She pointed her tongs at me, clicking them aggressively.
“Who is it?”
“Nobody. A tourist. I literally don’t even know his name.”
This was true. I’d been too busy admiring what looked like a tattoo that covered his neck all the way up to his jaw to remember to ask.
Pathetic. Genuinely pathetic.
Pull yourself together. He was just a really hot guy.
“A tourist.” Lupe turned back to her tamales, but I could see the grin spreading. She had the most beautiful smile. “A cute tourist.”
“He was…” I searched for words that weren’tlooked like he was born from sea foam and rose out of the ocean on a shell. “Adequate.”
She didn’t buy it for a second.
“Mija, you’re blushing.”
“Am not.”
Zero for two on that accusation. I dropped into one of the kitchen chairs. The grin was still there. I could feel it, stretching muscles in my face that had apparently atrophied from disuse.
“He just—he was funny, okay? Like actually funny. Not ‘I watched a lot of stand-up comedy and now I repeat bits’ funny. Quick. And he had all these shark facts he kept?—”
“Shark facts? What is he, your perfect man?”
Lupe was practically vibrating with excitement now.
“Ay, tell me you didn’t start going off about how it’s migration season on him?”
I didn’t answer, which was confirmation enough.
“You did? Mijjjjjja, that means you were trying to flirt.”
“I…engaged in light verbal sparring.”
“Selena.”
“Fine. Yes. I flirted. I flirtedhard. I was disgusting about it. Are you happy? He’s a tourist. I know better than that.”
Lupe leaned forward, her dark eyes gleaming with mischief. “Tourist or not, it sounds like he got under your skin. In a good way.”
I shrugged,trying to play it off. “He was…interesting. Different. Not like the usual guys around here.”
“Mm-hmm. And when was the last time you found a guy ‘interesting,’ huh? Face it, chica, you need this.”
“He’s just a guy, Lupe.”
“I’m not saying marry the guy. You just need a little fun, some excitement in your life.”
I rolled my eyes. “I have plenty of excitement, thank you very much. Running a business, organizing community events, dealing with my mother…my life is a never-ending thrill ride.”
Lupe snorted. “Please. I’m talking about the excitement that makes your toes curl and your magic sing.”
My cheeks heated—again.
I knew exactly what kind of excitement she was talking about. The kind I hadn’t participated in for a long, long time. The charge on my rose toy upstairs would confirm that.
