Someone brushes past me, and I nearly lose my footing. I suck in a sharp breath, adjusting my hold at the last second. Crisis averted.
Somewhere up ahead, I hear Anna’s voice. Found her. Relief floods through me as I follow the sound, carefully weaving around backpacks, lunch boxes, and tiny humans who seem completely oblivious to the life-or-death cupcake mission happening above their heads.
I finally spot her, standing by a classroom door, deep in conversation with another teacher.
I shift the weight of the boxes, clearing my throat. "Anna—help me before I become a cautionary tale!"
Anna turns, her eyes lighting up when she sees me. “Mari! My hero.”
She gestures toward the other teacher. “Analyse, do you remember Mari? The perfect angel blessing us with these incredible cupcakes?”
I laugh. “You know, I could get used to all these compliments. Keep 'em coming.”
Analyse grins, and leans in for a hug.
“Of course, I remember Mari. My almost sister-in-law!”
Anna pinches Analyse’s arm. “You can’t say things like that, Lyse!”
“It’s fine, really,” I say quickly, forcing a small smile.
Anna distracts herself by peeking into the cupcake boxes.
“Oh my God, these look so freaking good. I want to shove my face in them.”
I snort. “Okay, let’s not do that.”
Anna pouts dramatically before sighing. “Fine, let’s get them unpacked and onto the tables before I completely lose my self-control.”
A little voice echoes through the hallway, growing closer. “Mama! Mami!”
I turn my head just in time to see Maya barreling toward Analyse.
Analyse catches her effortlessly, kissing her cheek. “Hi, sweet baby girl. Where’s Tío?”
Maya points behind her. “Right there, Mami!”
I follow her finger, my eyes landing on him. And just like that, my pulse stutters. Shit. I wasn’t expecting to see him today. I look down at myself and grimace.
My hair is in a messy top knot, and I’m wearing leggings and an oversized flannel. Not exactly my best look. If I had known there was a possibility of running into Sebastian Garcia today, I would have at least put on mascara. Not sure why that thought just crossed my mind, and I’m not about to unpack it. Damn, he looks good.
I glance back at Maya, who is now chatting away with Analyse. She has his smile. That same dimple on the left side of her face. My eyes flick back to Sebastian, noticing the two guys standing beside him.
"Who’s that with Seb?" I ask.
Anna follows my gaze. "That’s Andres and Mateo. They’re also firefighters."
I take a second longer than necessary to look at them. "Jesus. Is it like a prerequisite to be ridiculously hot before you can join the academy?"
Anna bursts out laughing. "Right? Like, before they let you in, you have to pass the Hotness Test—“Ooooh, you’re a ten. Congratulations, you’re now a firefighter!'"
We’re both still laughing when Sebastian, Andres, and Mateo walk up to the table. Maya tugs on Seb’s hand, bouncing on her feet.
“Tío, look!! SO many cupcakes!” She skids to a stop in front of the table, staring at the rows like she can’t decide which one she wants.
“Omg, there are pink ones! And chocolate ones!” She bounces on her toes, clutching Sebastian’s hands. “Pleeeease, can I have one, Tío?? Pretty pleeeease?”
Seb rubs the top of her head. “You know your Mami is going to kill me if I give you too many cupcakes. We’re still recovering from the six types of ice cream.”
