Page 11 of Stalked By the Recruiter

He wasn’t wrong.

The small desert city had grown exponentially in the last two years. There used to be a diner that was open all day and night on the outskirts of town, plus a couple of small places off Main Street. Now there was not only a bunch of new eateries but shops and even two new bars on that same street. There was even a small music venue that was supposed to open right before school started in the fall.

“Lots of new places to eat,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. But for some reason, the pace of my steps slowed down. “Some of my old spots are gone,” he continued, unaffected by the fact I was ignoring him. “Maybe you can recommend a place?” I turned, and his lips twitched. “Please?” he quickly added, and it softened something inside of me.

“I am a terrible cook, and I don’t wanna do fast food.”

“You know there are these things called apps you can download on your phone, like Yelp?” There was no bite to my bark, and we both knew it.

“Come on, you know those reviews are either from pissed-off, bitter-ass people or the family and friends of the owners of the spots.” I had no idea why I found that funny. I laughed softly before I couldn’t stop myself. When he smiled, I noticed the lines that formed by his eyes, and I decided I liked them. They made him look almost approachable despite being devastatingly handsome. Suddenly, Andres was next to my matching steps.

“I guess you’re right.” I shrugged, turning to look forward. “What kind of food are you looking for?”

“I’m not picky,” he drawled slowly.

“That’s not helpful,” I teased with a grin on my face. One I couldn’t seem to wipe away.

“How about Mexican? What’s your favorite?”

“Mexican food?” I repeated and had to think for a moment. It was tough. There were two really good places right off Main Street and about three on the city outskirts. “Adelitas,” I shared.

“Adelitas?” A brow rose. “I don’t think I’ve seen that place.”

“You should look it up. It’s not off Main Street, but you know that diner, the one almost by the highway? Stacked?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, so it’s about two blocks south from there. It’s a small place, but I swear they have the best chicken flautas I have ever tasted.”

“Flautas,” he repeated, and I nodded enthusiastically. Too enthusiastically. I stopped and tore my eyes from him and looked forward. We still had a couple of blocks until we reached professor row, and now I was stuck walking with him.

“Anyhow…” I cleared my throat. “But Raul’s Tequila and Tacos off Main Street is good, too. Especially right now with kids back home. Come September, if you don’t want to wait a long time, especially on Tuesdays, I’d recommend Adelitas.”

“Thanks.” We walked for a minute in silence. Almost like the two of us were suddenly nervous. “What’s good at Raul’s?” He broke the silence.

“Oh, man, that’s a tough one.” I had to think hard. “Everything is good. If you go for breakfast, their chilaquiles, get the red ones. Amazing! Sometimes, if you get there like early-ish lunch and ask nicely, they will still make you them.”

“So, you sweet talk and flash that pretty smile at them?” he surmised, and I felt my face warm under his compliment. I glanced at him, and sure enough, those deep dark eyes were already on me.

“That must mean you and that silver tongue of yours shouldn’t have a problem,” I sassed and tore my eyes from him. “But honestly, at Raul’s, you can never, ever go wrong with their carne asada burrito. There is something about the way they marinate the beef. It’s like it was sprinkled with magic dust. It’s delicious.” Talking about food made me hungry. We were slowly reaching professor row. The leftovers I had planned on eating for dinner didn’t sound so good anymore.

“How do you like being a librarian?” he asked, changing the subject, and I was thankful.

“I love it,” I answered easily, gazing up into his eyes. “Books are… life.” I knew how corny I sounded.

“Books are life, huh?” I was fully prepared for him to tease me, but he didn’t. Instead, there was warmth in his gaze. One I liked. A lot.

“Mhhm,” I nodded. “I mean, think about it. With books, you can literally live a thousand lives, go all over the world or even places out of it.”

“You love reading.”

“More than you can imagine,” I answered, completely honest and slightly vulnerable.

“My sister’s like you,” he shared. I hated how that piqued my interest.

“Your sister? The one who recommended the blue alien?” I pointed at the book still in his hand, and his lips twitched. Raising the book between us, he smiled.

“Yeah, that’s the one. She’s my only sibling. She helped put up those little free libraries around town.” I stopped mid-step, and without missing a beat, as if he was completely in tuned with me, he stopped, too.

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