I gave her my most respectful nod—the kind I usually reserved for judges, clients, and scary women with high emotional intelligence.
"Nice to meet you, Maria."
"Ah, el novio!" Maria said, looking me up and down with the kind of assessment that only mothers and mother-figures could pull off. "Madison talks about you constantly."
"All good things, I hope," I said, and Maria laughed.
"Mostly good things," she said with a wink that made Madison blush.
"Maria!" Madison protested, but she was trying not to laugh.
"I'm just teasing, mija," Maria said gently. "It's good to see you happy."
The genuine affection between Madison and Maria was obvious, and I realized that this woman was probably more of a parent to Madison than her actual parents who were always traveling for business.
She smiled again, but this time it was warmer. Like I'd passed the first test. "If you're hungry, I made arroz con pollo. It's still warm."
God help me—I almost proposed on the spot.
