Page 51 of Eighteen (18)

“No.”

“Doesn’t that fuck feed you?”

I scoff. “Why would he?” And then I sigh again. Jesus, I’m in a bad mood. “He does give me money sometimes. But the only food he buys is formula for Olivia. I guess he eats at the restaurant.”

“What restaurant?” Mateo asks, pulling away from the curb and flipping a bitch to head back towards West Street.

“Oh, I don’t even know. I guess he works somewhere over by Disneyland. He’s a chef.”

“He’s a chef?” Mateo says with disbelief.

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing. Just interesting.”

“Where are we going?” I ask, a few blocks later when he gets on the freeway.

“Crescent Bay in Laguna.”

“Why so far? We could just go to the fire pits at Huntington.”

“You can’t see the stars in Huntington. Even with a new moon.”

“You’re taking me to see the stars?” I have to look away to hide my smile.

“So you wanna eat before or after?”

“Dinner too?”

He laughs. “God, Shannon. You act like you’ve never been on a date before.”

“This is a date?”

“Isn’t it?” he asks, squinting at me. “I guess I wasn’t clear.”

I stay silent for a few seconds, mulling this over. I hadn’t really thought about it as a date. “Well, wow.”

“Wow what?”

“I just didn’t expect it, that’s all.”

“You thought I was a fuck-’em-and-forget-’em kind of guy? You don’t listen very well, do you?”

“I hear you, Mateo. I just don’t believe you.”

“Fair enough. Everyone’s got baggage. But you have to believe in someone eventually. It might as well be me.”

“You lied last night. You had me freaking out that you were in my bedroom touching me while I was sleeping.”

“It turned you on. You can admit it, you know.”

“It freaked me out, Mateo.”

“Sure did,” he says. “It freaked you out so much you got on my bike ten minutes later. It freaked you out so much you agreed to go on a date with me. So why did you do those things if you think I’m creepy?”

I can’t answer that.

“Do you really need me to state the obvious?”