“Hermanito!” she shouted, tossing the tray onto a table and throwing her arms wide. “You made it!” She ran to him and gave him a big hug, kissing him on both cheeks before stepping back to look at him. “You have changed, little brother. For one thing, you have children. Is this your beautiful Lisa?”

Peyton was beaming. “Yes. This is my beautiful Lisa. And I am her lucky Peyton.”

Gina held out her arms and Lisa gave her a hug. “You can’t imagine how much Peyton’s told me about you and your family, Gina,” she said.

“Likewise,” Gina said. “And the bebés—who might they be?”

“This is Bonnie and Jasper,” Peyton said. “Let’s just say they were in a bad spot and needed some help, so we brought ’em with us.”

“And your bike?”

“That’s kind of a long story. It’s gone, but I don’t mind.”

“Well, where is it? How did you get here? How are you getting to St. Augustine? Why—”

“Hang on, hang on. Let’s feed the young’uns and I’ll tell you all about it.”

“You know what today is, don’t you?” Gina said.

Peyton was confused. “You mean the date?”

“No, silly, the day. It’s Saturday!”

“Oh, man, are we in luck!” he said to Lisa.

“You will all stay at my mama’s—no arguments.” Gina waved her hands in the air as if to swat away any objections they might raise. “This time, Peyton, you do not have to work the bar. We are under new management.” She motioned for them to follow her into the kitchen, where Peyton saw Mama Eva stirring a huge stockpot of what smelled like her ropa vieja and giving orders over her shoulder to three cooks.

“Hey, Mama Eva,” he said.

She whirled around and threw out her arms. “Peyton, mi bebé!” she cried as he hugged her tight and kissed her.

He introduced her to Lisa and the children. “What’s all this, Mama Eva?” he asked, waving his arm around the kitchen.

“My new kitchen!” she exclaimed, raising her hands and looking skyward. “Gracias a Dios!”

“Papa says Mama seemed sad with all the children grown and no crowds to cook for except on Saturdays,” Gina explained. “So he bought her the café just a few days after your visit. Now it is spotless, the food is fresh and fantastic, and business is booming. In less than a month, my mama is famous for her cooking. All the fishermen from Jacksonville to Miami find an excuse to get here whenever they can. We screened in the back porch to seat more people.”

“Can I get you all a bowl of my ropa vieja?” Mama Eva asked.

“No, ma’am,” Peyton said, “not till the whole family’s here. Wouldn’t seem right.”

Mama Eva dabbed at her eyes with a dish towel. “You such a dear boy, Peyton,” she said as she hugged him so tight he couldn’t breathe. “Don’t you worry. I fix you children some good food to hold you till the family comes after closing. We put the little ones to bed in a booth if they get tired.”