Big Chicas Don't Cry(37)

I looked over in his direction, fully expecting him to politely decline. Instead, he surprised me for the second time that night and said, “Well, I could switch my flight to Sunday. If there’s room, I’d love to come.”

Rachel jumped up and clapped. “Yay! I’m going to go tell my mom right now.”

Before I could yank my sister’s sweater to stop her, she was already screaming the news from the top of her lungs.

Great. That was really going to sound the alarm for the busybody squad in the corner.

“You made her day, Nathan,” Gracie said. Was she swooning?

“I can’t wait until tomorrow,” Erica added, looking directly at me with a sly smile.



“So, who are the kids sitting in the pews in the front again?” Nathan whispered as the Mass began.

“That’s her court of honor,” Erica, who was sitting on his left side, whispered back.

“Court? Like a royal court? Is that why she has a tiara on?”

I just shook my head. He’d started asking questions last night and learned pretty quickly that I was not his best source for information. I had passed on having a quince myself, opting for a sweet sixteen party instead. Gracie had also declined, mainly because she hated the idea of having to ask boys from school to be in her court since all our male cousins at the time were under the age of six.

Our sister, however, loved being in the spotlight. And if there was any opportunity to dress up in a fancy dress and dance with a boy, she was going to take it.

Up until today, Erica was the only one of our cousins to have one.

“So when does she change her shoes?” Nathan asked a few minutes later, and I was impressed that he remembered her explanation last night of some of the traditions.

“That happens at the party, not here at the Mass.”

He nodded as if all these unfamiliar rituals made perfect sense to him.

I couldn’t help but snicker, so I looked away. And straight into the amused glance of Tía Espy, who was sitting in the pew across the aisle from us.

“He’s so cute,” she mouthed.

“He’s just a friend,” I mouthed back.

She winked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

Because I didn’t want her or anyone else to know that my heart was going a mile a minute. I told myself it wasn’t a big deal that Nathan had wanted to meet my family. He was a friend, after all. I told myself this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach was only because Nathan had surprised me.

Seth always had an excuse when I’d invited him to family parties and dinners, so nobody except Gracie and Erica had ever met him. Small favors, I guess.

Later at the civic center, I made my cousins swear that when they were asked about Nathan (because they would be), they’d explain he was only a friend from out of town. It still didn’t stop Erica’s mom from peppering him with twenty questions as we waited in the buffet line.

“So what do you do?”

“Sounds like you travel a lot. Don’t you ever just want to settle down?”

“How often do you come to California?”

“Do you like barbacoa? Or are you one of those vegetarian vegans?”

The last question threw him, so I explained. “It’s like shredded barbecue beef. My uncle makes it for all of our big family parties.”

“Oh. Well, I’ve never had it before, but I’m willing to try.” Then he added, “I like my meat.”

As he moved down the line, he chatted with each relative who was serving the food. When I noticed my mom serve him two extra dinner rolls while wearing a huge dopey smile, I lingered after he moved away and told her, “Behave, please.”

“What did I do?” she asked, trying to act offended. But I wasn’t fooled.

“I already explained that he’s not my boyfriend,” I said as low as I could. “We’re just friends.”

Friends who sleep together.

“So what do you think?” I asked Nathan when we were back at the table and he’d taken a few bites of his barbacoa, rice, beans, and potato salad.

“It’s amazing. Your relatives made all of this?”

“Yep. Even the salsa that’s on all of the tables,” I answered and took a drink of my punch.

“Hey, why don’t you have any meat on your plate? I know for sure you aren’t one of those vegetarian vegans,” he teased.

“Selena doesn’t like real Mexican food,” Gracie said as she sat down next to me with her plate.

“Um, yes, I do. Okay, well, some of it. Hello? I’ve got some rice on here,” I said, pointing to my nearly empty plate.

“If the party had been at our abuela’s house, Selena would’ve ordered her own pizza,” Erica said. Everyone laughed, and I couldn’t be mad. It was totally true.

“Oh, believe me. I know how much Selena loves her pizza. Just another reason to go to New York,” Nathan said. I kicked him under the table. But it was too late.

“When are you going to New York?” Erica and Gracie asked at the same time.

“I’m not. I mean, I don’t know yet. Nathan wants me to visit, and I’m still thinking about it.”

I ignored his arched eyebrows and put a fork filled with rice into my mouth. I didn’t plan on offering any more fuel for the gossip train. Even the mere mention of the remote possibility of me moving to New York for a new job would make its way through the reception hall before I could say “Statue of Liberty.”