Page 8 of The Green Card Baby Deal

“I do.” He nodded. “But I never meant it until today.”

Ah, he was even adorable when he lied. Clara couldn’t help the broad smile growing across her face.

“Would it be stupid to ask if I could buy you a drink?” he said.

She bit her lower lip. “Yes, but do it anyway.”

“May I buy you a drink, Miss…?”

“Clara.” She offered her hand and he took it. His grip was exactly as firm as she’d expected it to be.

“Luis,” he said with a grin. “But you probably already knew that.”

Clara cocked her head at him. “Why would I know that?”

He narrowed his eyes at her and seemed to reconsider. Clara couldn’t think of what social faux pas she’d committed, but she wished, more than anything, that she could take it back. Then he shook his head, and his smile was back. “Never mind. It’s not important.” He called the bartender over. “Name your poison,” he said to Clara.

She shrugged. “Just a beer, please.”

One of his eyebrows arched ever so subtly. “Any particular brand?”

“Surprise me,” she said.

Suddenly, his smile broadened, and she realized it had been restrained before. Now it was real, and it was heart-melting.

CHAPTER 5

LUIS

Luis had spent the rest of the evening wandering in search of somewhere he could go, some dark little corner he could hide in. He was feeling vulnerable, and if there was any feeling he despised more than losing, it was vulnerability. Unfortunately, the two often went hand in hand, and this evening, Luis was feeling like the most vulnerable loser who ever lived. He was second-guessing every decision he’d ever made, which was exceptionally unlike him. On any other day, he was the most decisive person he knew. He would pick a course and never doubt for a second that it was the right one.

He acted on his conscience, always, and he never doubted it. But now he was second-guessing himself. Had doing the right thing for a small business been the wrong thing for his family? Had his priorities been corrupted somehow? He’d followed his father’s values and felt good about the choices he’d made. But now… All Luis ever wanted to do was make his father proud. As far as Luis was concerned, the man could do no wrong. But maybe being carelessly devoted to your craft could come back around to bite you and your family later.

Everything in the world suddenly confused and exhausted him, and all he wanted to do was find a place where he could disappear. The likelihood of finding somewhere he would be unrecognized was close to zero, but he chose the seediest dive bar he could find in this particular corner of San Francisco, and sank down at the bar. Everyone there was so focused on not bumping into each other, drowning their sorrows, or competitively hitting on the inadequate pool of women there that they paid Luis no mind.

Then a woman sat beside him, and he couldn’t help but notice her. She was gorgeous, with cropped blond hair, big blue eyes, and full lips. But she was clearly miserable. Her eyelids were puffy, like she’d been crying, and she didn’t seem to take in the world around her at all. She was robotic and empty, and suddenly all Luis wanted was to see her smile. He’d come to this bar to avoid being noticed, but he oddly wanted this woman to notice him. He wanted her to see him, recognize him, and light up when she realized she was sitting next to someone famous.

He spoke to her, prodded her really, and waited for her recognition. But it never seemed to come. Maybe she was one of those girls who pretended not to know him. It did happen from time to time. Whether they were just trying to be polite or wanted to stand out by not behaving like other woman, he never could tell. He introduced himself, and her eyes never registered him as anyone other than a stranger.

When she said, “Surprise me,” about which brand of beer he should order for her, he decided to test her a bit.

“Morales Light, please,” he said to the bartender, who gave Luis the look of recognition he’d expected to see from the woman called Clara. Luis quickly put a finger to his lips, and the bartender quirked an eyebrow and turned away. He seemed to get what Luis was trying to do.

The bartender handed Clara her beer and walked away with a quick wink to Luis, who wished he’d be a bit more subtle. But Clara seemed so miserable that she wasn’t going to notice anything anyway. As for Luis, he was drinking a vodka tonic. Beer was work, and the last thing he’d wanted to do, at least when he first arrived, was think about work. Now, though, he had someone he wanted to impress.

The bartender poured a pint for Clara and set it in front of her. The glass was chilled — which was for the best, if Luis was honest — and looked refreshing. Clara took a sip and frowned. It did not escape Luis’s notice.

“Not to your taste?” he asked. For some unknowable reason, the idea that a woman might hate his company’s beer as much as he did excited him. Though, even if she did, she was likely going to lie about it. No one actually told Luis how bad is family’s beer had become since he’d taken the reins of the company.

But to his shock, Clara took another gulp and said, “Tastes like chilled piss.”

Luis burst out laughing. That kind of crassness coming out of such a sweet, girl-next-door face had him near rolling. He clutched his stomach and turned to the side to double over in his stool. She was looking at him like he was completely nuts, but he couldn’t stop laughing. She really, truly did not know who he was. Unbelievable!

“You really hate it?” he asked, still in disbelief.

She scrunched up her face and took another sip like a child choking down foul-tasting medicine. “Yeah, I do. It tastes like every other cheap, mass-marketed beer out there. There’s nothing unique about it at all.” One more quick sip to seal her opinion. “It’s criminally boring, don’t you think?”

“Fascinating,” Luis said when he managed to stop laughing. “I’m curious. Is there any kind of beer you do like?”

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