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“There’s more in the kitchen,” she offered and Austin jumped up to make a plate of his own.
Sofi still wasn’t sure what had happened but she was going on a date. Without Austin in tow. Yes, she’d hear it from the Tías. Yes, she would probably lose her privacy for all future dates. But if she could get on one date without having Austin along maybe it would give her a chance to finally push away these feelings that had been plaguing her. She knew it was a long shot, but not having Austin along for the date made her feel like at least she had a shot. Now hopefully that shot would find the basket and Sofi would finally move on. She had to.
* * *
She should have known.
The minute a red pickup pulled into traffic behind Sofi as she took the road out of Blue Falls, her heart had dropped. So much for an Austin-free evening.
She wasn’t sure who had betrayed her schedule to him. It could have been her mom, her tías, her dad, her brothers, or even Leia, but someone had and now Austin was tailing her. Somehow he’d known tonight was the night for her secret date.
But what could she do? She had to leave now or she’d be late. She’d taken a bit too long getting ready in the mercado bathroom but she’d wanted to look good. She’d chosen to wear a red, sleeveless fitted dress. Red because she rocked the color and sleeveless because it was a warm June evening and Sofi felt quite confident about her arms. It was amazing the amount of muscle tone one gained hefting heavy pots and pans. And fitted because she wanted to look dressed up but didn’t want to do it in a froofy, frouncy way. She wasn’t sure either of those were words but she figured they got her message across. She’d sleeked her hair into a tight ponytail that waved down her back and then arranged her growing out bangs around her face in a frame that looked quite pleasant if she did say so herself. She’d gone light on the makeup, mostly because she’d run out of time, but she’d felt pretty with her swipe of mascara and some blush on her suntanned skin. She’d finished with a nude lip and then marched out to her car, ignoring her mom’s flurry of questions about why she was so dressed up on a Thursday evening.
Though none of that felt like it mattered now that Sofi was being tailed by Austin. She could have knocked Rob’s socks off with her look but he’d still run if he saw that she’d brought along her best friend. Because even though Austin had promised to be discreet there was no hiding the man. He drew attention everywhere he went.
Sofi thought about trying to lose him but it was obvious she was headed for the freeway. Once she was on the freeway she could try to drive above the speed limit and get off quickly at her exit but that seemed not only silly but dangerous.
So she was stuck with Austin. For better or worse. She had a feeling this evening was headed for worse.
Sofi tried not to think about Austin or how much he cared for her on her hour-long drive to dinner. But it was hard to deny or forget it. Austin loved her. And she knew it. That was part of the reason it was so hard for her to let her feelings for him go.
She turned up her music and began dancing along to the next song. Better that than letting her thoughts run free.
A few minutes later, Austin pulled up beside her, his face full of fake astonishment that they were on the same road.
He looked back at the road as he lifted a finger up and down in Sofi’s direction and then blew on his hands, miming fire.
Sofi turned back to her driving as she tried to will away the blush that threatened from Austin’s compliment. He’d told her she was hot hundreds of times before but it still got to her, messed with her head. This was why she didn’t want Austin along on her date. As well as the fact that no one should be tailing Sofi on a date. Wasn’t the very definition of a date two people?
But neither the Castillos nor Austin had ever been sticklers for rules. Unless those rules worked in their favor.
Finally Sofi saw the turn off for Mountain Home and she took her exit as her GPS directed her to the local Italian spot that Rob had wanted to try.
Rob. That’s who her thoughts should be focused on. The butterflies that had tumbled around in her stomach after Austin had complimented her should have been for the man she was about to meet. Not her best friend.
Sofi pulled into the parking lot but kept her engine on as she pulled down her sun visor and looked in the mirror to make sure nothing had been too messed up on her drive.
“You really shouldn’t leave your doors unlocked. You never know who could just barge into your car,” Austin said as he jumped into the passenger’s seat of Sofi’s beloved Audi Q7.
“All kinds of riffraff.” Sofi lifted her eyebrows toward Austin.
“Or handsome passersby, but y’know, better to be safe,” Austin added, to which Sofi just rolled her eyes.
Austin closed her visor as he looked her over. “You are way too beautiful for any man in that restaurant. But some lucky bastard has to get you, so I guess Rob is as good of an option as any.”
“It was Leia?!” Sofi exclaimed when Austin knew the name of her date. She’d thought for sure her friend had her back.
“She only told me the guy’s name. Tía Rosa gave me your schedule and it was your mom who said you would probably be going tonight since you brought a duffel bag with you to work today.”
“They are all dead to me,” Sofi threatened but they both knew she was bluffing. Sofi’s people meant everything to her, even if she was absolutely furious with all of them at the moment.
“They care about you, Sof. We all do. We know you have to do this, but it doesn’t mean we like it. So we protect you,” Austin said as if it was the most natural thing in the world that he was trailing her on a date. And in their world, it was. Was that sad or wonderful? Sofi couldn’t answer that question without a lot more thought.
“But you’d better get out there. It will do you no favors if Rob sees you in the car with a guy that is way better looking than he could ever hope to be.”
Unfortunately, Austin’s words were probably true, and Sofi leaped out of the car and began walking purposefully toward the restaurant before she could second guess her motives.
She heard Austin’s car door slam and hurried her step. She wanted to be seated before Austin came in and disrupted her equilibrium.
