Page 90 of Never the Bride
“See?” Rosa pats my shoulder as she passes by. “A good man.”
Camila stares back at me, not saying anything, and I panic. The car thing was too far. I should’ve known that would freak her out, but I just wanted to do something nice for her. Do something that would really be helpful.
“Sorry, was that weird?” The words tumble out of me. “I just noticed it and thought I would help since you’ve been so busy at work.”
“No, it’s not weird. That’s what a good husband does for his wife. Takes care of her.” Rosa unties her apron. “I’m going to go wash my hands, and then we’ll get ready to go.”
Both our eyes follow her mom as she walks away toward the bathroom. When she’s out of earshot, Camila turns to me, and I prep myself for the beating she’s about to give me.
“Well, you’ve won my mom over.”
“What about you?” I place my palms on the counter in front of her and lean in. “Have I won you over yet?”
A smile spreads across her lips. “You’re making good progress.”
“It was my pancakes, wasn’t it?”
“Something like that.”
Her smile is enough to give me a little courage. “What are you doing tonight? Would you want to hang out…with me?”
I’ve been dying to take things to the next level.
TodateCamila.
And I hope I didn’t misread the room right now and push too hard too soon.
I hold my breath, unsure if she’s going to shut me out like she normally does or let me in the way I want her to. She’s contemplating, probably deciding that very thing.
When she doesn’t answer, I add, “How about a horseback ride with a picnic later in the evening? There’s supposed to be an afternoon monsoon that will cool things off a bit.”
She smiles, a sign that she likes my idea. “I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
“I’m not riding on the same one as you.”
“I would never expect you to.”
Her smile grows bigger. “Then it’s a plan.”
“No.” I lean a little closer. “It’s adate.”
Camila
Hess literally spentthe day with my mom.
I cannot tell you how anxious that made me.
When it comes to Hess, I’ve been a very private person, and now he’s spent hours with my mom, the one woman who’s like a portal to all my embarrassing stories.
I called her the moment he got home so I could hear all the details about how the day went. Of course she told him about my cowboy obsession and how I used to go on and on as a teenager about how I’d marry a cowboy someday—before I stopped believing in marriage.
I’m not going to hear the end of it from Hess about that one.
But other than that, it sounded like they had a great time together. My momlovedhim and even told me I better not screw things up. That if a man like Hess had ever come along when she was my age, everything would be different. And deep down, I think I know that’s true, but it’s scary to admit.
There’s a war going on inside my head. Alarms in each beat of my heart. Everything is telling me this is a dangerous road I’m headed down. But I’m like a toddler standing in front of a red, burning stove. All I want to do is touch the glowing coils. So, I push the hesitations and the divorce-attorney logic out of my mind and latch onto the advice from my friends, deciding to have some fun tonight. Not to overthink everything.
