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Chapter Nine:
Neil deGrasse Tyson
I ended up stayingin Brisley for almost three weeks. Sterling insisted I work, I needed my family to help ground me, and sleeping in my own bed instead of a hotel’s was glorious. I’d almost considered not going back to Domingo at all — I could’ve hired someone to go handle the house once Destiny and Angel were out and saved myself a lot of trouble and potential pain, but I couldn’t stay away. Not when the infuriatingly sassy and gorgeous Mia Camilla was there.
So I dealt with the airport and the commercial flight and the taxi to get back to the same hotel I’d stayed at before, then settled in. I slept off the mild jet lag, showered, fixed my messy hair, and headed back to Sunday’s.
It was busier today, and the little boy was back and coloring in the booth across the diner from me. I made a mental note to bring in some coloring books for him the next time I came, then glanced around for my favorite waitress.
She was rushing around with three plates in her hands and waving over a busboy that looked completely overwhelmed. Even under the stress, she was calm and patient when telling him which tables to do first, and when she rushed over to me I expected her to call me Huevos, but instead she just gave me her usual greeting without any inclination she remembered me.
“Not even an insult today, huh? I’m a little disappointed. I didn’t think I was gone that long. I didn’t even grow a beard or anything.”
“You must look different because I don’t remember you,” she said flippantly. “Refresh my memory, were you the guy that liked syrup to dip his sausages in but rightfully hated waffles?”
I held my hand over my heart in mock offense. “Rightfully hated? How dare you besmirch the name of waffles in my presence.”
“Besmirch?” Mia cackled louder than I’d ever heard her. “No, no. I remember you now. You were the one that needed the bib for when you eat your waffles. Don’t worry, we still have bibs.”
“That’s what you took from all that, huh?” I nodded a little, then leaned back in my seat. “Just water to drink, and for food ... surprise me, Camilla. Whatever you think is good.”
“Coming right up.” There was something I couldn’t read on her face as she took my menu, and whether she remembered me or not, I still remembered how perfect her ass was and watched her leave.
A few moments later, she set my water down without a word and moved on to the table next to mine. I started to think she wasn’t joking and maybe she legitimately didn’t remember me — but that didn’t seem right. Even if she wasn’t interested in me like I was interested in her, she didn’t seem the type to forget a face that fast. And in the unlikely event that she really had forgotten me, she’d have probably pretended to remember me to get a better tip or have an easier time with the table.
Any more hoops I can jump through to make it make sense? Fucking hell. I rubbed the back of my neck and squirmed a little bit as I waited, then scrolled mindlessly through social media to look busy and occupy my stupid tell-all, puppy-dog eyes.
I brooded for about fifteen more minutes before two plates were being sent down in front of me, and when I looked at the contents, I couldn’t help but grin. It was sad huevos — not only was it my sad huevos, but it was also waffles, extra syrup and hot sauce. She remembered who I was, remembered exactly how I liked my food, and her blush when I met her eyes was priceless.
“There’s my girl. I missed you, you know,” I said quietly, letting the corner of my mouth turn up slightly. “Did you miss me?”
She did that smile-with-her-tongue thing that slayed me. “Un poquito. My break is in ten if you cut your bites small enough, Papí.”
“Noted. I’ll be here.” I winked and picked up my knife and fork so she could watch me cut the tiniest possible piece off that waffle, then held the fork between my teeth with a flirty smirk. “Can’t wait.”
She took her leave with a chuckle, busying herself with the many patrons in Sunday’s that afternoon.
When her break finally came, it was a little less crowded around the diner and she sat down with a heavy sigh. “¡Dios mío! This place hasn’t let me breathe all day.” She closed her eyes and took another breath before truly meeting my gaze. “Hi. You were gone a while.”
“Just a couple weeks. How have you been? Did you tell all your friends how excited you were that I disappeared?” I teased.
“We had a party,” she retorted. “No really, I can show you pictures.”
I opened my mouth to call her bluff and closed it abruptly, knowing damned well she wasn’t kidding. “What’s your last name?”
“I normally wouldn’t tell you, but since I’ve seen your ID, it’s Perez.”
“That’s very rude of you, Mia Camilla Perez,” I said playfully. “Throwing a party to celebrate my disappearance was rude, and no, I don’t want to see the evidence.”
She chuckled, then showed me a photo anyway of her with a piece of cake and a party hat. “It was actually my birthday. I was hoping I’d see you that week but you disappeared.”
She looked so damn adorable in that hat that not seeing it in person felt like a physical loss. “Feliz cumpleaños then, Mia. I’d have stuck around if I knew, but that hotel was getting a little lonely.”
“Thank you. You said that pretty good, Huevos. Thirty-four isn’t really something I want to celebrate but my sister insisted. Did you go home?”
I nodded, knowing I needed to answer her question before she answered any more of mine — but I wanted to know everything about her. I seemed entirely irrelevant. “Sure did. Went to see my dad Charlie, my brother Sterling, and his wife Zeppelin. Slept in my own bed for a few nights. Did you know that you’re two years older than me? You look fucking incredible. Tell me about your sister. Are you guys close in age? Do you get along?”
Mia seemed to like my enthusiasm, but she held up a finger and took a drink out of my water with unbroken eye contact, then slid it right back. “She’s older than me by three years, and yes we’re close. We had some rocky times in high school like most siblings, but we got over our shit. She’s my best friend in the world and no you can’t meet her because she’s prettier and I don’t want to share my Huevos.”
