Page 38 of Dina's Favorite Mistake

Eventually, Dina had to say something. “I need to get out of these clothes. You should go eat dinner.”

Camila grimaced. “I’d rather be somewhere quiet.”

Dina didn’t blame her. Jasper would probably be in the throes of his evening grumpiness by now, and Lola and Beto would certainly be picking at each other. “You can bring something up here to eat in my sitting room.”

“Okay.”

Dina watched her daughter leave before making her way to the bathroom where she stripped out of her damp clothing. She used the bathroom, emptying her menstrual cup and noticing her flow was so light today she probably wouldn’t need anything more than a pantyliner tomorrow. She made a mental note to add that to her period tracker app. Her period was changing again, shortening in length but not getting any less intense.

I’m getting old.

Perimenopause? Wasn’t that the new buzzword all over social media lately? When did that even start? Late thirties? Forties?

After washing up and changing into a cozy lounge set, she emerged from her bathroom to find Camila at the small sofa with two trays of food on the coffee table. She’d turned on the TV and had an older episode ofLa Más Dragaplaying in the background.

“Tio Beto helped carry up the trays,” Camila said and made room on the sofa. “I couldn’t manage both.”

“That was nice of him.” She settled onto the cushion next to her daughter. “Who has Jasper for the night?”

“Tia Lola. She said Abuelita went to bed early with a headache.”

Dina made a sympathetic sound and reached for the beautifully plated tacos waiting for her.

“Tia Lola made the plates,” Camila explained. “I was going to make some sandwiches, but Tio Beto said he’d cooked all this food for us. I felt bad.”

“That’s why he said it.” Dina rolled her eyes. “He probably wants to get rid of the evidence of his overcooked meat.”

“I think Tia Lola must have gotten her hands on the grill. These fajitas aren’t even crispy!”

Dina had to admit the meat was cooked perfectly and so were the onions and peppers. Between the two of them, Dina and Camila polished off every last morsel of food, devouring the beautifully marinatedarracheraalong with the corn tortillas, guacamole and pico. The only thing that would have made the meal better was a giant margarita, but she made do with the ice-cold Coke Camila had brought.

Not wanting to push her daughter, Dina waited patiently for Camila to speak after they finished dinner and tidied up the space. They had settled back on the couch to finish the reality show episode. The drag queen contestants looked incredible as they completed their transformations.

“Steve told me everything,” Camila finally said, her voice calm and strong.

Dina held her breath, wondering what exactly that meant. Panic took hold. Had Steve said too much?

“He said you met a year ago in Dallas.” There was no accusation in her voice, just curiosity.

“We did.” Dina decided to answer each question carefully. She wanted to be transparent with her daughter, but she still had a right to privacy.

“Like a date?”

“Yes.”

Camila’s dark eyes bore into her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“That I went out with a man on a business trip?” Dina asked, surprised by the hurt in Camila’s voice.

“Yes.”

“Because it was just a date,” Dina replied with a careless shrug. “It didn’t mean anything.”

“Until he showed up here?” Camila fished for more information.

Cursing the curiosity her daughter had inherited from her, Dina sighed. “I didn’t expect to see him again. It wasn’t...it wasn’t that kind of date. When he appeared in Rafa’s office, I was shocked.”

“Did you know he was a cop?” Camila asked, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them.

---