Big Chicas Don't Cry(47)

I was worried he’d say or do something when he returned a few minutes later. But he didn’t. In fact, he barely looked at me or talked to me the rest of the night. Darcy, the pretty redhead assistant sitting next to him, became the center of his attention instead. I told myself it was better this way. He’d needed to hear what I’d said because I’d never reciprocate his feelings. I was married.

And, the next morning, when Esteban texted me that he’d run into Darcy coming out of Chris’s hotel room, I rolled my eyes, laughed, and ignored the queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Because it was better that way.





Chapter Twenty-Five


GRACIE


It was my third date with Tony. Okay, technically it wasn’t really a date, but it was the third time we were going out together. We were doing “research” for the fiesta by checking out local bands that might be interested in playing.

Tonight we were headed to a bar in Riverside to see Come On, Jolene perform hits from the eighties.

“Eighties cover bands are always a big crowd draw,” Tony explained as he drove along the freeway. “Do you know some of those songs are now getting played on classic rock stations?”

“I feel so old.” I laughed. It wasn’t true really. Sitting here in the truck next to Tony, I actually felt young—like I was back in the eighth grade.

Dear God, I want to thank you in advance for such a great night. I know it’s just starting, but I didn’t want to forget. Amen.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, you don’t look old. You look great. You really do.” He kept staring ahead, and I was glad because I knew my face was turning beet red. I wanted to say something witty or give him a compliment, too, but I couldn’t open my mouth.

“So, have you ever been to this bar before?” he said after a few moments of silence.

“Me? Um, no. Bars aren’t really my thing.”

“What is, then? What do you like to do for fun?”

“I don’t know. The usual stuff, I guess. Read, watch television, tutor after school, and volunteer at the animal shelter.”

“You realize that’s not really the usual stuff, right?” he said with a laugh.

Why didn’t I like more things that were fun?

“I also like to spend time with my family,” I added. “I have a pretty big one, so it seems as if there’s something to do every weekend. They keep me pretty busy actually.”

“That’s cool. My parents moved to Florida a few years ago, so I don’t get to see them as much.”

For some reason, I didn’t think I should mention that I still lived with my parents.

“Everyone on my mom’s side of the family lives in Inland Valley. It’s nice having them so close, especially my great-grandmother.”

“Wow. That’s awesome.”

“It is. And she’s still such an active lady. She helps my abuela in the garden or cooks breakfast for everyone. She likes staying busy. My sister wants us all to pitch in and buy her one of those electric scooters; that way she can zoom down to the corner store whenever she wants.”

Tony laughed, and I felt more at ease. So I kept talking. I told him stories about all the things Welita let us do when she babysat us—from building forts out of my abuela’s blankets to trying on her jewelry and high-heeled shoes.

I hadn’t realized how much or how long I had been talking until we pulled into the parking lot of the bar. I hadn’t even noticed until then that we’d gotten off the freeway.

“I’m sorry. I’ve just been blabbering away,” I said after Tony turned off the engine.

He turned to me. Even in the shadows, I could make out his easy smile.

“That’s okay. I liked hearing your stories. In fact, I would be perfectly happy just sitting here all night listening to you talk.”

My heart thumped wildly underneath my floral print blouse and baby-blue cardigan. “You’re easy to talk to,” I finally said. It was the truth. Other than with my family and some coworkers, I struggled with how to hold conversations with others. I never knew what to say. So, I preferred listening and observing.

Until Tony.

He considered my words for a moment. “You’re the first person to tell me that,” he said eventually.

“Really?”

“Really. I guess you just bring out the best in me, Gracie.”

Tony gave me another smile before turning back around. As he got out of the truck, I unbuckled my seat belt in a daze. Did he really mean that, or was he just being polite?

We didn’t talk again until after we had been in the club for about half an hour. The band actually turned out to be pretty good. The music, combined with a couple of beers, had loosened Tony up, and he started talking to me again. We were sitting next to each other in a small booth. I was still sipping my first pi?a colada, and he was working on his second beer. Every time he wanted to tell me something, he had to lean in close to my ear because of the loud music. Every once in a while our knees touched or his arm found its way across the seat behind me.

And when Come On, Jolene started playing their version of “Careless Whisper,” Tony grabbed my hand and told me it was time to dance.

I didn’t have time to say yes or no. We joined the couples on the floor, and Tony wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I tried not to stiffen up. I had danced with a boy before, but it was all the way back in high school. It was during a distant cousin’s quincea?era in Mexico.