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“When?” I tried to think back to when she might have seen me. I wasn’t terrible, but it definitely didn’t come naturally to me. I had to follow along with the crowd and copy other people. It was like being able to trace, but not draw. Left to my own devices, I tended to do the only move I could remember, a lawn sprinkler thing that impressed no one but Piper.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Carmen shrugged and picked up my phone, scrolling through songs. But she had absolutely no poker face.
“Carmen, when did you see me dance?”
She smiled. “Don’t kill her. When you went to the bathroom, Grace pulled out some videos of you dancing at her house with Piper. I especially like the hand behind the head while the other hand points out and bobs up and down.”
“That’s my signature move.”
“I could tell.” She dodged as I went to tickle her side, laughing to herself. “It looks like fun. Can I come along to your next dance party?”
“You can come to every dance party, Carmen.”
Our eyes met, and I knew without a doubt, Carmen was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. But that was a lot to put on a person I’d just technically gone on a first date with. For now, I’d focus on making her night as relaxing as possible after a day that was… a lot. Good, but a lot.
I smiled when we reached her house and she asked if I wanted to come in for a few minutes. Not that my plans couldn’t wait, but earlier today, I’d planted a few things inside her cupboards for tonight if it worked out. Grace and Rob were always too full to order dessert, and tonight was no exception. I had not missed the way Carmen had set aside the dessert menu and pretended it was not something she was interested in.
I went around and got her door, and we walked hand in hand back to her casita. Carmen unlocked the door and led me in where she kicked off her shoes and sat on the couch, pulling a blanket onto her lap. “I love Grace and Piper.”
“They love you, too. Although, if Grace was trying to lock things down by showing you my dancing, she might need a new strategy.”
“Come sit.” Carmen patted the spot next to her.
“I will in a minute. How do you feel about dessert?”
“I don’t think I have anything. Why? Are you still hungry? I might have a cookie mix in a cupboard somewhere.”
“I’m only hungry for dessert if you are.”
Carmen raised an eyebrow. “Is this some kind of innuendo?”
I laughed. “No.” I would always let Carmen set the pace on something like that. Plus, Eddie would carve my insides out.
“Okay, then what’s going on with you? You look all mysterious, and I’m usually the one obsessing about dessert around here.”
“Come over here and see. Or sit and wait. I need about twenty-five minutes.”
Carmen got up and shadowed me while I pulled ingredients out of cupboards, found the ramekins I’d hid in a drawer, and took out the recipe I’d printed.
“Isaac, this recipe page is slightly wrinkled, and it has chocolate smudges on it.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you a crisp copy.”
She wrapped her arms around my side. “Did you practice making chocolate lava cakes?”
“I wanted to make sure this was in my wheelhouse first.”
Carmen went on her tiptoes and kissed me. “That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Sorry I had to eat the first batch without you. They don’t really keep. I tried one and I brought the other two over to Beebee and Mimi. They thought they were okay.”
“Just okay?”
“A little too rich, was Beebee’s assessment. She wasn’t sure her doctor would approve.”
Carmen rested her head against my shoulder. “I’ll take dark and rich any day.”
“I bet you would.”
