Enrique threw up his hands. “Hey, this wasn’t my fault.Shewas the one who said I was her boyfriend, not me.”
Rosa’s brow furrowed. “Why would she say that?”
“Her dad is sick, and she’s never had a boyfriend. Carolina’s parents don’t think she’ll ever find love. He looked so happy when he thought that I was dating her, so she didn’t want to correct him.”
Tiburón let out a bellowing laugh. “You’re screwed, bro. But hey, at least now I can score with Blanca. Thanks, dude.”
Julieta bit her lip.
Enrique noticed and couldn’t resist. “What are you thinking, Julieta?”
“I mean, I can’t say that I blame Señor Flores for being mad about who you are because of your dad. Your father has done some shady-ass stuff. It’s not your fault at all, but I get where he’s coming from.”
She wasn’t wrong. For years, his father had cut corners, gentrified neighborhoods, and lowballed produce providers. Enrique understood Señor Flores’s concerns. “Yeah, I do, too. But it was still messed up. Carolina stood up for me, which was cool. Once we left the room, she apologized. She felt awful.”
Ramón put his head in his hands. “Man, and I thought the beginning of my relationship with Julieta was a mess.”
“It was a mess.” Julieta pinched Ramón, then sat on his lap and they kissed.
Enrique groaned. “Well, it was. But look at you two now.”
Ramón nodded. “Enrique, you’re not going to keep up this charade, are you?”
“Maybe I will, at least through Christmas like I promised. What harm could come from it?”
Jaime threw up his hands. “Are you kidding? The man is on his deathbed!”
“He didn’t seem that bad.”
Ramón pulled on Enrique’s costume. “He has a pulmonary embolism. This clot could be fatal.”
Enrique clenched his fists. Fuck. This was so screwed up. “I promised her I would pretend to be her boyfriend until Christmas.”
Ramón laughed. “Fine then. But don’t get seriously involved with her. If she’s never had a boyfriend, you’ll break her heart.”
Ugh. “Too late. I kissed her. And it was herfirstkiss. Like ever.”
Rosa’s eyes bugged. “Ay, Dios mío, Enrique. Why? Don’t you get it? She’s from a super traditional Mexican Catholic family. And you went along with it when her father assumed you were her boyfriend? He’s probably planning the wedding now, and if she felt something when you two kissed, she might be, too.”
Tiburón chuckled. “Sounds good to me. Let’s make it a double wedding. I’ll marry Blanca. She’s a smokeshow.”
Ramón stood up.
“Alright. That’s enough for one night. I’m going to bed. Julieta is forcing me to go salsa dancing tomorrow, so I need to rest up.”
Now it was Enrique’s turn to laugh.
“Man, you’re so whipped,” Jaime teased.
Ramón ignored him and turned to Enrique. “Please don’t mess around with Carolina. It would be cruel. She’s not like the girls you normally date. That kiss probably meant the world to her. While to you, it was just another night.”
Ouch. But Ramón was right. The fake relationship was one thing. Enrique knew deep down that he probably shouldn’t have kissed her.
Julieta also said good night and followed Ramón into the house. Jaime went inside to make a snack, and Rosa followed him in, plopping on the sofa to watch some television.
Enrique was grateful to be alone with Tiburón. They were both relaxing in the quiet of the night, watching the waves roll in the distance, the flames from the fire dancing against the inky black sky.
After a while, Enrique broke the silence. “You really like Blanca?”
