeling her face warm, Isabella stared at her grandmother, unable to believe she’d put it out there like that. Her abuela stood up quickly when two customers approached the table, since Señor Negrete was still yapping it up with her mother. Again, her abuela motioned to Isabella that she had it covered.

  She turned back to Luis, and he was smiling a bit sheepishly, like he knew her grandmother had not only put her on the spot but embarrassed her. Isabella shrugged, trying not to look as awkward as she suddenly felt. “We’re not done with the invitations. We’re making them ourselves,” she explained. “Not that you’d need one to come or anything. But uh . . . yeah. I’m not really having a full court or anything.”

  She went on to explain about her quinceañera. How it was the
biggest fiesta her mother and abuela had ever planned and that’s why her grandmother was so eager to share about it. But she made sure she emphasized about not having a full court instead of the no court at all as she’d originally planned. Because after today she’d be changing that.

  A few minutes later, the long-winded Señor Negrete was finally done talking to her mother, and he and Luis made their way down the makeshift aisles of other merchants. As expected, not soon after they were gone, Isabella, her mother, and Abuela began the tedious task of taking down their little stand and getting everything back to their house in their rickety wagon.

  Alejandro

  The city was still the place to be on the weekends. It’s why Alej, his father, Cido, and his dad hadn’t jumped on board with all the other townspeople and stayed in town Sundays to sell after Mass. Sure, the pueblo was a little busier suddenly because of all the added traffic coming through since the Negrete project started. They were grateful for the extra business during the week, but no way were they staying in town on Sundays as Isa and her mom had decided to do the past two weekends.

  They’d had a good day that day, and now that they were back in town, Alej was, as usual, anxious to go find Isa and hang out. No surprise she’d been easy enough to find hanging out with a few girls over by the big trees with the swinging tires. Isa had since managed to make a few girlfriends, which helped alleviate her worrying abuela about how much time she spent around two boys. It’s why Isa had preferred to have a court-less quinceañera. It was disappointing at first because Alej had been more than willing to be her chambelan. While he knew most of the town’s guys had known better for years to get any ideas about Isa, this would make it official. Quinceañeras were, after all, traditionally a celebration of the passage from girlhood to womanhood. So, her asking him to stand in as her escort would speak volumes.

  But he understood Isa’s hesitation. If they put it out there like that, even if only for the sake of the traditional celebration, Isa worried her mom might give her a harder time about spending so much time with Alej. Her abuela’s angst about what everybody might say or think would only intensify.

  Isa walked over and met him and Cido as they reached the big trees. Alej noticed it before they even reached each other. She seemed down—or something. Of course, Cido didn’t even notice, opting instead to rush over to one of the unoccupied hanging tires and jumping on it.

  “Something wrong?”

  Her eyes went a bit wide. “No, why?”

  “I dunno.You seem . . . agüitada?”

  “No.”

  She shook her head and smiled, but even that seemed a little off. Her big eyes were still as beautiful, just not as bright as they usually were when she smiled at him. Okay. They started toward the trees where there was another unoccupied tire now.

  “So, how’d it go today? The placita still staying busier than the norm?”

  “Yeah, we had a good day. But it was too hot.”

  Alej smiled, nodding as she sat down on the tire. “Well, that’s probably why you had a good day selling cold aguas frescas.” He nudged the tire with his knee, giving her a good push. “How’d you do with the hot chur—”

  “I told mama and abuela that you’ll be my chambelan for my quinceañera.” Isa blurted the words out but stared straight ahead. “You’re gonna have to get a suit now.”

  Alej peered at her, confused by her odd demeanor, but his insides excited about this prospect. “I can get a suit, Isa.”

  “Good. Then it’s settled.” She turned to look at him with that still unsettling and forced smile. “You’ll be my galán at the ball.”

  “Why’d you change your mind?” He pushed the tire again, still curious.

  She was quiet for a moment. “I just didn’t think it such a big deal if everyone knows my first choice would be you.”

  Smiling even bigger, Alej pushed the tire again. “Even if your abuela might worry more?”

  Lowering her eyes to the ground and away from Alej’s gaze, she was quiet for a moment. “We met the Negretes today. Well, two of them.”

  Alej didn’t even know how that had anything to do with what they were talking about. But given the weird demeanor he’d noticed since their eyes had first met, her blurting out her unexpected change of heart about her not having an escort for her quinceañera, and now this, his entire body tensed as he braced himself.

  “Yeah? Which two?”

  Again, with the slow response and avoiding eye contact, she said, “Their dad and the youngest of the brothers, Luis. He mentioned attending the same preparatoria as you.” Finally, she glanced up at him, her eyes still nowhere as bright as they usually were when she spoke to him. “They bought some of our aguas frescas and churros and introduced themselves. They were very nice.”

  “Were they now?”

  Alej didn’t push the tire again but made sure to keep the eye contact as he waited for a response. Isa glanced around as if not wanting others to hear.

  “I knew the whole pueblo had gone gaga over the Negretes.” She went on quickly as Alej felt his insides warm. “Well, not me, but you know what I mean. I didn’t think my mom and abuela had too. But you should’ve seen them.” She rolled her eyes. “My mom was all giggly the whole time she spoke with Señor Negrete, and my abuela was quick to take over the stand so that my mom would be free to chat. Then she did it to me.”

  She paused for a moment as two girls passed by close by on their way to grab the tires a few trees down.

  “What do you mean she did it to you?” Alej was beginning to understand Isa’s strange demeanor, but he wanted this clarified.

  “Well, I don’t know if that’s what she was doing for sure.”

  She explained about her abuela’s behavior and stepping up to take care of their stand almost as if to give Isa and her mom time to chat with the Negretes. That alone was maddening enough, given what a nag the woman had been even recently about Isa being too young still to be courted.

  Alej was already clenching his teeth as Isa told him about telling Luis about the dances for people his age on Saturdays, but then she got to the clincher.

  “Then Abuela goes and tells him about my quinceañera and tells me not to be rude and that I should invite him.” Alej felt his brows jump in reaction to this, and clearly Isa noticed because she went on quickly. “She said she didn’t mean anything by it, but just the same, I decided to tell them I do want a chambelan for my fiesta and made sure they knew who my first choice was.”

  She stared at him a bit anxiously, and Alej understood completely now why she’d changed her mind about the whole not-wanting-to-put-it-out-there dilemma. It was the only thing that calmed him. Isa had done right by putting it out there before her ridiculous abuela got any other ideas. He didn’t even care anymore that her abuela might worry even more about Isa’s relationship with him. Clearly, her grandmother was loosening up when it came to this stuff.

  “What did they say?”

  Isa shrugged. “They were fine with it. Just said I better let you know now so you’d have time to get a suit.”

  “Tell them not to worry about that. I got it.” She smiled but Alej wasn’t quite ready to return the smile. “I’m glad you made that clear, Isa.” He lowered his voice for the next part because he didn’t want to risk embarrassing her. “But next time, you tell your abuela I’m not just your first choice. Soy el único que elegirías.”

  Capítulo 4

  The Confrontation

  Alejandro

  Despite the agitation of knowing both Isa’s mom and grandmother had been sucked in by the Negretes, it had worked to Alej’s advantage. All that mattered was that Isa wasn’t as she put it, “going gaga” over them like the rest of the pueblo’s female population. Even more important was that she’d made the decision to put it out there that her first choice in galán would be Alej. He knew it had everything to do with her knowing how he’d react to her grandmother inviting Luis to her quinceañera. Still, as nonverbal as most of the ot
her claims he’d made on her, he’d taken advantage of this turn of events and finally put it out there himself. He’d even followed up to ask Isa if she’d passed on his message to her grandmother. Not only was he Isa’s first choice—he was her only choice.

  Her birthday extravaganza was still a few weeks away, but Alej couldn’t wait for the whole town to know. While it was well-known that technically a quinceañera marked the date when a girl transitioned from childhood to womanhood, it didn’t mean she was ready for a full-on adult relationship. Alej would be very mindful and respectful of that. Still, everybody knew what her choice in galán meant. Unless the quinceañera’s escort was a family member like a cousin or something, ninety percent of the time, lest something unforeseen happened, it was who she’d end up marrying once she was of age just three years later. Like with Isa and Alej in a small town like this, most already knew what the guy she chose meant: that, undoubtedly, they’d had a secret flirtation—an unspoken agreement that they were sweethearts—going on for a while. Most already knew that was the case with Isa and Alej.

  It’s why he wouldn’t be sweating the youngest of the Negretes. Clearly the brothers knew the clout they had with the women in this humble little town. Alej had witnessed it firsthand at school with Luis even in their school in the city. But he trusted Isa wouldn’t be falling for their shit even if her mom and abuela had.

  As usual, Isa was at Alej’s side chatting it up that evening as he and Cido manned their elote and esquite stand after school. She’d been in the middle of telling him about a fight on the school playground that day when he noticed the hush and then whispering around him as he worked on an elote. He glanced up and knew immediately what it was about. The Negretes, who had plenty of expensive cars to get around in, were making their way through the middle of town on their horses, calling everyone’s attention.