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“Great! Let’s go!” Dita laughed and bumped my hip back. Well, rather my upper leg. “I’ll put on some music and show you what he’s capable off. He’s got it on last Friday.” She eyed me while others hooted like a bunch of teenagers, knowing exactly what she meant. “Let’s see if he’s recuperated well enough this weekend.”
* * *
Three hours and many elderly indecency incidents later, I followed Dita outside. At least I got to do that without getting cussed out this time.
“Want to get carried out or—
“I’m good, thanks,” she interjected, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder as she walked towards her car.
“Just offering my special services.”
“That’s progress. I don’t remember you asking last time.” She pursed her lips cutely.
I only smiled and kept some space. Otherwise, I’d dive in and snatch that pretty mouth.
She opened it and leaned her back against the car door after tossing the bag in the backseat. “You did pretty well.”
I jammed my hands inside my pockets, resisting the urge to touch her. “Thanks.”
She fumbled with her keys. “You can behave if you want to. Better than Anny, anyway.”
“Right now, I don’t want to be good,” I said, receiving an indifferent shrug. I looked over her car toward the empty parking lot, losing more pieces of confidence as the days went by. “You going back to Cary’s?”
“And Mom’s,” she corrected.
I rolled my lips around my teeth, and although it stung that she wouldn’t come back, I gave her a small smile. “What about coffee in the mornings?”
She let her head fall back. “Well, Cary is contemplating buying a brand-new coffee machine. Said he was scared his recent one is not going to survive the abuse I’m stressing it with now.”
Her hazel eyes read my pleading ones well. The joke was appreciated but I’d rather she wanted to pick up our morning routine too.
She sighed and offered, “I’m home every morning. You know that. But what about your job?”
“I’ll make time.”
She let that simmer for a second before she squinted her eyes, interrogating as she tilted her head. “What happened to you?”
I licked my lips and fiddled with a loose lock of her hair between my fingers. Easy-peasy question. “You. You happened.”
36
DITA
Ares stunned me. For the past three weeks, he’d been my partner at almost every salsa session. Not just at the start of the weekend, but from Tuesday to Fridays. Except for one emergency at The Snake Zoo—it still had financial and structural problems—he’d joined us every class night. Much to Anny’s delight.
He behaved (mostly), gave me space (also mostly) and admittedly, was the most thrilling coffee date in the mornings. Plus, he seemed to be getting along with Cary just fine. That had been part of my goal as well. If Ares really wanted to make things right, he had to include normal conversation with his dad. From what I understood, Cary was the only—if not a little crazy—parent he had. We had to cherish the ones sticking to our sides. Things weren’t too late to mend.
After all, Cary also told me about the clause in the sanctuary’s contract, stating Ares wouldn’t receive ownership of The Zoo otherwise. Uncle Mack and I, we would’ve gotten along.
There was some fuzz in the kitchen downstairs. It seemed like a dream at first, but the fog in my head cleared slowly when the low voices stopped, and footsteps ascended the stairs. I awaited my caffeine prince.
“Morning, sweetness.”
The door’s lock clicked before he pecked my still very sleepy face.
“Good God, what time is it.” I opened one eye just to see him up close and smile.
Like yesterday, he told me to scoot toward the wall, toed off his shoes, and drank his coffee next to me in bed.
