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“Apparently, my nightly ritual is now being pissed off at someone every night.”
He raises both eyebrows and smiles. “Six-twenty strikes again?”
My hand freezes on the bar top. “Juan—”
He raises a hand. “You have no worries with me, man. You saved my ass the other day when the manager tried to fire me. I only mentioned it because twice the two of you have come in pissed off after each other. I was at the desk when she said she ordered packages and you showed up looking like you could chew on glass. Like you’re looking right now. What’d she do to make you mad?”
Relief shoots through me. I meant it when I told her if I lost the job, I wouldn’t dwell. Doesn’t mean I want to get fired. “I’m not mad at her. Not anymore. It’s my own stupid mouth and temper that pisses me off now.”
“What’d you said to her?”
I hesitate. Juan and I are cool but we’re not exactly friends. I can’t talk to Matt, though, because he’s still trying to shove Kelsey down my throat. He texted twice, no doubt at his girlfriend’s insistence. They don’t get the hint.
“We went out and she wanted to pay for dinner. Said there’s no reason to waste my money when she can pay it with her business account.”
Juan flips his palms open. “And?”
“I told her it’s none of her business how I spend my money.” It’s an abbreviated version but I’m not getting too deep. I’m not about to talk about my financial woes, that she had a mooching ex, or that she happened to hit a sore spot with her offer.
Juan scrunches up his face. “The lady wanted to pay for dinner and you got nasty with her? You could have just said, ‘thank you but I got it.’”
Yeah, I came to that conclusion earlier. “I have my pride. I don’t need a woman paying for my meals.”
“Are you going to stop seeing her?”
“No.” It comes out so forceful but it doesn’t surprise me. I already know I’m not done with whatever is happening with us.
“Okay, how’s that going to work? What if she wants to treat you to something? I mean, don’t get me wrong, my daddy always taught me the man pays, but my wife sometimes wants to treat me.”
“You’re married to her.”
“She took me out sometimes when we were dating too. I saw in your lady’s reservation that she’s from New York. People over there have weird ideas. Cut her some slack and apologize. Tell her we’re real men down here.”
Yeah, that would go over well. “She is proud of her state.”
“Poor thing. She doesn’t know any better. You need to show her, man.” He shakes his head all the way back to the hotel reception area.
I chuckle and pull out my phone. I’ll apologize in person but I need to test the waters first.Hey, are you in your room?
She replies ten minutes later.No, I’m out and about.
That tells me nothing. Is she pissed off or not?I get out in an hour…
It takes her another ten minutes to reply again.Oh. Meet me at the gelato spot in Little Italy.
I tried to wait ten minutes to reply but I don’t make it to five.If I leave, it will be hard for me to come back inside the hotel.
This time she replies in less than a minute.I know.
And obviously doesn’t care.Yup. She’s super pissed.
I finish my shift and head to meet her. I park a block away from the place and walk there quickly.
She’s sitting by the window, concentrating on whatever regional managers for multinational companies do on her computer, I’m able to walk across before she notices me. She lifts her head and we lock eyes just as I head to the door. Her shoulders square back as if she’s getting ready for a fight.
I sigh.
The smell of caramel and chocolate are in the air and engulf me when I walk in.
