Page 24 of Fixed Up Ever After
“The wedding is three weeks away,” she said, looking up at him to gauge his reaction. If he was surprised by the sudden date, Javi didn’t show it. “It’s being held in Colorado, but airfare, hotel rooms, and most meals will be provided. I booked us separate rooms for obvious reasons. We are going to be there for a week, is that going to be a problem for you with your daughter?”
Javi shook his head once. “No. Camilia will be in school most of the time and between my sister and father, she will be in good hands.”
She placed another check in the box and looked at her last topic of discussion. “As far as renovation goes, we can start on your schedule. Mona is going to be helping out a lot so either one of us will be in the shop with you to answer questions or to address whatever you need from us. I’m not good with last-minute plans, but I know there are tons of them in construction, so I’ll try to remain as level-headed as possible. This is my apology in advance if I get snippy. It’s not you.”
There was nothing left for her to say. She had gone over the most important parts of her plan and later—if he agreed—they would have to make a list of things that were appropriate to do as a fake dating couple and things they weren’t comfortable with. She didn’t have a lot on the not-comfortable list for them, but she suspected sex should be off the table for obvious reasons.
“So, what do you say? Do you agree to this crazy plan or would you rather not associate with my family drama? Totally understandable if you want no part in it. This is so out of pocket. It’s not like—”
“Lola, I’m going to need you to calm down and take a breath for me. Can you do that?” Javi grinned, reaching out a hand to place over hers.
She listened, taking in a deep breath and thankful that he had the decency to cut her off before she could babble on more.
“I already agreed to this and I’m not backing out of it. But…I do have one stipulation.” That caught her attention and she raised a brow, gesturing for him to go on. “I want to take you out on a date first.”
The laugh that left her lips was involuntary and way too high-pitched. “You don’t have to do that.”
“No, I don’t have to. I want to. Think of it as a trial run before the big day. Don’t you think we should get to know one another before we pretend we are madly in love in front of your parents?”
“Well, no one said anything about being madly in love.” She blushed, but he had a point. They needed to know the basics about one another so they didn’t come across as complete frauds. She should at least know his favorite color before presenting him in front of her parents. “Fine, I agree to a date. When and where.”
The smirk that crossed his face was nothing short of amused. “You and me, preciosa. I’m taking you to bingo.”
“What the fuck. Are we ninety years old? How about you pick me up from my retirement home and maybe I can charm the nurse into sneaking you back into my room I share with Agnes? The three of us can knit and talk about the good old days before the war.”
“You have jokes.” Javi took her teasing in stride. “But you are missing out and I would hate for you to have never experienced the adrenaline rush of your first bingo. Do we have a deal?”
This man was odd and damn her if she didn’t find that extremely attractive. “We have a deal.” She held out her hand to shake, but Javi took it and pulled her hand to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss. This man was going to be the death of her and their deal had barely begun.
CHAPTER16
Javi
Two hundred thousand dollars was a lot of fucking money. He had the inkling suspicion that Lola was comfortable financially, but he hadnoidea just how comfortable she was. He not only had more than an ample budget for her renovation, but enough money to catch up on bills, pay Camilia’s cheerleading fees in advance, and get his baby girl new clothes and toys.
Yet he still could not help but feel guilty each time he thought about taking the money. Before he left the coffee shop that day, Lola had handed him a crisp check for the amount of one hundred thousand dollars to get started on the bookstore. It still lay atop his nightstand, tucked under the lamp as he grappled with his conscience.
A few days after their coffee shop meeting, Javi had visited Phoenix Books to take measurements and start prepping for renovation. That meant packing up the books and leftover furniture to clear out a workable place for him and his team. There was only one problem: he didn’t have a sitter for Camilia. His sister left to accompany Maverick to one of his games and his father was visiting with old friends in town for the day.
He hoped it didn’t seem unprofessional showing up to Phoenix with his daughter at his side, equipped with a bag of activities. Today was a teacher planning day, meaning no school for kids. That left Javi with no other option but to bring Camilia along. Lola had noticed Camilia immediately because how could she not? Javi felt his body heat with embarrassment. “Sorry. I didn’t have any childcare.”
But Lola waved off his excuse and at first, he thought she would tell him to leave, but then she moved and crouched down in front of Camilia with a friendly smile. “Want to help me sort books? I may or may not have candy. We can also read some of them if you like.”
Camilia’s eyes grew wide at the mention of candy and followed Lola toward the back of the store, disregarding Javi altogether. He didn’t know if he should be insulted or impressed that Lola jumped into watching his daughter while he worked and how easily Camilia left him. He went with the latter.
After several hours of clutter removal, Javi finished for the day. He followed the two voices he heard from the back and found his daughter and Lola neck-deep in books. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun with strands hanging out in all directions. The look of sheer concentration on Lola’s face—eyes squinted, nose scrunched, and lips pursed—was enough to give Javi pause. He didn’t know how he was going to survive the renovation and wedding with her looking good enough to eat, but he would find a way.
Somehow.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m all done for today,” he had called into her office, both girls jumped at his silent entrance.
Camilia made a sound of protest. “But papá, we were just getting to the good part!”
Before he could answer, Lola held out the book to her. “Here. I have another copy and maybe your papá can read this to you tonight.”
“Really?” The excitement in his daughter’s expression warmed his heart.
“Really. I have an extra copy and I think this one needs to go home with you.”
