Page 28 of Fixed Up Ever After
“You got it.” He leaned down to press a kiss against Ofelia’s mouth before heading to the bar.
Perhaps it was the adrenaline from winning or the margarita from earlier, but Lola laid her head down against Javi’s shoulder. “Thank you for bringing me here. This has been so much fun.”
“Good. I like it when you smile,” he said, giving her thigh another gentle squeeze.
At first, she had been skeptical of the date, but she had never expected to have such a good time, even running into his sister. The rest of the night produced no more bingo winners, but that hardly mattered. She ate far too much and didn’t regret it, got to lean against Javi, and laughed until her face hurt. It was one of the best nights she had in a long time.
CHAPTER18
Javi
It had been three days and Javi still felt the press of Lola’s lips against his. It wasn’t a particularly fantastic, mind-blowing kiss. It was chaste and hurried, and yet he couldn't stop thinking about it.
It ran through his head the entire drive to the parent line for morning drop-off. He had a rare morning off and was able to take Camilia to school. She was normally a bus rider, but Javi loved the early moments before school when he could spend some extra time with her.
He helped her get ready for her school day and drove through to get donuts for breakfast, something he didn’t do often because Camilia and sugar were a dangerous combination. He felt bad for her teacher, but the smile his daughter gave him was worth it.
“I’ll pick you up after school. Papá has to talk to you about some things.” The “some things” being him leaving for a week and having to break the news to her.
“Am I in trouble?” she asked, pink icing from the donut covering her mouth.
“No, mija. Nothing like that. I can’t stay mad at you.”
She gave him a toothy grin. “I know.” She had him wrapped around her little finger and they both knew it.
Javi pulled up in the line and an older black woman opened the door. He thought he recognized her as the principal, but he wasn’t sure. “Well hello, Miss Mendez. No bus today, I see.” Her cheery voice rang throughout his truck, reminding Javi that educators did not get paid enough. Who in their right mind could be that cheery at seven in the morning while greeting children?
“No, papá took me to get donuts!” she exclaimed while her principal helped unbuckle her.
He turned his body, catching Camilia before she sprung out of the car. “I’ll see you after school. Love you, princess. Be good.” He kissed her temple seconds before she swung her backpack around, nearly decapitating him in her efforts to get out of the car.
“Goodbye, Mr. Mendez. We’ll make sure she doesn’t take the bus.” With that, the principal shut the door and Javi was prompted to drive forward. He stayed to make sure Camilia got into the building safely before driving out of the school parking lot, hanging a left at the stop sign.
Although he was off from his normal job, he still had a bookstore he had to renovate. He’d also be lying if the thought of seeing Lola didn’t awaken a primal part of him. He wondered what she’d be wearing today. If she had decided to leave the house with makeup or sport her messy bun and puffy eyes. Both were incredibly sexy to him.
He pulled up to the bookstore ten minutes later, miraculously finding parking right outside. He grabbed his clipboard and a few tools he would need to start working on the cafe area. He had a crew coming in tomorrow to get started on the custom built-ins, since those were going to be the heart of the store.
The chime above the door—recently installed—alerted anyone who may be inside to his arrival. He only had to walk a few steps to see that the woman lounging in an old leather chair was not Lola. Disappointment settled over him like the cobwebs hanging from the corners of the shop. He tried to hide his reaction though when Monique looked up from her book and nodded at him.
“What’s good, Javi? Lola won’t be here today—she’s dealing with a dress issue for the wedding. Her family’s fucked, let me tell you.” She rolled her eyes, letting him know just what she thought about the situation. Curiosity seared through him, as questions burned on the tip of his tongue. It wasn’t his place to ask and he doubted Monique would provide much insight anyway.
“Anyway, she left you this,” Monique added, reaching for papers on the table and handing them over. Javi looked them over, discovering a plane ticket as well as a note from Lola that read:
Javi,
I’m going to be busy with dress shopping and last-minute wedding preparations over the next few days, so I don’t think I’ll have a chance to give this to you in person. Here is your plane ticket for Saturday. Please be at the airport early and I’ll meet you at our gate. Feel free to text me anytime.
Lola
Holding the plane ticket made their situation a reality. As much fun as they had together the other night, and as much as his body yearned for her, this was a job. She hired him to renovate her bookstore and be her date to a wedding she couldn’t face alone. Lola hadn’t told him the reason for that yet, but he planned to ask her about it as soon as they were on the plane. It was perhaps a dick move since she literally had nowhere else to go and couldn’t excuse herself from answering, but he needed answers.
“Thank you. If you see her, will you tell her I sent over a schedule for the shop for the next few weeks? Someone’s going to have to be here while we are at the wedding to answer any questions my guys might have.”
“It’ll be me or Mattea. I’ll have her forward that email to me. Imma head to the back, if you wanna get to work. Just let me know when you’re done.” Monique grabbed her book with a half-naked woman on the front and a stained mug filled with coffee and headed to the back.
As much as he wanted to see Lola, this at least provided him an opportunity to be productive. He began the tedious, yet stress-relieving task of removing parts of the cafe area to make way for new furniture and counter area. He lost himself in his work, thinking about Lola’s vision for the shop and feeling the strain of his muscles with each movement.
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