“How unfortunate for me.” I open my menu and scan the extensive list of entrées. Everything looks delicious. “How do you feel about a fajita feast for two?”
“Hmm. I had my heart set on carne guisada tacos.”
“We’ll order those, too.”
“What kind of fajitas? Chicken, beef, or fish?”
“Beef.”
“What about a combo of fish and beef?” she asks.
“Done.”
The server returns with our drinks. “Are you ready to order?”
“We’d like the combo fajita feast for two—beef and fish, an order of carne guisada soft tacos, and a side order of tamales.”
After the server leaves, I test the margarita. It’s so sweet and refreshing—I finish it in record time.
“Making up for lost time?”
“Maybe.”
Juanita drapes her arm over the back of her seat and gestures at a nearby table with her head.
“What?”
“Hot and bothered, three o’clock.”
I take a quick peek at the four men occupying the nearest table. Several pitchers of beer and a mountain of nachos clutter the tabletop. One of them is staring at me.
“See,” Juanita says. “I can’t take you anywhere.”
I cross my eyes at him and look at Juanita again. “I am completely unavailable. Especially to a guy like that.”
“Starlet, he’s hot and young.”
“Yeah—too young.”
“He’syourage.”
“That’s my point.”
Juanita shakes her head and swallows her shot of Tequila. “You’ve been dick-deprived for too long.”
“Sammy was the quintessential dick.”
She rolls her eyes. “You mean he was a dick head.” She gazes over at the table again. “That’s the kind of dick you need for a night or two.”
Her words spark a serious flashback—a hotel room in the middle of nowhere, Brick fucking me stupid. I wiggle in my seat, heat whipping up my body.
“Are you okay?” Juanita’s concerned tone breaks the spell.
“Yeah, why?”
“You’re beet-red, and too young for hot flashes.”
I think of a quick excuse. “That margarita was strong.”
