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“Why was it a secret?” he asked, continuing to stare into Cami’s baby blues.
Her face turned red again. “This was their idea. I
just wanted to have lunch. That’s all.” She pointed at the two other women. “You should ask them. They’re the ones who dragged me here.”
Although enjoying watching her squirm, he planted a fake frown on his face. “They had to drag you here? We really do have good food, Camille.”
“I didn’t…mean it that way. I’m thrilled to be at Dos Hermanos. This is very special. I’ve always wanted to come here, especially since everyone says your food is so delicious. I can’t wait to try it, especially today, since you made it special for us.” She turned red again. “Well, I guess the words of the day are ‘especially’ and ‘special.’ At least for me.”
“It’s special for us, too,” Miguel said, “to have you in our restaurant. And here’s Marcos with your lunch.”
Marcos placed the dishes in front of the three women.
“We’ve prepared a trio of enchiladas for you.” Miguel moved closer to the table, standing next to Cami’s chair. “The first is a chicken breast with our signature mole that has been featured in D Magazine as the best in Dallas three years in a row.”
As Miguel continued describing the dishes, Roberto took a step closer to the other side of Cami. He inhaled her fragrance, which he could not recognize but was so delicious it made his mouth water.
“The final enchilada is filled with three cheeses we import from Spain.” Miguel grabbed Cami’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Enjoy.”
Roberto took her other hand, pressing his lips to her delicate skin. “Once you taste our food, señorita, I am certain you will not need to be dragged here next time, and let me assure you that we will make the temperature to your liking. Cold. Warm.” He grinned. “Hot.”
Toni and Izzy started giggling.
“Will you two please stop it?” Cami grinned and turned to Marcos. “I’ve changed my mind. Could you bring us another pitcher, please?”
* * * *
Before going through the swinging doors back into the kitchen, Miguel took another long look at Cami. He liked everything about her. Smart. Funny. Gorgeous. She was the kind of woman other women eyed with envy. Since meeting her at Jay and Clay’s birthday bash, he and Roberto had been planning on asking her out. Now was their chance.
He followed his brother into the kitchen, where their staff was putting together the last of the meals for the lunch hour. Soon, they would begin prepping for the dinner rush. He and Roberto moved to the baking station to finish the dessert they’d made for Cami and her friends.
“Do you think this would be a good time to ask Camille out?” he asked Roberto, who was piercing the cooled cake, readying it for the milks.
“What better time, hermano? She called us hot as hell.”
He grinned. “You like pushing her buttons.”
“And you don’t?” Roberto poured the heavy cream over the cake. “You’re the one who kissed her hand first.”
“That is not exactly pushing her buttons. That was a sweet gesture, trying to show her how romantic we can be. You, on the other hand, kept teasing her.” He grinned. “That comment about setting the temperature to hot if she wanted it almost caused me to laugh out loud, which would have ruined the romance.”
His brother shrugged. “But it didn’t ruin it, did it? And besides, I kissed her other hand. You have your charm and I have mine. If we’re lucky, when we take the cake out she’ll say yes to both of us.”
“Let’s hurry and get it out to their table, then.”
Alessandra came through the swinging door, all smiles. “Another great lunch at Dos Hermanos, guys. You two are making my new job so easy.”
They’d promoted her last month from front of house manager to director of business development. He and Roberto planned on opening three new locations by the end of the year. One thing they’d learned about Alessandra since she’d come to work for them was that her logistic skills were top-notch.
She stared at Cami’s dessert and frowned. “Did I make a mistake? I thought the desserts for today were sopapillas and chocolate flan. That’s what I had printed on the menu.”
Roberto laughed. “Alessandra, you’re correct.”
“I thought so. One sheet cake wouldn’t feed two tables of customers, not to mention the entire restaurant. Is that for Cami and her friends?”
“Yes, it is.” Miguel got out three plates. “And make sure there’s no charge.”
“Of course. I need to get back to the hostess station. Maria can only fly solo for so long without me, but I’m sure she’ll be up to speed before our Spain trip.”
