“You like beer?” he asks like he doesn’t believe me.
“Yes,” I state, nodding to confirm in case there is any confusion that I do, in fact, like beer. He nods approvingly.
“Well, okay, then.” He hands one to me and pops the top off with the Yeti opener that is screwed into the wall by the fridge.Nice spot, I think to myself. Catalina breaks the tension.
“What are you doing for the Fourth of July, Ms. Nadia?” she asks as she scoops some rice onto the spoon. I also notice half of it falls onto the floor when she brings it to her mouth. I grimace at the thought of Manny having worked all day and now having to clear up this mess. I should offer to help with the cleanup. Manny watches me, waiting for my response. Is he truly interested in my Fourth of July plans? Of course he isn’t. I sigh.
“Well,” I tap the edge of my napkin to my mouth to dab at the piece of food with marinade from the steak tips. “My best friend is coming over to my house, and we thought that we could watch some of the fireworks from our back patio on the lake.”
She stops eating mid-bite. “You have a lake house!” she shrieks excitedly. I smile, seeing that happiness on her face. I nod, and I hear Manny groan.
“Now you’ve done it.” He places his elbows on the table, leaning forward like he is about to watch a telenovela live and in person. Before she even says it, I know what she will say.
“Papá, can we go over to Ms. Nadia’s house, please?” She raises her voice excitedly. Manny looks at the happiness on his daughter’s face, and before he can protest or tell her no, I speak up.
“Of course you can, pickles,” I tell her, and she beams at me. Manny turns to me, and I shrug. “What?” Hesearches my eyes for any reservation I could have about having her over, but he won’t find it there. “She’s welcome anytime,” I tell him, and he nods once.
“Can we go for the Fourth to see the fireworks?” she asks, and Manny holds his hands up.
“Catalina, Ms. Nadia has plans with her friends already, but maybe you can go over next week while she’s watching you.” He looks over at me for confirmation, and I nod.
“Of course you can. That sounds perfect. You think of something you want to do, and we will do it.” That seems to appease her, and I take a long drink of my beer, finishing the remaining liquid in one long swallow. I place it back on the table and look up to see Manny staring at me.
“You really do like beer, don’t you?” he asks, and I tilt my head to the side.
“Why would I tell you I like beer if I don’t?” I ask curiously.
“Want another one?” he asks, and I nod yes. He gets another one from the fridge and one for himself. Popping the top on both, he hands one over to me. I quickly get my napkin and tuxedo wrap it before placing it back down so that the condensation doesn’t pool along the glass. He sits still, observing me with those calculating eyes.
“I find that sometimes women tell you one thing and then it isn’t true at all,” he says.
I’ll chalk it up to him being in a terrible relationship. “That is one hell of a generalization, so I am going to let that slide. Instead, I’ll give you one truth.”
He looks at me and smirks. “Please tell me. I’d love to hear one of your truths.”
I continue. “Well, maybe you’ve just been looking at the wrong kind of woman.”
“You know, Nadia…” He takes a drink of his beer, and I see the liquid moving along his throat as he swallows one long pull. A little dribble of golden liquid falls on his lips, and his tongue peeks out to lick it away. When I look back up to his eyes, they are fixed on mine, and I can’t help but feel cornered, like an animal being hunted down with nowhere to escape. Because when Manny looks at you, his total focus is on you. “I think you may be right.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Hey, girl!” Savannah rushes up to me, and I fall backward onto the couch, still holding onto her legs. It seems like the girl is going to fall, but how could she when her weight is all on me? I push her off, and she falls to the side, laughing.
“What the ever-loving fuck are you thinking?” She kisses me all over before jumping off, running over to the refrigerator, and taking out a water bottle.
“I’m thinking that I wuv you,” she says before twisting the cap off the water. I stand up, watching my best friend guzzle down a whole bottle of water. She pants.
“Are you done, or do you want to drink up the lake while you’re at it?” I smirk because that’s our thing. We specializein absurdities of grandeur.
“Got to stay hydrated, you know. I can’t throw back drinks like I used to without proper hydration.” She places her hand on her hip and pops it out sideways, attempting to emphasize her point.
“You could have killed me back there,” I point to the couch where she threw herself at me in more of a koala bear tackle.
“Pfft.” She snorts. “Quit being dramatic. Plus, that was like an hour ago.”
My eyes bulge out. “It was literally like three minutes ago.” But she isn’t hearing any of it.
She walks to the door. “I’m gonna go grab my bags now.” She saunters out and returns with enough stuff for a week's trip.
