Page 86 of Puppy on a Leash

“You totally thought I was going to book a table at a Michelin-star restaurant, didn’t you?”

There was humor in Jaime’s brown eyes as he asked, a sparkle I didn’t mind too much.

Still, I grunted as I grabbed the laminated menu. “There aren’t any Michelin-star restaurants nearby.”

Predictably, he faked outrage, dropping his own menu on the colorful table. “You’re trying to say you wouldn’t have flown us if I’d asked?”

I snorted, buying time while giving another glance to the restaurant. It was a new vegan tavern that had opened up a few months ago. I’d heard about it, but a tavern wasn’t quite my speed. Rather, I hadn’t had anyone to go with, and it didn’t seem like the place to come eat alone. The decoration was too inviting. With each table a different bright color and all the flowers, posters, and mismatched decorations all over the walls, it called for college students who wanted a drink and a few out-of-focus selfies.

Of course I was surprised when Jaime sent me the confirmation. I didn’t even know this place accepted reservations, but Jaime was right. I’d expected him to takeadvantage and go for something more lavish. Not that I minded—too much.

“I have money,” I said as I brought him back into focus, “but not private jet kind of money.”

My family did, which he obviously knew—the number of families with that kind of wealth in Spain could be counted on one hand—but I didn’t feel like acknowledging it.

“Shame.” Jaime pursed his lips. “Goodbye, dreams of being a sugar baby.”

I rolled my eyes. Before he could say something else that would raise a few eyebrows, I flagged one of the servers. There were three people bussing tables that I could count, even though there were only a few seats actually occupied. It meant that the person with the wolf haircut, bright yellow hair, and sharp eyeliner took no time in coming to our table.

“You know what you want to eat already?”

Jaime quirked an eyebrow. Of course he knew I’d flagged them only to silence him.

“The specialty vegan burger with the falafel patty and extra avocado for me. And a bottle of water, please.”

“Sure.” The server turned to Jaime. He’d texted this morning about how excited he was about one of the dishes, so I knew it was fine he hadn’t had a lot of time to go over the menu. “What about you, Jai?”

There were some exchanged glances between them. Quirked eyebrows and a few smirks before Jaime burst out laughing. “Stop it. Do you have those nachos that were all over Instagram?”

“Duh.” The server rolled their eyes before squeezing his shoulder. “Fair warning, the nachos take a bit longer, about twenty-five minutes, maybe? We’ll set it up so both things come out at the same time.”

“No problem.” Jaime shrugged. “I just want that mountain of cheese.”

They shared another laugh, and then the server headed toward the kitchen.

“You know our server, then?”

Jaime frowned before he realized what I was talking about. “I bussed tables with them out of high school. We stayed in touch.”

“Right.” I hummed. “I forget you’re not the standard student in his early twenties.”

He rolled his eyes before leaning forward. “I don’t think you want me to be.”

“I don’t.”

I was curious about a younger, less-frayed-around-the-edges Jaime, but the curiosity ended there. I couldn’t say I’d ever been interested in the fresh-faced subs who were still too green to be assertive about any of their wants.

“Good.” He leaned back in his chair. They were plastic, but at least they were padded with thick throw cushions. “I think I would’ve actually done better in uni if I’d just headed there straight out of high school. For one thing, the gender critical movement wasn’t as ingrained in academia then.”

“True.” Gender studies was not my field, and it hit a bit close to home after the debacle from the panel, but I knew what he was saying. Even without it being my area, I was aware of the gradual shift he was referencing. “Why didn’t you?”

“It was too hard.” Jaime cleared his throat before his fingers went to the inside of his wrist. I followed the move with a glare—apparently, hard enough to stop it and even bring a red hue to his cheeks. “I couldn’t get on blockers or anything else in school. My family wasn’t the best about it.”

“I’m sorry, pup.”

I was even sorrier that I didn’t notice until now he’d never once mentioned anything about family members. I never did either, but it shouldn’t have been an excuse.

“Yeah, well.” He shrugged, his tone dismissive in a way I was too familiar with. “School was mostly fine, but having to start uni, meet all these new people, while looking the way I did? I wouldn’t have been able to cope. Literally.”

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