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“Very good choices. You won’t be hungry for the rest of the day with our imperial rice. Do you want black or red beans?”
“Can I get an extra order of sweet plantains, instead?”
Blanca nodded and looked over her shoulder. “There’s a table available for you.”
“I’ll have my order to go.”
“Sit down until your order is ready,” she insisted and I followed her to a tiny table that could be missed without a thorough look around the restaurant.
After I was seated, I picked up the menu from the table. I would’ve had a hard time making a decision with all of the dishes on this menu. I heard someone clearing her throat and I brought my head up and met Mariska’s dark chocolate brown eyes. She had her black cap back on her head, but I could still see her face. She put down a glass of ice water in front of me. The white dress she had on looked great against her golden skin. A week ago, at Beth’s birthday party, she’d had a dress on too. It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen her in anything but a dress or skirt. I lowered my eyes to her never-ending long legs. She really was pretty. Two feet from us, the guys at the table she’d just served were eyeing her. I hadn’t given her much thought, or checked her out, because I had no business thinking about her like that.
“What are you doing here?” She tried to ask me nicely, but she hadn’t hidden her irritation well. Was it because she’d been told to serve me a glass of water? Did she want someone else to do it?
I raised my gaze and received a pointed look from her as I said, “Waiting on my food.”
Mariska hiked her brow up. “You’re staying here for lunch?” Her eyes slightly widened, and I felt my lips twitch.
“The next time you come, I insist that you eat in,” Blanca said from behind Mariska as she moved in front of her. Since she wasn’t as tall as Mariska I caught the disgusted turn-up of Mariska’s mouth, which changed to a courteous nod.
Blanca touched Mariska’s arm as she turned on the heels of her feet. “Do you know Hunter?”
“We know each other…very well,” I lied and sent Mariska a mocking smile. “We go to University of Miami together and she told me that La Caridad is a must.” I threw my arms up and a satisfied expression broke out over Blanca’s face. “I work at Lasting Impressions.”
“Which is very convenient. Maybe you could do a tattoo for me. I’ve always thought about getting one,” Blanca remarked. Her head rose to meet Mariska’s stare, “And he speaks Spanish almost as well as you.”
I shrugged. “My accent sucks.”
Blanca shook her head. “No. Mariska probably speaks Spanish more often than you do. You know what they say about practice.”
I nodded. “Maybe Mariska can tutor me.” I got my wallet from my back pocket and took out my business card, handing it to Blanca. “If you wanna see my work, or you want me to draw a design that you may have in mind.”
Blanca made a noise of approval. I stood up and walked around the table, looming over Mariska for a quick enough moment for me to see her sharp intake of breath. She may have been used to being the tallest person most places she went to, but I was taller. In order to see me, she had to lift up her pretty little head.
Another girl with alabaster skin, fine blond hair, pink lips, grinned at me mischievously as she handed me the bags of take-out. She had on a regular shirt that was knotted to the side that showed off her svelte body. And I slid my gaze to Mariska, who pretended that she hadn’t noticed. She thought that her co-worker was pathetic for being friendly with me. The other girl was cute and nicer to me than Mariska was. Why shouldn’t I appreciate some harmless admiration?
Mariska
WHEN HUNTER LEFT, JILL whistled. Blanca and the other waitress laughed. After a customer slipped a tip into the pocket of my apron, I looked at Jill. Inwardly, I sighed, and started up front to begin my second shift at the cash register.
“Who is he?” Jill asked.
I’d hoped that Blanca would’ve had Jill do something, so that I wouldn’t have to hear about Hunter for the rest of the day. He already had Beth wrapped around his finger. I’d almost been suckered in at her party by the drawing he’d done on her cake, but afterward, I’d remembered that addicts weren’t only the scary looking people with rotting teeth and skin that mirrored a spoiled orange. No, addicts were also charmers, and Hunter could be one too. He almost seemed like a regular guy.
He could be drinking alcohol and using drugs again while Beth and Chase began to trust him more with each passing day, but Hunter had the potential to be violent. He could ruin Beth and Chase’s relationship, because she’d encouraged Chase to give Hunter a chance. Jake, Bri, and I had told her not to meddle, but she hadn’t listened to us.
“My best friend’s friend.”
She tapped my shoulder and I gazed at her. “Why is he your friend’s friend? Am I missing something here?”
“His name is Hunter,” I huffed out a harsh breath, “and I keep my distance from him.”
“That’s a shame,” Jill said with a hint of a laugh in her voice, “Do you know
when he’s coming back? It looked like you and Hunter were talking, like friends do.”
“I didn’t know he was coming in today. I didn’t tell him that I work here.”
“Would you happen to have Hunter’s number?”
