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I stood up and gestured to the snaking line leading up to the front counter. “Should we get you something?”
“Oh, sure. Sorry I’m late. Parking was a bear.” She took off her puffy purple jacket and put it on the back of her chair before following me. We joined the end of the line and stared up at the menu board listing all the available drinks. “I think I’ll go with hot chocolate,” she finally said. “Can’t go wrong there.”
She had a point. I decided to get one, too and toss my other drink.
When she stepped up to order, I whipped out my credit card and went to hand it to the barista, but quick as lightning, Carmen plucked it out of my hand and slid it into the back pocket of my jeans. The little pickpocket was so slick I barely felt it go in.
She smiled. “I’ll have a hot chocolate, please. And I’m paying with cash.”
“She’s not paying. This is a date. A very romantic one. And I’ll have a hot chocolate, as well.”
Carmen put her hands on her hips. “It’s a blind date set up by my nosy neighbor. Which makes it my fault, so I’ll pay, thank you very much.”
“It’s not that blind. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”
She pointed at me. “Aha! Now you admit it.”
“Um.” The barista, trying not to laugh, glanced between the two of us. “I have a solution for you two. The hot chocolates are on the house. But…” She slid their tip jar closer. “We do accept generous tips.”
“Thank you. That’s very kind.” Carmen pulled a twenty out of her wallet and dropped it in the jar.
Not to be outdone, I put my card back in my wallet, took out a twenty, and put it in after hers.
The barista’s eyes widened. “Well, that worked better than I expected. Thank you both. I’ll bring the hot chocolates out to you in a few. Whipped cream on top okay?”
Carmen and I both nodded. At least we had one thing we agreed on.
The barista handed us a number to put on our table. “Feel free to come back and argue about money any time.”
I followed Carmen back to the table. She took the seat across from me and eyed me silently, so I reached my hands out and rested them on the table in front of her, showing I was unarmed. “Maria would kill me if I let you pay. You know she would.”
“Are you planning to give her a play-by-play of our date then?”
“She did ask for one. But I guess it depends on what happens.”
Carmen’s eyes widened. She had the most beautiful dark-brown eyes, framed in dark lashes. I wasn’t kidding when I said I liked her everything. I couldn’t have designed a person more perfectly apt to make me lose my mind. I already knew she was funny, adventurous, friendly, and goofy. But adding attraction to that was like pouring lighter fluid on a campfire. Carmen had been a cute girl. Now she was gorgeous.
As if she could read my thoughts and didn’t approve, she crossed her arms, looking distrustful. “Go ahead and report back to Maria. She doesn’t scare me.”
“Well, she scares everyone else.”
“You have no idea.” Carmen’s smile turned into a frown, as if she’d suddenly thought of something unpleasant. “Why did you set this up? I’ve seen Maria’s matchmaking book. There are lots of women in there, ones who would probably be much happier to go out with you.”
Ouch.
She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I’m sorry. Holy cow, this is exhausting. I don’t know how Sadie manages to be grumpy all the time. It’s making my stomach hurt.”
“Sadie doesn’t have to try. Grumpy is her default.”
“And yet she makes a good friend.”
“She does.” I couldn’t disagree there. I’d met her the night I ran into Carmen last year. Despite so obviously chatting her up because she was friends with Carmen, we became friends, too.
“I don’t know why I’m still so mad at you,” Carmen admitted.
“Because I was the jerk who ruined everything.”
“You were thirteen. Thirteen-year-olds are naturally jerks.”
