Ch. 12 – Rico
R ico would be the first to admit his grooming routine was, well, rather intricate. As a teenager, he’d started with the basics of showering, shaving, too much hair gel, and a couple dozen spritzes of body spray. Over the years, he’d gradually expanded and refined the process. Today’s routine included detailed manscaping followed by the careful application of facial moisturizer, undereye cream, and just the right amount of salon-quality hair product.
If good grooming was an art, Rico was a master. Not bragging if it’s true, he thought to himself.
“What?” he asked, tapping scented aftershave on his newly smooth jaw. Two black beady eyes stared at him. Okay, fair enough. He was taking longer than usual this morning, which was saying something.
“Fine, if you must know, I’m meeting a girl today,” he admitted to Sancho. The brown-and-white rat stood on the edge of the bathroom sink and quivered his whiskers. “She’s gorgeous.”
Rico shrugged on a crisp green button-up shirt. Green was his best color. Brought out the bronze in his eyes. In the mirror, he pulled his hand through his hair a couple of times trying for the perfect effortless look .
“She doesn’t like me very much,” Rico confessed as he licked his forefinger and swept it across each thick eyebrow. “But that’s going to change today.” He’d faced some roadblocks in the way, i.e., the evil Butterscotch and the skeptical Theo. But today, Jacklyn would be on the receiving end of the full, irresistible Rico package. No woman could withstand the one-two combo of his looks and charm.
He fluffed his hair. Tweaked a few pieces. Checked his teeth again. Perfect. He winked at himself in the mirror, scooped up the rat, and walked into the kitchen. Sancho was placed on a thick bath towel spread across the counter, and Rico prepared their breakfasts. He made his standard protein shake and Sancho received a mix of fibrous greens (excellent for gut health), complex carbs in the form of cooked sweet potato cubes, and a few slices of strawberry.
The greedy bastard went immediately for the strawberries.
Rico poured his shake into a reusable to-go cup and glanced at his phone. Shit. He was running late. He probably should’ve nixed that extra round of bicep curls in the gym today. And maybe he’d been more studious than usual in his manscaping efforts, but one couldn’t be too fastidious.
“Come on, dude. You’re going to have to eat in the cage.” He lifted Sancho and brought the rat over to the large tank in the living room. The enclosure had gotten a serious upgrade over the last few days. Ever the reporter, Rico had done his research on rat habitats. Even though Sancho couldn’t stick around permanently, that didn’t mean Rico had to be a bad host.
The tank now included a toilet paper roll for chewing and play and half a dishtowel folded into a rat bed. The other half of the towel was strung up to make a rat hammock. It still wasn’t enough. Rico knew from his research that rats were highly intelligent, energetic, and required lots of stimulation .
“We need to find a way to get you moving,” he said as he scooped the veggie medley from the counter. “Exercise is just as important as nutrition,” he lectured the rat. “It builds muscle and cardio capacity. Not to mention makes you irresistible to the ladies.”
He dropped the food into Sancho’s bowl, and the rat went to town on it, shoving a cube of sweet potato into his cheeks.
“All right, my man, wish me luck with the beautiful Jacklyn.”
Sancho hesitated in his eating frenzy and pressed his paws against the side of the tank. He stood on his back legs, nose twitching, and watched Rico move to the door.
Guilt tugged at Rico. That was the other thing he’d learned in his research. Rats were social animals. Domestic pet rats did best in pairs. But he couldn’t buy a second rat just to keep his temporary rat company.
“I’ll find you a good owner,” he vowed to Sancho, “and I’ll tell them to get you a friend.”
Something like regret cinched around his rib cage as he closed the apartment door, blocking out the view of Sancho’s black eyes staring him down.
*
Rico arrived at the station at 7:50 a.m., his heart beating fast. Jacklyn could show up any minute. Scurrying to his office, he dropped into his chair, pulled open a side drawer in his desk, and popped a breath mint. He set up his laptop, waited three seconds, then abruptly shut his laptop and scrambled to clean off his cluttered desk. He shoved papers into messy piles, gathered together folders and shoved them into his drawers. He even dropped a mound of research documents on the floor under his desk.
There . His desk was clean. Girls liked clean offices, right? Rico let out a breath and opened his laptop again. He should look busy when Jacklyn came in. He was just about to click open his email when he realized that busy, successful reporters should have messy desks.
Cue the frantic desk cleaning in reverse. Now he yanked his files and papers from his drawer and practically threw them across his desk. He dove to the floor, scrambling to retrieve the huge stack of research documents. Rising, Rico slammed his head on the underside of the desk, swallowed the breath mint, and alternated hacking with cursing. He was just dragging himself back into his chair when the beautiful Jacklyn appeared in the doorway of his office.
Three minutes early. Damn her punctuality.
She knocked on the frame of the door. “Is this a good time?”
For such a glorious specimen of womanhood, Jacklyn seemed to be doing her best to hide that fact. She wore a huge, faded T-shirt over ripped black jeans tucked into the same thick black boots she’d worn at the winery. Her hair was down, and the waves of mahogany swept over her shoulders. Rico tried to hide his disappointment.
“Jacklyn, come in,” he croaked. Hopefully, she didn’t notice his heavy breathing. His hair must look like a dumpster fire. Rico resisted the urge to check his reflection in the small mirror hanging on the wall next to his desk.
“It’s Jax.” She dropped into the chair in front of his desk.
A sliver of breath mint jabbed the back of his throat. Rico coughed. Smiled. Coughed again. “Jax, of course. Very professional ensemble you’ve got there.”
Shit. Teasing the girl he liked? Was he in middle school again? He should probably tug her pigtails while he was at it.
“Oh. Right.” She bent, rummaged in her messenger bag, and pulled out a black pre-tied necktie. Rico watched with amusement as she slipped it over her head. “ Better?” she asked.
“Definitely worse.” But he couldn’t help smiling. The woman possessed sass for miles, and it only tantalized him more.
“Good.” She took another dive into her bag, this time emerging with a laptop. She fiddled with her phone, pulling up a recording app, then set it on the edge of his desk while her computer booted up. “So, I have a list of questions,” she started. “I think we should start with the basics.”
“List of questions? Too formal.” He tsked at her. “Relax, Jacklyn. Let’s just get to know each other.”
“Jax.”
“So, where to begin?” Rico leaned back in his chair and plopped his feet on the edge of his desk. He thought he heard her snort, but it was probably his imagination. “Let’s see. Well, as you know, I started at SCC then transferred to the UCLA journalism program. I reported for the Daily Bruin and broke some pretty epic stories. I’ll email you the clips. Nabbed not one, but two Pinnacle College Media Awards . . . but who’s counting?” He nodded toward the back wall of the office, laden with his many journalistic recognitions. The chair tipped a little on its wheels, and he quickly pulled his feet off his desk to regain his center of gravity.
“Hmm, those are a lot of awards.” Jax’s eyes perused the line of plaques and certifications.
“I know.”
She typed something into her laptop.
“I can send you a list of all my accomplishments,” he assured her, “so you don’t have to write them all down. I keep a running list in Google Sheets.” A bit much? Rico didn’t want to come off as too intimidating.
Jax looked up. Was that a glint of amusement in her eyes? “That would be . . . great. ”
“So,” he continued. “I started working at KPVM right after graduation. First as a fact-checker. Then as a news writer. I dabbled as a junior producer as well. I have a lot of talents.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Her tone was dry enough to evaporate the ocean. Something was off. His award wall was known to instantly soak the panties of any female intern who gazed upon it, yet Jax seemed completely unfazed.
Rico swallowed. Continued on. “Two years ago, I became the fourth youngest reporter the station has ever signed.” He leaned forward across the desk. “Make sure you get that. Fourth youngest.”
“Oh, I’m getting it.”
Was it his imagination, or were her clothes getting bigger? Baggier? Swallowing her body? Okay, it was time to bring out the big guns. The no-fail weapon he only used in the direst of circumstances.
Rico licked his lips. Offered Jax a sheepish smile. “This is sooooo embarrassing, but in the interest of full disclosure, I was also voted the hottest reporter in Southern California on an unofficial Twitter poll.” He offered a humble shrug as if to say, What are you going to do? “Silly, right?”
She stared at him dead on. “Very silly,” she agreed.
Sweat broke out across the small of Rico’s back. Jax wasn’t softening. The Twitter poll bit hadn’t even made a dent. Was this woman made of adamantium?
His voice rose a note or two. “I mean, just last week, I was named one of the most promising 30 Under 30 by the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce. They had a little ceremony, no big deal.” Rico carefully placed his feet back on the desk, making sure his chair didn’t tip.
“Mm-hmm.” Her fingers clicked across her keys .
As Rico studied her bowed head, he felt completely untethered. Old, poisonous doubts seeped through him. Was she laughing at him? Mocking him?
“Uh, where was I?” he stammered.
Jax looked at her notes. “Hottest reporter on the Twittersphere,” she offered.
“Right.” He had to switch tactics. Throw something different at her. “Well, I’ve actually broken some really big stories for Channel 7.” He swallowed. “Remember that California congressman who spent his campaign funds on his mistress?”
Jax looked up from her laptop, eyebrows raised. “That was you?”
He nodded. “That was me.”
“It’s twins!” Diane announced triumphantly, marching into his office.
“Congratulations. Didn’t even know you were pregnant. You look amazing,” Rico said to his boss.
“Not me. A giraffe.” Diane wore a worryingly wicked grin on her face. She paused as her eyes landed on Jax. “Who’s this?” Suspicion laced her voice. “You’re not an intern, are you?”
“She’s a college reporter doing a profile on me,” Rico preened.
“It’s actually just an assignment to get out of my final,” Jax clarified.
Diane looked between the two of them, then frowned at Rico. “Why are you sitting like that? Get your feet off the desk.”
“I sit like this a lot.” But he took his feet down. Then it hit him. Diane’s wicked grin. The sadistic glint in her eye. Most terrifyingly, the sheet of paper in her hand.
Nooooooo.
“We’ve got a pregnant giraffe at the zoo.” Diane laid the assignment sheet on his desk. “She just had twins this morning.”
“So?” Rico crossed his arms .
She rolled her eyes. “So, that’s your next story.”
“Pass. There are a million giraffes at the zoo. They’re always dropping babies.”
“Not twins. This is a big deal.”
Jax sat quietly, but her eyes seemed alight with amusement as they danced between him and Diane. Of course his producer would pick this moment to completely humiliate him with the fluffiest of fluff pieces. Rico’s 30 Under 30 award from the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce seemed to mock him.
Diane pressed the assignment sheet into his desk. “You are doing this story. A, because it’s your damn job. B, because I’m your boss, and C, because people love giraffes. Tiny heads, spindly legs, weird tongues. What’s not to adore?” She turned to Jax. “That must be a really bad final.”
“Oh, it’s bad,” Jax confirmed.
Diane speared Rico with a cold stare. “I want five minutes of content for the seven p.m. broadcast. Make it cute. And don’t forget to close with a pun. The cringier the better.” She turned and swept out of the room.
Rico briefly considered leaping out the window to end his shame. Too bad he worked in a one-story building.
Jax looked down at the assignment sheet, then back up to Rico, her face the epitome of innocence. “So, to the zoo?”