Sold on You by Sophia Knightly Page A

said, watching Marcos answer it.
    "Marisol, how are you?" he boomed into the receiver. "Abuelita Coqui's fine, sitting right here at the dining room table. Gabriela prepared a feast for us, and we're just finishing Abuelita's brazo de reina. " He nodded his head. "I know you want her to visit you, but we're enjoying her company. So soon?" he asked after a pause. He turned to look at his grandmother. "Abuelita, Marisol wants to speak with you."
    Abuelita Coqui started to rise, but wavered on her feet and sat back down abruptly. " Ay, I feel lightheaded, " she gasped. With a bemused expression, she fanned her knitted brow and took a quivery breath.
    "I have to call you back, Marisol," Marcos said urgently. He hung up and rushed to his grandmother's side. Holding her wrist, he checked her pulse. "Are you dizzy?"
    "Yes, and warm. I don't know what came over me," Abuelita moaned, "and now I have a slight headache."
    Marcos studied her with keen eyes as he felt her forehead. "You don't feel hot. Has this ever happened before?"
    "No, it might have been the wine. I'm not used to drinking more than one glass." She pressed her pale, blue-veined hands against her face.
    "Stay there and don't get up. I'll get my kit to check your blood pressure."
    Marcos returned shortly and knelt beside Abuelita Coqui. After taking her blood pressure, he removed the stethoscope. "Your blood pressure is a bit low, but not enough to make you faint. Have you had any other symptoms?"
    Abuelita Coqui shook her head and gave him a shaky smile. "Don't worry about me. I feel better."
    Looking unconvinced, Marcos studied her with a creased brow.
    "What did Marisol say?" Abuelita asked.
    "She wants to come on Wednesday and take you back with her."
    "That soon?" Her shoulders slumped with disappointment.
    "She misses you and wants you to have time with the twins. But I'd like you to stay longer." Marcos ignored Gabriela's cough and continued, "At least until the end of the week so I can run some tests on you."
    "No tests! I'm here as your abuela , not your patient," Abuelita Coqui huffed.
    Marcos paused after her vehement protest. It was obvious he was still concerned, but he didn't want to push the issue and upset her further.
    "All right, but if you feel like this again, you'll have to heed my advice," he said, his tone gentle but firm. "When was your last checkup?"
    "I had a complete checkup before I left. Sonya insisted on it."
    "Well, I'm glad Mamá was thinking sensibly, for once," Marcos muttered. "Are you taking any medicines?"
    "Just the one I've taken for years for my cholesterol."
    "Would you like to rest while I clear the dishes?" Gabriela asked.
    "I'll help Gabriela if you'll go into the living room and relax on the sofa," Marcos said, smiling persuasively at his grandmother.
    "But I don't feel like resting," she protested.
    Marcos shook his finger at her. "Don't be stubborn, viejita " he said, calling her "old woman" in Spanish with gruff fondness. "Do as I say or I'll carry you into the living room."
    "Don't be disrespectful!" Abuelita Coqui admonished, unsuccessfully hiding a grin.
    "Gabriela and I can make short work of putting things in order. Right, amor ? " He winked at Gabriela.
    Gabriela nodded, even though she didn't particularly look forward to like being in the kitchen with Marcos, minus Abuelita Coqui's presence as a buffer.
    "Very well," Abuelita Coqui conceded with a grin. "I can see I'm not needed in the kitchen." She allowed Marcos to escort her into the living room, where he turned on the TV to a Spanish telenovela. He raised the volume a bit, then joined Gabriela in the kitchen.
    Gabriela didn't turn around when she heard him slide the pocket door behind him.
    He peered over her shoulder. "You already rinsed the dishes and loaded them?"
    She sensed his surprise. It was obvious Marcos wasn't used to doing domestic chores. "Yes, but these pans are going to take a bit longer."
    "Just leave them soaking. My housekeeper, Carmen, will wash