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“Don’t worry. I think intent is important.” He grinned, throwing my words back at me.
“I’m afraid my intent wasn’t very virtuous. I was trying to take a jab, and I’m sorry for that. The truth is, even if youhadcome from money, I shouldn’t have acted that way, regardless.”
“All is forgiven.”
“Would you like to have lunch tomorrow?” I asked. I was enjoying our conversation tonight.
Hector cleared his throat. “I, um—can’t . . . I, uh, have lunch plans.”
I took a sip of my water, wishing it was wine. “Oh?”
“Andrea is in town for work. We agreed to meet over lunch.”
“I see,” I said, but my stomach twisted into knots. “That’s good. Baby steps.” I did my best to smile. Was this him whisking her away like I suggested? If it was, it was a sorry excuse for a romantic trip.
“Yeah. If I’m honest, I’m a little nervous,” he said.
“Has it been that long?”
“I haven’t seen her in over a year.”
I blinked. Over a year? I thought it had been months, not an entire year. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I said and was desperate for the conversation to go anywhere else. I didn’t need to hear any details about him and Andrea together. My poor heart couldn’t take it.
Once our dinner arrived, the conversation relaxed into a more leisurely pace, allowing me to take a breath after Hector’s revelation.
“So tell me about home.”
“What about it?”
“Growing up in Oaxaca. What was it like?”
He put his fork down and leaned back in his chair. He grabbed for his glass of wine, buying time.
“It’s not something I like thinking about much. My only connection to the city is my mother, and she refuses to leave. It’s a beautiful city, and she loves it. I understand her; her family and friends are all there. But for me—I have only bad memories.”
“Forget I asked.”
“No—it’s okay. Let’s see. My father left us when I was six. Wish he had done it sooner so I wouldn’t have the vague memories I have of him. My mother struggled to support us. She had little help from my grandparents because they weren’t much better off.”
“What did she do?”
“What she knew how to do. She’s a great cook, so she put a few pesos together and started a little food stand. She soldmemelasbecause they were cheap to make. With that, she was able to provide for us. It was a humble start, but I’m glad for it.”
“Why are you glad you grew up like that?”
“I don’t think I’d be the person I am today if I hadn’t. I know I can take myself too seriously at times, and Mom reminds me all the time that I fancy myself perfect.”
“Yeah, she might have mentioned it,” I said with a grin.
“I don’t doubt it. That attitude of mine was probably what you were picking up on when you made those assumptions about me. But if you can imagine, think about what an arrogant bastard I am now. Then imagine how much worse that would be if I had started off in life as you assumed.”
“The monstrosity,” I gasped.
He threw his head back with laughter. “Indeed.”
He was true to his word. The remainder of the meal was very polite, and no lines were crossed. I was pleased to see him not fighting me when I wanted to split the check with him. I wanted no room to interpret this dinner as anything other than a meal between colleagues.
I was taken aback when he exited the elevator on my floor.
