Almost.
People would freak, and it would be hilarious. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, I need to keep my job, so I’ll need to work on his look. I kind of don’t want to, though, because this man looks so happy and at home covered in wood dust. But he needs to wear a tuxedo tomorrow.
Does he even have a tuxedo?
We might be in trouble with a capital T.
I tuck my phone into my pocket and square my shoulders. Mateo spins a tool in his hand as our eyes meet. “I have an event tomorrow. Can you come with me?”
He puts the tool down. “Of course, mi vida. What do I need to wear?”
“Do you have a suit, or even better, a tuxedo?”
He smiles. “I have the suit from our wedding, which just so happens to be the suit I wore on the red carpet a few months ago.” He shrugs apologetically, as if he has an inkling that this is a problem.
Little does he know this isn’t a little problem, it’s a monumental problem. Between Alex’s promotional events and the summer of charity events that have been coordinated for my other clients, he’s going to need at least two new outfits each week for the next six weeks.
I clap my hands and straighten up. “Go shower and get dressed. We’re going shopping.”
Mateo stands there, which won’t do. We have places to be. I get behindhim and gently push on his back. He laughs, and the sensation of feeling his laughter as my hands push on his back is one I dearly want to forget. It spikes a note of happiness within me.
We get to the kitchen and I keep nudging him, his resistance only half hearted as we move down the hallway. I finally let him go, and he turns around, walking backward to his bedroom door, where he stops and leans against it.
“We’ll rendezvous back in the kitchen in a half hour.”
Mateo winks. “It’s a date.” He slips into his room before I can protest.
Except I’m not protesting—because it really will be a date.
Our first date as a married couple. It’ll be good practice before tomorrow.
Nothing canreallygo wrong while shopping, right?
Chapter 19
Dress to Impress
Mateo
Holly insisted on driving and you won’t catch me complaining. Playing passenger princess means I get to admire her without her noticing. All I have to say is I totally lucked out in the wife department.
Her earlier apology wiped away my worries from the weekend. I’ve never struggled with anxiety enough to have it affect my daily life. Lucky for me, Reina has kept me up to date on mental health issues and warning signs. She wanted to make sure I could look out for them in my younger sisters, and it’s paid off.
After my early morning deep dive researching how to be a supportive spouse to someone struggling with anxiety, I’m feeling much more prepared to figure this out with Holly and support her in the ways she needs.
First step: clothing shopping.
My goal: make her smile today. The one where her eyes crinkle and her cheeks go pink.
Holly pulls into a parking lot, and I’m only slightly surprised it was this short of a drive to this high-end shopping mall. It’s much fancier than any shopping outlet I’ve ever been to in Oregon. It reminds me of the fancy lifestyle I caught a glimpse of while in my fraternity at the University ofCalifornia-Davis.
Sometimes I forget that Alex and Holly grew up in an entirely different world from mine. Not literally, but the tax bracket difference makes it feel like one sometimes.
It’s the small things that remind me, like how Holly has never washed her own car by hand. That’s not a red flag or a deal breaker by any means, it’s just different and noting the differences between our two upbringings is entertaining and keeps me on my toes. I never know what’ll be next on the list of differences.
I already know shopping with Holly will greatly differ from my trips to thrift stores and Walmart.
We park in the freshly paved parking lot. The car engine is barely off before Holly opens her door and hops out. One of these days, I’m going to be faster and open her door before she can. Or maybe I can convince her to let me be a gentleman. I know it’s not a big deal, but it’s one way I’d like to serve her. But it’s more than just being a gentleman, though. I want to do something nice for Holly and show her she’s worth the small gestures and the grand ones.
