“Oh.” She nodded. “Did you find them?”
“Nah, they didn’t have what I needed.” Isabel got that same feeling when he looked at her, that there was some kind of inside joke, and she’d been left out again. Only this time there was no one around whom he might be csonspiring with. “So what do you do after you get your nails done?”
“Go home.” Maybe she should’ve said something more exciting.
His smile dissolved. “But it’s Friday.”
God, she felt pathetic. “I came here straight from work.” That smile would be the end of her.
“So you don’t have plans for tonight?”
“Um… well—”
“Good. Let’s go grab something to eat.”
“I’m… uh… now?” He caught her so off guard. She couldn’t come up with an excuse fast enough. Why she was trying? She had no idea, but she’d always been that way. Her first reaction to an invitation from any guy was to think of an excuse to say no.
“Yeah, why not?” For the first time, he didn’t seem so sure of himself. But he’d asked the perfect question. Why not?
“Okay. I am getting kind of hungry.”
The wicked smile was back. What could he possibly be thinking that was so damn amusing?
To her surprise, he suggested her favorite restaurant at the mall, calling it his favorite as well—Frisco’s, the fifties style burger joint with servers on roller skates. The waitress brought over their menus, but Romero told her he already knew what he wanted. The double Frisco with onion rings, and a strawberry shake. He asked her to bring out the onion rings first, like an appetizer. Isabel ordered the same. She handed her menu back to waitress. “Only make mine a single.”
Romero didn’t even wait for the waitress to leave before asking, “So, really? Friday night and you didn’t have plans?”
He made it sound so unheard of. “I don’t always make plans until the last minute.” As if all her plans weren’t meticulously thought out days in advance, but she kept a straight face.
He cocked an eyebrow. “You might still be doing something tonight?”
“Well, that depends.”
The eyebrow shot up even higher. “On what?”
She had to think fast. “Like who calls.” Because God knew, her phone would be ringing off the hook. “Or if I’m even feeling up to it, by the time I get home.”
“True,” he said, with that evil, evil smile, “because I just might wear you out.”
Isabel could’ve kissed the waitress for interrupting the moment. The waitress set their shakes down in front of them, and though Isabel pretended to be completely distracted by them, she couldn’t help but notice him sit back and really take her in again. As if when he’d done so at the shower, it hadn’t been enough.
“Wow.” Again, he didn’t bother to wait for the waitress to walk away. “I’ve never met someone who blushes so fast. It’s…” He snapped his fingers and laughed. “Just like that.”
Isabel noticed the waitress glance at her before walking away. Her face got even hotter. She took the straw in her mouth, closing her eyes for an instant. Her phone rang in her purse and she didn’t care if it was telemarketer, she was answering. “I gotta get this,” she said to a still smiling Romero. She pressed talk without even looking at who it was. “Hello?”
“Bell, I almost forgot. Daddy’s birthday is next week. I’m making dinner for him at my place. Keep Saturday open, okay?”
“Sounds good.”
Romero’s eyes were on her the entire time. His lips wrapped around the straw of his milkshake, but his eyes never swayed from hers. “Are you near a computer? Can you look something up for me?”
“No. I’m not home yet. I’m out having dinner.”
Her sister was silent for a second then came the inevitable, “Umm… okay… with who?”
Isabel glanced at Romero again who hung on her every word. “With Valerie.”
Thankfully, the waitress dropped off the onion rings. “Oh… okay, tell her I said hello.”
“I will.”
Romero picked up an onion ring and took a bite. He glanced around very obviously. “I don’t see Valerie.”
Isabel picked up one of the onion rings, tearing it and half. “Trust me. If you knew my family, you’d understand why I said that. That was my older sister. If I had said I was having dinner with a guy, she would’ve had me on the phone forever, giving me a complete interrogation. She’s very… inquisitive about that kind of stuff.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “One of those. So I take it you’re not currently in a relationship, if she’d be that damn nosy about who you’re having dinner with.”
Isabel laughed. “I like the way you put it better.”
He didn’t laugh. “Are you?”
For a moment, she thought she’d evaded the question. “No, I’m not.” She bit her onion ring. “But my sister’s determined to find me the perfect guy, yet. So who knows?”
Finally, the man frowned. Even his frown was a very nice one. “Your sister? Why do you need her to find you a man?”
Isabel shook her head. “Not a man. I said the perfect man. You see, my sister is convinced only she can find someone good enough for me. Apparently every guy I’ve ever dated wasn’t.” She shrugged. “I just humor her. Not much else I can do. Aside from being too inquisitive, she’s also very assertive.” She stirred her shake.
“And you just go along with whatever she says?”
Isabel looked up from her cold drink. Now it was her turn to be amused. Romero seemed almost irritated. Funny how her sister could do that to people before they even met her. “I’m telling you, if you knew her, you’d understand. It’s easier to just go along with it than to argue. Besides, I don’t see the harm in going out on a few blind dates. She’d never steer me wrong. And as long as I’m single and ready to mingle why not?”
She couldn’t believe she threw that last comment in. Who even says that anymore? She felt her face warm again.
Romero jumped right on it with a grin. “You ready to mingle, Izzy?”
She sat up a bit, clearing her throat. “It’s… just an expression.” She bit into her onion ring, hoping he’d have mercy on her since she was obviously blushing again. But no such luck.
“You do that a lot.”
Admitting it would be her best bet. She didn’t want him to get the idea he had some magic power over her. Not that she could remember anyone else making her blush as consecutively as he had. “I know. It’s a curse.” She took a sip of her shake, unwilling to meet his eyes.
“I heard you’re shy.”
She looked up at him. “Not really. Just some things make me a little… uncomfortable.”
He sat back again. “I’ll have to start keeping tabs on what those things are.”
“Why? So you can torture me?”
“Exactly.”
Isabel rolled her eyes. “I think I can make it through the rest of this dinner without turning into a turnip again.”
“You wanna bet?”
Their eyes met and she smiled, giving in. “No.”
He laughed. “I didn’t think so. But you know what you’re good at?” Isabel waited. “Dodging the questions that make you uncomfortable. Why would admitting you’re ready to mingle make you uncomfortable?”
“It was a silly way to put it. I just meant as long as I’m not involved in a relationship, what harm is there in my sister setting me up?”
Their food came and they were silent while they set themselves up to eat. Romero took a bite of his cheeseburger while Isabel placed her napkin on her lap. It wasn’t until she was halfway through spreading the mustard evenly on the bun that she noticed he was staring at her. “What?”
“What are you doing?”
She looked down at the bun in front of her. “What do you mean? I’m putting mustard on my bun.”
“Yeah, but you do it like you’re painting, not a smidge outside the lines,” he laughed. “And the salt and pepper, it’s
like you were counting each grain. Do you always do that?”
She frowned. Valerie had always teased her about her eating habits, as well as all her other habits. “Too much salt isn’t good for you.”
He wiped his mouth shaking his head. “That’s fucking hilarious.”
She didn’t get it. “What is?”
“You!” He pointed at her plate. “The foods been here for five minutes and you haven’t even taken a bite.”
“I was about to.”
“No, you weren’t. You were still busy painting your bun.”
Ignoring his comment, she pressed her bun on her burger and picked it up. He watched her with that never-ending grin as she took a bite.
“I wasn’t rushing you, I was just sayin’.”
They finished their meal and the waitress came by to offer them desert. They both passed. If Valerie had been there, they would’ve shared something. The waitress put the bill down on the table and Romero took it. Isabel reached for her purse. “How much is it?”
“Get out of here. I got this.”
She bit her lip, unsure how she felt about him footing the bill. “Are you sure?”
“Yep, plus I’m not done yet. When she comes by again, I’m gonna order a beer. You want one?” Then he rolled his eyes. “That’s right, you drink wine. I don’t know if they have any here.” He reached for the drink menu. “I’ve never—”
“I drink beer.”
“You do?” he asked, bringing his attention back to her.
“Yeah, just ‘cause I didn’t have any at the shower.” She hated that he obviously had her pegged as a prudish teacher who only sipped wine. “But I’ve been known to throw a few back here and there.”
Romero smiled, flagging the waitress down. After several rounds, Isabel said she had to drive, but she asked for water and they continued to talk. She’d never felt as witty as he made her feel, because he laughed so much at some of the things she said. Though the majority of the time she wasn’t trying to be funny.
“So you said your sister sets you up a lot. Obviously, these guys she’s picking are not the winners she thinks they are, if you’re still single.”
For a second Isabel entertained the preposterous idea that he might actually be interested in her single status. But she shook the thought away, remembering Valerie’s comments about how Romero, the former bouncer, went through women like Isabel went through books. She lifted a shoulder, stirring the ice in her water with the straw. “They’ve all been nice. But there has to be more than just what she thinks is perfect. There has to be chemistry.”
“And what is perfect to her?” He swallowed the last of his beer and set the bottle on the end of the table.
“Respectable, good career, good place in society, someone she thinks will take good care of her little sister.”
His expression went serious for a moment. “Good place in society. What the hell does that mean?” The waitress came by and took the bottle. Romero held up a finger for another beer.
Isabel took a deep breath. Normally, she wouldn’t get so personal but over the course of the evening she’d begun to feel more and more comfortable talking to him. She found him to be a breath of fresh air, especially compared to all the uptight guys she usually dated. Not that she considered this a date, but having someone like Romero even as just a friend could be a fun—different. “Everyone in my family, with the exception of my mother and me has at least a master’s degree. My sister is married to a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. Most of the men she sets me up with are up there in rank, either that or someone she met in graduate school.” Isabel sipped her straw. When she looked up it was strange to see not even a trace of a smirk on Romero’s face. “That’s the way she’s always been.” She shrugged. “She just wants the best for me.”
Halfway through her explanation she’d begun to rethink telling Romero all this, especially since she still wasn’t sure exactly what he did for a living. He might take offense.
The waitress set the new beer in front of Romero and he took a swig. “Well, good luck finding Mr. Perfect based on a fucking rank or degree.”
And there it was. She definitely wasn’t asking him what he did for a living now. She didn’t want him to think she was judging him. “So what about you? You have any brothers or sisters?”
He shook his head. “Nope, just me and my uncles. Which reminds me.” He pulled out something from his back pocket and handed it to her. “I almost forgot why I came here.”
Her attention went from the paper in her hand to his eyes. “I thought you said you were here looking for tools?”
The smirk was back and now it was his turn to look a little embarrassed. Isabel felt a flutter in her belly and her face warm. “I uh, was hoping to run into you, actually. I was here last Friday, too. I remembered you saying you got your nails done here on Fridays.”
Isabel was floored, but at the same time filled with a strange excitement.
He ran his fingers through his hair. “My uncles get Padres tickets from some of their clients sometimes.” With the smirk gone, their eyes locked and Isabel felt her heart speed up. He pointed at the tickets but kept his eyes on hers. “I thought you might wanna go. It’s tomorrow night.”
“I… uh.” She gulped, still trying to get past the fact that he’d sought her out two weeks in a row. “I have a lot of papers to grade this weekend.”
Why did she always do that? She saw the disappointment in his eyes. “You sure? Can’t you do that on Sunday?”
Yes, she could. She finally pulled her eyes away from his and looked down at the tickets. She hadn’t been to a game in a while.
“It’s a good one,” he said. “Against the Dodgers. They’re both tied for second right now.”
She could do this. Romero was one-hundred percent the opposite of any guy she ever dated, but there was nothing wrong with going to a ballgame with a friend. She looked back at him. “Okay, I think I can work something out with those papers.” His face brightened immediately. That smile was beginning to do things to her.
CHAPTER 6
Stealing first
Romero pulled into the parking lot of Isabel’s apartment building and parked. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since the shower and after last night it got even worse. There was something about her. He thought he’d seen all of her expressions at the shower, but she’d put on a show for him last night. Her face was so damn animated, and he especially liked when he embarrassed her. Those eyes of hers, it was hilarious the way she fidgeted with her glasses when she got nervous, and those lips—okay, this was getting stupid.
The whole damn time between the shower and yesterday he told himself it was curiosity, not interest. Not since high school had he met a girl he enjoyed just talking to, but most importantly, it had been that long since he met one as sweet as Isabel who seemed to enjoy talking to him, too. It might be cool to hang out with her and she was Valerie’s friend. That was another point for her. He’d always thought Valerie was cool.
He got out of the car and headed for her apartment, almost laughing at the anxiety beginning to build in his stomach. Just like yesterday at the mall when he saw her on the escalator, the anxiousness he’d felt was completely unexpected. Then dinner had been near perfect. He couldn’t even remember having such a good time with a chick—a good time despite not having even touched her. Everything about it had been great, except for when she told him about her sister’s expectations about the guys she dates. Fuck her sister. He knocked on the door.
Valerie opened the door with a big grin. “Hello, Romero.”
“Hey, Val,” he said, matching her grin.
Isabel came out of the hallway, wiping the grin right off his face. Her long dark hair was down and curled. The glasses were gone. He already thought her eyes were sexy but how the hell could a little makeup make such a difference? They looked amazing. The outfit she wore, a light sweater that came off her shoulder with jeans and high heels was sexier than hell. He didn’t ev
en try to hide what he was feeling. She smiled, her cheeks already beginning to flush.
Romero gulped, feeling completely struck. “You ready?”
She nodded, pulling her purse strap over her shoulder. They walked to his car. He had to restrain himself from going for her hand, an urge he’d never felt before.
Opening the car door for her and waiting for her to take her seat before closing it, he smiled. It had just occurred to him, this was all so new to him.
Halfway to the stadium he had to ask, “All right, what are you wearing?”
“What do mean?” He couldn’t get enough of her expressions
“What’s that scent? It’s driving me fucking nuts.”
“You don’t like it?” she asked, smelling her sweater.
“That’s not what I meant by driving me nuts,” he laughed, changing gears. “I can barely concentrate. You smell so damn good.”
“Oh.” She cleared her throat. “It’s old school. I’ve worn this forever. It’s called Envy.”
“Envy, uh? I love it.” He laughed.
When they got to the stadium, she walked around his car and they met in front of it. Deciding not to hold back any longer, he reached his hand out for hers and they walked hand in hand toward the entrance. Holding a girl’s hand while they were both still sober and fully dressed was definitely a novelty for him, but it wasn’t so bad—not bad at all.
Romero immediately noticed how men turned to look at Isabel. Some blatantly checked her out even as he stood next to her holding her hand. It was fucking irritating. One guy flat out smiled at her and she smiled back, looking away quickly. “You know him?” The question flew out without thought.