Page 39 of Worth the Fall

"Glitter is forever," she declares with the certainty of someone who's never had to explain to a board of directors why their quarterly reports are sparkling.

My phone chimes with another message from Mia.

Mia

7 is great. Where am I meeting you?

Me

7, yes, but I’ll be picking you up. This is a legitimate date, you deserve that.

"Mr. Ramirez," the hostess says, her eyes wide as she scrolls through her tablet. "I’m so sorry, but I don’t see your reservation here."

"What do you mean?" I ask, my brows furrowing. "I made it two days ago. For seven thirty."

The hostess looks genuinely distressed. "I don’t know what happened, sir. I see your name here, but it’s marked as canceled."

"Canceled?" I repeat, my voice rising slightly. I glance at Mia, who’s looking at me with curious amusement.

"We can seat you at nine thirty," the hostess says, her tone hopeful.

Mia’s stomach growls so loudly in that moment it’s like a sitcom punchline. Her eyes widen in horror, and I can’t help it—I start laughing.

“Saul!” She says, suddenly distracted by something over my shoulder.

“Who?”

“I think I have a better idea,” Mia says, grabbing my hand and leading me toward a food truck down the street. “You’re about to meet the sweetest man and eat the most amazing, gooey mac & cheese you’ve ever tasted.”

Saul is a broad man with a booming voice and a laugh that could probably knock over a small tree. When Mia steps up to the truck, he greets her like an old friend, his face splitting into a grin.

"Mia Mason! Haven’t seen you in ages! Where’ve you been hiding?"

"Work," she says, shaking her head. "But tonight, I’m introducing you to someone." She steps aside, gesturing toward me. "Saul, this is Miguel. Miguel, Saul."

Saul eyes me like a protective older brother, his grin fading into something more serious. "Miguel, huh?"

"That’s me," I say, holding out a hand.

Saul shakes it, his grip firm enough to let me know he’s sizing me up. "You treating my girl here right?"

"Saul," Mia groans, rolling her eyes.

"Don’t interrupt me when I’m giving the man a talk," Saul shoots back, then turns to me again. "You treat her right, you hear me? She’s special."

I meet his gaze, my voice steady. "I know. And I promise I will."

Saul studies me for another second before his grin returns. "Good. Now let me make you two something amazing."

Ten minutes later, we're sitting on a nearby bench, eating the best mac & cheese I've ever had while Mia tells me about her spreadsheet's subcategories for wineglass shapes.

"The Bordeaux glass has a fundamentally different purpose than the Burgundy glass, Miguel. These are important distinctions!"

She has cheese on her chin and her hair is coming loose from its careful arrangement and she's still barefoot, and I think I might be a little bit in love with her.

"You're doing it again," she says softly.

"Doing what?"

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