“Cuban coffee.”
“Ah, sign me up for a decaf.”
“Oh crap. Sorry. I forgot you don’t do caffeine.”
“It’s no big deal, babe.”
I roll my lip between my teeth. “I need you to give me a full list of what’s off-limits for you so I don’t tempt you with things you can’t have.”
“I like when you tempt me.”
“You know what I mean. I don’t want to cook something bad for you or take you for coffee you can’t drink.”
“I bet there’s a decaf option. Let’s go find out.”
“And you’ll make me a list of what we need to avoid?”
“I’ll make sure you have all the info you need.”
He grabs a leather portfolio, and we head out with me driving to Juanita’s ventanita, which is a hole-in-the-wall at a gas station. On the way, I describe the four types of Cuban coffee—cafecito, colada, café con leche and cortadito.
“Which one do you think I should try?”
“Since you’re not a regular coffee drinker—and honestly, I don’t know how people function without it—I’d try a decaf café con leche. It’s milder than the cortadito, which Abuela says puts hair on your chest.”
“But I don’t want hair on your beautiful chest.” He pretends to make a note in his portfolio. “Note to self. She needs kick-ass coffee to start her day.”
“She does, or she isn’t responsible for her crankiness, especially after almost no sleep last night.”
“Best night ever,” he says, glancing over at me. “Even better than the first one, and I wouldn’t have thought that was possible.”
“I was so embarrassed about that night afterward.”
“What? Why?”
“It was just so unlike me to, um, behave that way with a man I’d only just met. It was like I was outside myself or something. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Whoever you were that night, I liked you a lot. So much that I constantly relived it over and over and over again until I thought I’d go mad if I didn’t see you again as soon as possible.”
“Really?”
“Really. And that’s never happened. I’ve never been obsessed with seeing someone again the way I was with you. I think I was already well on my way to being in love with you before you made me fall the rest of the way.”
“I didn’t make you do anything.”
“Yes, you did. You made me believe, and you have no idea what a big deal that is for me. Before this, before you, I thought I was a pretty optimistic kind of guy. I didn’t dwell too much on the uncertainty that’s such a big part of my life, but I can also see that I was missing out on some pretty incredible things by putting limits on what I allowed to happen. So yeah, you made me see some things just shouldn’t be missed, and I’ll always be thankful to you for pushing me on that.”
I flash him my best saucy grin. “I made out pretty good, too.”
“Don’t remind me of that, or you’ll send me into my interview with a boner that won’t quit.”
“I’m surprised it still works.”
He takes my hand and places it on the rigid column of his erection. “Works just fine.”
“Stop!” I sputter, trying to pull my hand away, but he isn’t having it. “Wyatt…”
“Yes, Dee?”
“We’re here.”
He looks up at the gas station, his brows furrowing with confusion.
I give my hand another tug. “You’ll see, but you have to let me go.”
“I’ll let you go. For now.”
We get out of the car and join the line for Juanita’s magical coffee and pastries. It moves slowly because Juanita makes everything herself and takes the time to talk to each of her customers. We’re doing good for time to get Wyatt to the hospital for his nine-thirty appointment, but he keeps checking his watch.
“I’ll get you there on time. Don’t worry.”
“What? Me worry?”
I love him. I love being with him and how easy it is. It’s easy, like breathing. I take hold of his hand with both of mine.
He gives mine a little squeeze.
I look up from our joined hands to see Juanita watching us, a big smile lighting up her pretty face. “Hola, amiga ¿Cómo estás? ¿Dónde encuentran tu hermana, tu prima, y tú estos chicos tan atractivos y cómo puedo conseguir uno para mi hija?” Hi, friend. How’re you doing? Where do your sister, cousin and you find these hot men, and how can I get one for my daughter?
Laughing, I glance at Wyatt and say, “Lo encontré en la boda de Car.” I found this one at Car’s wedding.
“Ah, sabía que no me hubiera ido a mis vacaciones para ir a esa boda.” Ah, I knew I should’ve skipped my vacation to be at that wedding.
“Why do I feel like you ladies are talking about me behind my back?” Wyatt asks with a grin.
Juanita fans her face. “We’re talking about you, all right, but we’re doing it right in front of your very handsome face.”
“Oh, um, thank you.”
“Juanita, this is Wyatt. Wyatt, meet Juanita.”
“Very nice to meet you,” she says.
“Likewise.”
“I’ll have a cortadito, and Wyatt would like a decaf café con leche.”
Juanita makes a face that lets me know what she thinks of the word decaf and gets busy making our drinks. She asks how my mother’s doing, whether Carmen is pregnant yet and not telling her, and how Maria and the sexy baseball player are doing. “His little girl is adorable. She likes the decaf café con leche, too.”
“She’s so cute.”
Juanita brings our drinks to the window. “A cortadito and a decaf café con leche for the chico sexy.”
“Did she just say I’m sexy?” Wyatt asks.
I sputter with laughter. “Like you didn’t already know that.”
“Me gusta éste, cariño,” Juanita says. “Es bueno verte sonreír de nuevo.” I like this one, honey. It’s nice to see you smiling again.
“Gracias, a mi me gusta él también.” Thank you. I like him, too.
Wyatt pays for the coffees and accepts the bag with delicious pastelitos that come with every order of coffee. I’m not sure if he’ll eat one, but I hope he’ll at least taste the buttery goodness.
“What’s in here?” he asks, holding up the bag as we walk back to the car.
“Heaven.”
“Heaven in a bag, huh?”
“Yep.”
In the car, he takes a tentative sip of his coffee. “Wow, that’s good.”
“I told you.” I take the bag from him, retrieve one of the pastelitos and offer him a bite. “I feel like Eve in the Garden of Eden, offering Adam something bad for him.”
“One little taste won’t hurt anything.” He takes a bite, and his eyes roll back in his head. “Yeah, that’s fucking awesome. I can’t believe she works out of a gas station and sells the best coffee in Miami.”
“She does a huge business out of that little hole-in-the-wall. People come from all over the city every day and wait in line for what she’s dishing up.”