CHAPTER EIGHT
Luisa—
Everyone is sitting down to dinner in the dining room when I walk in the back door. I hurriedly wash my hands at the kitchen sink.
“Luisa, where have you been? I thought you’d be home an hour ago.” My mother is busy spooning rice into a serving dish.
“Sorry, Mama. I ran into a friend, and we went for coffee.”
“Mateo called. I told him you were working at the church. He said he’d try back tomorrow. He also said you haven’t been returning his calls.” Her wooden spoon bangs on the edge of the skillet, and she gives me a look.
I roll my eyes. “I’ve been busy, Mama.”
“He’s a nice boy, Luisa. You could do worse.”
“Yes, Mama,” I reply, drying my hands on a dishtowel.
“Here. Carry this in.” She passes me a dish, and I help her carry in the platters of food.
During most of dinner, I barely pay attention to the idle chatter of my family. Instead, my mind is filled with memories of today.
“What are you smiling about, Luisa?” my father asks, drawing me from my daydreams.
I straighten. “Nothing, Papa. Just something funny Carmen said today,” I lie.
“Care to share it?” he replies.
“No, sir.”
When he goes back to eating, I set my fork down. “May I be excused?”
His gaze drops to my plate. “You barely ate, Luisa.”
“I’m not feeling well.”
“Is something wrong?” my mother asks, leaning over and touching my forehead with her palm. “You don’t feel hot.”
“It’s my stomach. I think I drank too much coffee today.”
“I warned you about that, Luisa,” my father says, then lifts his chin. “Yes, you’re excused. Go lay down.”
“Thank you, Papa.” I wipe my mouth, lay my napkin aside and hurry upstairs.
Reclining on my bed, I stare at the ceiling.
I still can’t believe Blue rented a house just so he and I would have a place to meet.
Turning on my side, I tuck my hands under my cheek.
I wish I could tell Carmen. I’m desperate to tell someone, but I know I have to keep it secret.
The fewer people who know, the better chance there is it never gets to my father.
I’ve thought about what would happen if he knew. I think it would destroy his friendship with Blue’s president. I’d probably be shipped off to a convent. Either that or my parents would rush me down the aisle, marrying me off as soon as they could arrange it. Neither appeals to me.
It’s late that night when my phone dings with a text from Blue.
BLUE: I enjoyed today.
ME: Me too.
BLUE: I want to see you again. Will you be at the church tomorrow?
ME: Not tomorrow.
BLUE: Meet me anyway. Think you could get away and spend the night with me?
ME: I’ll have to come up with an excuse to leave.
BLUE: I’ll be waiting at the house in case you change your mind. Sweet dreams, princess.
I grin and put my phone down. The wheels in my head turn, trying to figure out a way for us to be together.
The only thing I can think of is to make an excuse that I’m spending the night at Carmen’s house. But for that to work, she’d have to cover for me, so I’d need to tell her everything.
There’s no way around it. I’d have to spill the beans.
It’s not that I can’t trust her with my secret, but I’m not sure how she’ll feel about this. If she’s against it, I know it will drive a wedge between us.
The house is quiet, and everyone is asleep when I text Carmen.
ME: Are you awake?
CARMEN: I am now.
ME: Sorry. I need to talk to you. Can you cover for me tomorrow and say I’m spending the night at your house if anyone asks?
CARMEN: What are you up to?
ME: Meet me at the diner tomorrow at noon. I’ll explain everything.
CARMEN: You’re being weird. What’s with all the secrecy? OMG is this about that guy?
ME: I’ll tell you tomorrow.
CARMEN: So now I’m supposed to lie awake all night wondering?
I giggle and text her back.
ME: You’ll live
CARMEN: I hate you.
ME: You love me.
A second later, she texts me a photo of her sticking her tongue out at me.
I smile and shove my phone under my pillow, then close my eyes and dream of Blue.
The next day, Carmen is sitting in her car in front of the diner when I pull up. We both climb out and meet on the sidewalk.
She hooks her arm in mine and drags me toward the door.
“Spill the beans already. I’m dying here.”
Once we’re seated at a booth by the window and the waitress takes our order and leaves us, I lean across the table. “Blue rented a house two blocks from the church.”
“So…?” She adds sugar to her cup of coffee, then slows and frowns. “Wait. Why would he do that?”
“So that we’d have a place to meet.”
Her eyes bug out of her head. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
“How do you know all this?”
“He was waiting outside when I came out the front doors of the church yesterday.”
“Did anyone see him?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I didn’t see anyone around that I knew.”
“You talked to him? Right there where anyone could see?”
“Just for a minute, and I was a nervous wreck the entire time, but he said he wanted to show me something, and we walked down the street.”
“You went off with him? Alone?”
“It was broad daylight, Carmen. It wasn’t like he was going to abduct me.”
“He’s a biker—albeit a gorgeous one—but a criminal just the same. You don’t know what he’s capable of doing.”
“He’s not like that, and you don’t know he’s a criminal,” I defend.
“Oh, yes, I do. I looked those guys up on the internet. They have… what are they called?” She snaps her fingers a couple of times. “Chapters. They have chapters back east, and those guys have been arrested for all kinds of things.”
“But Blue is always nice to me.”
“Until he’s not. You better be careful.”
The waitress brings our food, and we shut up until she leaves.
Once she’s gone, Carmen leans forward and hisses, “So? Where did he take you?”
“We walked for a while, then he stopped in front of this house and gestured to it. That’s when he told me he rented it.”
Carmen shakes the ketchup bottle. “And?” Then her eyes widen. “Tell me you didn’t go inside?”
I nod, and she slams the plastic bottle down on the table, rattling the dishes. We both glance around, and I don’t say another word until people who glance over go back to eating and ignoring us.
Carmen and I stare at each other. Finally, she mouths the words, did you have sex?
“Yes,” I whisper. “And it wasn’t the first time.”
“What?” She emits in a high-pitched squeak.
I tell her about the clubhouse and the pool house, and the entire time she stares at me like I’ve grown two heads. When I finish telling her about what happened yesterday, she’s quiet and staring at her plate.
My heart is pounding. “Say something.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Carmen, you’re my best friend in the whole world.”
“Right now, it’s like I don’t even know you.”
Suddenly there’s a knot in my throat. I didn’t expect this reaction. I feel like I’m about to cry. “Carmen, please. Don’t be like this.” My voice is shaky and soft.
“This is all my fault. I told you if you really wanted more than the life your family arranged for you, you were going to have to be brave and rebel.” She swallows. “Then I told you to dance with someone at your sister’s wedding.”
“Carmen, you didn’t send Blue to ask me to dance. He did that all on his own.”
“But I told him you’d love to and shoved you forward.”
“I remember. But I did all the rest on my own.”
“You were always brave in high school, but I never thought you’d have the guts to walk into his clubhouse.”
“I surprised myself on that one.”
“What if something had happened to you? A little rebellion is one thing, but that was dangerous.”
“Blue would never hurt me.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do. The way he looks at me. The way he touches me.” I shrug. “I just know.”
“Did he tell you he loves you?”
“Of course not. We’ve only just met.”
“Are you in love with him?” She’s completely serious.
I scoff. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
She points a fry at me. “I know that look. You’re like a dreamy-eyed girl with a bad case of puppy love.”
“Blue is hardly a puppy.”
“And you need to remember that.”
“So, will you cover for me tonight? I was going to tell my mother I’m spending the night at your house.”
“So that you can meet him?”
“Yes.”
“Then that makes me a part of this.”
“If you’re not comfortable with it, I won’t make you do it.”
“But it won’t stop you, will it?”
I shrug. “Probably not.”
She sighs, and her shoulders slump. “Was it good?”
A slow smile forms on my lips. “So good.”
She finally grins and rolls her eyes. “I am happy for you. At least about that part.”
Picking up my fork, I toy with my food, my appetite gone. I don’t think she’s going to cover for me, and so I suppose I won’t be able to see Blue this time.
“You won’t get your heart broken, will you?” Carmen whispers, lifting my eyes.
“The truth? Probably, but it’s already too late.”
“Well, at least you’ll have the memories of your first love to take with you.”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Anything.” She reaches across the table.
“I can’t imagine my first time having been with anyone else but Blue.”
“But Luisa, what will happen with Mateo?”
“I don’t want to think about him, Carmen.”
“Yes, but won’t he expect… I mean, won’t he assume you’re a virgin? What happens on your wedding night when you aren’t?”
“I don’t care.” Then my eyes light up. “Maybe he won’t marry me if he knows.”
“And who would tell him? You? Blue?” Carmen asks with a quirk of her brow.
“Maybe you could tell him.”
“Me? No way. Nope. Not a chance.”
“I was kidding.”
“Not sure you were. But I’ll cover for you tonight.”
My face brightens. “I love you.”
“Of course you do. I’m your ride or die BFF.”