“Hello there!”Dominic Castro jogged over.A servant followed closely, walking four Xolo dogs on leashes.“Are you here to gawk at Fortune’s Kiss too?”
Mayté’s chest tightened for a multitude of reasons.Her patron, Señora Castro, was Dominic’s mother.
Not only that: as an heir to Las Cuatro, Dominic had once been her potential suitor.
She would be lying if she said he hadn’t been her favorite, with his long eyelashes and strong jawline, his dark eyes shining like the starlit sky.His cheeks were always a bit flushed and the skin under his eyes always puffed up when he smiled.To most it was a flaw, but Mayté found it quite charming.Just a look from him used to make her heart jump.Maybe it still did.
“Isn’t this an exciting time?”He sounded breathless.“I just overheard someone say that a woman from a far-off land won and used her wish to heal her dying mother of an incurable disease.Isn’t that amazing?Anything can happen!”
“Señor, please slow down.”The servant rushed after Dominic.
“Perritos!”Lo squealed and dropped to her knees, letting Dominic’s skinny gray dogs flop all over her and give her licks.Each one of those sorry excuses for canines only reminded Mayté of the hours she toiled getting their odd proportions right.
Lo kissed the dog’s pointed muzzles one by one.“Did you happen to hear what the price of entry is?”she asked Dominic.
“Not exactly.”He flashed a lopsided grin.“No one knows for sure, but there are rumors and theories.Some say since the prize is so wonderful, the cost must be huge!Like a large sum in golden coins.Others claim they’ll only accept your most prized treasure.One of them might be right, no?”
“Maybe.”Lo grinned, but Mayté felt sick.Golden coins?Her most prized treasure?She hadn’t thought there might be a price for entry.How was someone who couldn’t even afford a measly jar of paint going to get in?
“Well,I’veheard that the payment is blood,” Ernesto yelled as Juan Felipe shoved him out of the way.
“Yes, yes, but noble blood is worth more.Someone like María Teresa would likely get bled dry before she could pay the price.”He smirked and the other suitors snickered.
Mayté’s cheeks flushed with warmth.She caught Dominic staring and looked away.Of course,nowthe boys would notice her.
“Enough,” Lo said, voice suddenly firm.“If you think that about my best friend, then you should find someone else to court.”
Juan Felipe jolted as if Lo had kicked him in the stomach.He probably had never heard her speak like that.The other suitors looked just as shocked.
Dominic burst out laughing at his rival.He laughed so hard, it turned into a coughing fit.One of the dogs whined and the servant looked panic-stricken, but Dominic waved him off.“Sorry.That was … rude of me.”He gasped for air, a wide grin still plastered on his face.
Mayté pressed her lips together.At least someone else was being laughed at for a change.
Lo turned away.The hunger and curiosity in her eyes had faded.Clearly, she had gotten everything she needed.“Oh, my, I think I’ve lost track of the time.I should go before my father gets worried.”
“Wait!”Juan Felipe snatched her arm.His huge smile clashed with the growl in his voice.“I can escort you—”
The way he grabbed at her as if she were his possession.Mayté’s blood boiled.
Lo made a strange face as she looked down at her arm and back up again at Juan Felipe.
“No, I can,” Ernesto interrupted.“Let me walk you, my beautiful lady.”
“I need to take the dogs home,” Dominic said, hitching his thumb back.“It’s on the way if you want to talk more about Fortune’s Kiss.”
Lo shook free from Juan Felipe and before any of those idiotas could get any closer, Mayté hooked arms with her.
“Sorry.”Lo shrugged.“Let’s talk more next time, okay?”
Mayté grinned.If the two of them played their cards right, there wouldn’t be a next time.Ever.
Somewhere, somehow, people got it into their heads that home was where the heart was.But if Maytéhadto choose, her heart’s true home would be at the Fountain Garden.
Tucked away from the city’s bustle, bathed in mist from myriad waterspouts, and guarded by cacti of all shapes and sizes, sat her and Lo’s secret garden.Maybesecretwasn’t the right word.Overlooked?Underappreciated?Not many people walked through here, and they were missing out.
Abuelita had introduced her and Lo to this magical place.It was her refuge from her husband and children, and it became the same for Mayté.Whenever her mother was too nagging, or her brothers too loud and brutish, or her father’s absence too overwhelming to handle, she came here for peace and quiet.
As children, Mayté and Lo had spent many an afternoon splashing around in the fountains, bestowing names on the different cacti.Stuff like Verde and Flor.To this day, Señor Conejito was her favorite.Short and round, it sprouted two heads that looked like rabbit’s ears.
