Page 22 of Fixed Up Ever After
“How’s papá?” Ofelia turned her back to him, grabbing a plate from the cupboard to dish up breakfast for him before he left. No use in telling his sister he was going to a coffee shop and would undoubtedly eat something there, but according to Ofelia, a pastry was not a suitable breakfast item. He was inclined to agree with her.
“He’s fine. I thought I would give him a bit of a break this morning.” His father was good to watch Camilia in a pinch, but he was getting older and he wanted to respect his father’s time. Ofelia loved having his daughter over, so leaving her with his sister was never an issue. He figured she was making up for lost time.
Ofelia handed him a bowl and shooed him over to the table where Arturo sat in his highchair, eggs and ketchup all over his face. He had bits of tortilla stuck in his hair as well. “Mijo, so messy.” Javi laughed and ruffled his hair.
“He gets that from me.” Maverick beamed, placing a squirming Camilia down in the available seat next to her primo. Fatherhood looked good on Maverick. He picked up his son and whisked him away, probably to clean him up.
Soon another plate of food was placed down in front of Camilia and Ofelia sat down in the empty spot next to her. “So, what are you up to this morning?”
Right. So he had not exactly told his sister why he needed her to watch Camilia this morning because he was still trying to make sense of it all. He didn’t know if he was foolish or just plain dumb. Who in their right mind would agree to a whole wedding and be the date of a woman he barely knew and only slept with once?
Lola had requested they meet today to go over the finer details of their agreement. He suspected she meant their wedding date agreement, though he supposed it could also mean her bookstore renovation. Speaking of which, it was unclear if he was still hired on as her lead contractor. He needed to make sure of that.
Ofelia continued to stare at him expectantly, waiting for his answer. He didn’t make it a habit to withhold information from her, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt in this situation. Soon he would tell Ofelia everything, but he needed to figure out what he agreed to first. No use in getting her worked up for no reason.
“I’m meeting with a client about a remodel. This would be my first big renovation outside my current employer, so I want to make sure it all goes well,” he lied easily enough.
The warm smile Ofelia sent him sent pangs of guilt through his body. He needed to remind himself he wasn’t lying to her…he just wasn’t ready to give her the full truth yet. “Oh, Javi, that's wonderful. You have to tell me how it goes,” she said in between bites of her breakfast.
He most certainly would tell her how it went and come clean about everything, in time. He wanted today to provide clarity to something he agreed to without any hesitation. The idea of a sad Lola alone at a wedding was enough to drive him into a fit of rage. She didn’t deserve such torture.
Scarfing down his sister’s breakfast—which was much better than his father could ever make, but Javi would be damned if he ever told his old man that—he cleared his plate and placed it in the sink, running water in it. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”
“Mav wanted to take Arturo down to the field today so he can see where Daddy works, so we might be there depending on when you’re done. If we are, I’ll drop her off at your house once we’re done.”
“We get to see tío’s baseball field?” Camilia’s head snapped up, bits of egg hanging off her lower lip.
Ofelia chuckled and took a napkin to clean her face. “We do. And I heard the mascot will even be there.” Her words were met with more cheers. She would have way more fun with her tía and tío than she would hanging out in the house with her abuelo.
“Thank you again, Ofi.” Javi came over to kiss his sister’s temple and then gave Camilia a giant hug. She squirmed in his arms but hugged him back. He hoped she would never be too big to hug her daddy. “Be good, princesa. Papá will take you for ice cream later.” Ice cream always made him the coolest dad and he will rue the day the simple gesture no longer works its magic.
“Good luck. Happy for you, li’l brother,” Ofelia called out to him. He needed all the luck he could get.
* * *
The coffee shopwas surprisingly empty for a weekend morning. Typically, the line was out the door and every table and available service was occupied by a college student or a professional-looking person conducting work from their personal laptop.
Today only a few of the tables were occupied, mostly by friend groups catching up. The line only extended out to two people and for once Javi heard the soft jazz instrumental music playing. Off to the corner, sitting by herself with a journal, two large mugs, and several pens laid out in front of her, was Lola.
She hadn’t noticed him yet, which allowed him time to stare without repercussions. Today she wore her curly hair in a half-up, half-down style with little strands framing her face. She wore a pair of blue jeans that looked as if they were painted on her body, hugging her thick thighs and soft belly perfectly. She wore a white button blouse that tied in the front, right under her breasts, exposing the black bodysuit underneath. She was effortlessly beautiful and Javi wanted to take in every inch of her.
He couldn’t deny that Lola’s physical appearance was the first thing that attracted him to her, but he was starting to learn more about this outspoken businesswoman and her passions. Each facet of her personality she revealed to him left Javi yearning for more.
Lola must have felt him staring, because she soon raised her head from looking down at her journal and spotted Javi. She offered him a tight smile and gestured to the chair in front of her.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I ordered you coffee,” she said in a way of greeting once he took the seat in front of her. Javi wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but he also didn’t mind the taste.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah, not a problem,” she said before they lapsed into an awkward silence. He knew she was thinking the same thing he was and they would have to address the wedding date sooner or later.
When he left the bookstore the other day after agreeing to her crazy plan, they shared no more words about the matter and she promised she would call him to set up the details soon. He still couldn’t believe he agreed to be her date. What possessed him to willingly put himself in a situation that could compromise their working relationship? He couldn’t deny the allure of a week with Lola.
After a few days went by and he had yet to hear from her about the wedding or bookstore renovation, Javi began to worry that he fucked up. Until she called yesterday out of the blue and asked to meet him at the coffee shop.
“We should—”
“I want—”
