She wondered if that was true. As she picked up one of the street tacos, she asked, “Did you always want to go into the family business?”
“Yes. From the time I was little. My parents took my brother and me to work on the weekends. Hector wasn’t interested in buying or selling. He liked fixing things, which explains why he went into construction. But I always enjoyed seeing the houses and trying to figure out what buyers would like and not like about any one property. By the time I was a teenager, I was helping my mom with the staging and running comps.”
“Did your friends know?” she asked, her voice teasing.
“Hey, I was one of the cool kids.”
“So they didn’t have a clue that you were secretly picking out throw pillows.”
He grinned. “I got paid well for my expertise. Out of high school, I went to community college to get my AA in business. At the same time, I got my real estate license. The day I graduated, my first sale closed.”
“So you like what you do?”
“Of course. Otherwise, the days would be long.”
“Do any of the buyers balk because you’re so young?” He was, after all, close to her age.
“All the time. They sometimes ask for a more experienced agent. I ask them to give me fifteen minutes to make my case.” The smile returned. “They usually want to stick with me.”
She liked his confidence and the fact that, while he believed in himself, he wasn’t an asshole about it.
“Tell me about your romantic past.”
“Details and all?” he asked.
“Of course.”
He leaned back in his chair. “The first time I fell in love, I was seven. Unfortunately she was eight and not into younger men, so she broke my heart.”
“What was her name?”
“Meagan Main.”
“Sounds like a porn star.”
He considered the statement. “I’m not sure how I would feel about Meagan being in the porn industry.”
“You’d get to see her naked. That would be a win.”
“I was seven,” he pointed out. “I was thinking more along the lines of us playing GI Joe together.”
“And after the tragedy that was your unrequited love?”
He shrugged. “I had the usual kind of love life. A couple of girlfriends in high school.”
“Were you prom king?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “No, but I was in the court.”
She held in a snort. “Of course you were. Let me guess. That night was the first time you and your girlfriend did it, and the moment was magical.”
“Sorry, no. We’d been having sex for a while, although we did have a good time at prom. What about you?”
“I did have sex on prom night, but not with my date. He wanted to wait until we werein love. What a moron.”
“Because you don’t believe in romantic love?”
“I do believe. My parents have been crazy about each other from the day they met. Their love is a constant in my life.” She sipped her margarita. “Love exists. It’s strong and powerful and nothing I want.”
