Page 60 of The Gin Lover's Guide to Dating

‘I think you are needing romancing with Josh.’ Reyes shrugs as if this is obvious, then breaks into a twinkling smile. ‘And did you have romancing?’

‘I… what… well, yes,’ I stammer. ‘But that’s not the point. The point is that I didn’t want to.’

‘You didn’t want romancing, but you had romancing?’ Reyes looks at me in alarm. ‘I do not mean for this, if Josh make you—’

‘No.’ I cut her off. ‘Nothing like that. He was a perfect gentleman. A perfect sexy gentleman. As much as a twenty-three-year-old can be, that is…’

I lose my train of thought as memories from the previous evening – both amazing and terrifying – flood my mind.

‘Aww, Chica. You are in love.’ Reyes’s eyes return to glinting mischievously.

‘I’m not in bloody love.’ I snap back to the present. ‘It’s lust, at best. He’s twenty-three, Reyes. Twenty-three!’

‘And?’ Reyes looks unfazed by this news. ‘So, you are older. This is good. You can teach him. You can be his puma.’

‘His what?’

‘You know.’ Reyes searches for the explanation. ‘The older woman who takes a young hombre.’

‘The word you’re looking for is cougar,’ I say flatly.

‘Yes! This is it.’

‘Thanks, Reyes. Thanks so much.’ I stare at her deadpan. ‘I was struggling enough with the age gap before you decided to throw in that grenade. That’s not a complimentary label.’

I enter the store cupboard and slump on to one of the chairs, my hangover suddenly feeling ten times worse.

‘But, this is not bad thing.’ Reyes follows me and settles into the seat beside me. ‘To be cougar is to be powerful. You are in charge. A strong, powerful chica, who has a man who devotes to her.’

‘That’s definitely not the definition I’m familiar with,’ I mutter. ‘It’s more sad, desperate, over-the-hill woman seeks weak, much younger man to play out early mid-life crisis.’

‘You are not over this hill.’ Reyes swipes her hand through the air, causing me to instinctively duck. ‘You are only thirty-one. This world is still your oyster sauce.’

‘Oyster,’ I correct her. ‘It’s just oyster.’

‘Chica, why you do this? You are just like Amir.’ Reyes eyes me in a sort of affectionate-cum-menacing way. ‘This is what I say. Oyster sauce.’

I shake my head resignedly.

‘So, what I am saying,’ Reyes continues, ‘is that you are still young and beautiful. It not important that Josh is younger. The only person seeing this problem is you. You don’t have to marriage him. Just enjoy romancing him and see where this is going. You must grab this. Or else youwillbecome old cougar like you describe. And you will only be having yourself to blame.Sí?’

I sit thoughtfully for a few moments.

‘I guess there’s some logic in that,’ I eventually admit. ‘Though I suggest you lose the wordcougarfrom your vocabulary.’

‘Exactly. And I will do this.’ Reyes is triumphant. ‘Now, I am sorry that I trick you. I break the chica rules. But I am not sorry that my plan is working.’

‘Apology accepted.’ I smile at her affectionately, unable to stay even remotely annoyed with my adorable firecracker of a friend.

As I start to relax, the memories from the evening before come flooding back.

‘So, do you want to hear the details then?’ I ask.

‘Every single one.’ Reyes dives into the seat beside me, wide-eyed.

A couple of hours later, as I’m clearing empty glasses from the tables of some early evening customers, the phone in the store cupboard rings. Reyes pads through to answer it, then returns a few moments later.

‘It is Mister Gardiner. You go to his office. He want to talk to you about your communication expertises.’

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