“Sure. Let me know when you’d like to do it.”
“I’ll leave that up to my tour guide,” he says, giving me a side-eye, probably to determine whether I’m angry with him for recruiting me to show him around.
I’m not angry. I’m thrilled that he asked and gave me cover with my sister and cousin. I can’t stand having everyone up in my business, which is the number one reason why I stayed in New York for so long. Long before I left for college, I’d gotten tired of my family knowing my every move before I even made it.
I can’t wait to show him my city. Maria is right that I know this town, and I love every wonderful, diverse corner of it. That I get to spend extra time with him is a bonus. I like him a lot, which is an interesting development, seeing as I thought I’d never see him again after the one night we spent together.
But now he’s back, and he came because of me, which is a rather lovely lift for a girl with a dented ego. I need to be careful, though. He’s only here for the weekend, and who knows if he’ll get the job or even actually move if he does? It would be too easy to get caught up in a sweet guy who looks like a dream and is a god in bed, too.
“You want to go now? We could check out some of the clubs in Little Havana you told me about last time I was here.”
I snap out of my memories of what it was like to be in bed with him to realize he’s just asked me out right in front of the others and is waiting for me to reply.
“Sure, that sounds fun.” It sounds like more fun than I’ve had since the night I spent with him five months ago. I glance at Maria, who’s watching me intently, looking for the rest of the story. If only she knew… “As long as I’m going back to Little Havana, I may as well stay at my place tonight.”
“Whatever works,” Maria says, her eyes glittering the way they do when something excites her.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think my sister is giving me a firm push into bed with the dreamy doctor.
“Will Everly be upset if I’m not here when she wakes up?” I’ve developed a fun aunt-niece bond with Maria’s future stepdaughter, and I’d hate to disappoint her.
“I didn’t tell her you were sleeping over. I figured we could surprise her in the morning.”
“We’ll do it again soon.” To Wyatt, I say, “I’ll just grab my stuff.”
“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
Ignoring the inquiring gazes of the others, I go into the guest room to gather my belongings. I’m not at all surprised when Maria and Carmen follow me.
“Holy shit, he’s totally into you,” Carmen says. “He hasn’t taken his eyes off you all night.”
“Don’t make it into something. It’s just fun.” I toss the few things I unpacked into the turquoise Vera Bradley bag Carmen gave me last Christmas and zip it closed.
“I told Jason that something was up with you two at the wedding,” Carmen says.
“There wasn’t. That was also fun. We had a good time together.”
Maria takes me by the face. “Tell me the truth. Is that all it was? Fun?”
“Yes,” I tell her as I roll my eyes. It was fun. That’s the truth.
“Jason was surprised that Wyatt’s interested in the Miami-Dade job,” Carmen says. “Now it’s starting to make sense to me.”
“You’re jumping to conclusions,” I tell her.
Carmen lets out a happy squeal. “How exciting would it be if you met someone because of my wedding?”
“You guys, please. Don’t do this. I’m still dealing with everything with Marcus.”
“No, you’re not,” Maria says emphatically. “You have nothing to do with what’s going on with him.”
“He tried to kill himself because I wouldn’t take his call.”
“That’s not why he did it,” Maria says. “He did it because he’s messed up his life all on his own, and now that it’s blown up in his face, he’s sorry for what he did to you. Where’s the big apology been for all this time? He never once said a word to you until the skank left him. He doesn’t get to come back after the fact with regrets. What happened today had nothing to do with you.”
“She’s right, Dee,” Carmen says. “You can’t take that on. He fucked up, and he knows it. This is about him, not you.”
“Still… It was shocking, and I’m reeling over it. I’m not in a place for this to be anything more than a fun weekend with a new friend. Please don’t go crazy over it or tell the family.”
“We won’t say anything,” Carmen says, “but you should bring him to Sunday brunch. He loved the food at the restaurant.”
“I’ll see what happens.”
Carmen hugs me. “Have fun. Go crazy. Let your hair down.”
“My hair is already down,” I say, laughing.
“You know what she means,” Maria says. “You were in a long relationship that ended badly. If anyone needs a fun rebound, it’s you. Go for it.”
“I’ll take that under advisement. Can I go now, ladies?”
“Do you need condoms?” Maria asks with dead seriousness.
“I’m going now. Bye!”
I walk out of the bedroom toward the foyer, where the three men are engaged in animated conversation while they wait for us. Jason and Austin have become great friends. They golf and fish together and hang out every chance they get. Naturally, Carmen and Maria are thrilled about that, and I’ll confess to having felt, more than once, like a fifth wheel around the four of them. They get together often and always include me, which I appreciate. But this is the first time I haven’t felt like an extra among their happy foursome.
Wyatt evens things out, and when he directs a warm smile my way, the flutters in my belly are a sign that the excitement of the others is having an impact on me.
Slow your roll, girl.
“Ready?” Wyatt asks.
“Yep.” I hug Austin and Maria. “Thank you for dinner.”
Wyatt shakes hands with Austin and hugs Maria. “Thank you. The enchiladas were awesome.”
“Did you give him a curfew, Jason?” Carmen asks, delighted with her joke.
“No later than midnight, young man,” Jason says sternly.
“Don’t wait up, Dad,” Wyatt says as he follows me out of the house. “Phew, tough crowd. Are they watching us?”
“Probably, but I’m not looking.”
“I see what you mean about not being able to do much without your whole family involved.”
“There was that one night…”
“Ah, yes, that one night.” His hand finds my lower back in an innocent gesture that makes my entire system go haywire. “Want me to drive?”
“You’re the guest. You don’t have to.”
“I don’t mind.”
I hand him the keys and stash my overnight bag in the back seat.
He gets in and adjusts the driver’s seat to fit his much longer legs.
I direct him on how to get out of the neighborhood and onto the highway that will take us back to Little Havana. “What do you feel like doing?”