Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“I’m sure she will be. That’s great. I’d bet my left shoe that she’ll share where she likes to shop for yarn with her students.”
Nora crossed her fingers and held them up. “What was your largest order?”
“Did you see the big tour bus in the parking lot?” he asked.
“Did all those people come to your restaurant?”
“Nibbles & Bites and La Havana split the diners who come in. That way they can get the food they love most, and we can get them fed quickly. Their tour schedules are often tight.”
“That makes so much sense. I bet most people came to La Havana.”
“It was about half and half. Elizabeth, the owner of Nibbles & Bites, and I enjoy having new people stop in to try our food. They usually tell their friends. Half of the bus doesn’t stress our chefs and servers. It’s a win-win.”
“You are smart to work together. I had some extra business after they finished eating. So, it’s a win-win-win?” she said with a grin.
“You are correct, Angel,” he said with a wink.
Grabbing a griddle, he placed it over two burners on the stove to warm up. She watched in fascination as he greased the griddle and assembled the treats on the hot surface. While they cooked, he set the table and poured each of them a glass of milk. After flipping them over to reveal golden speckled tortillas, he gathered a few things to complete the meal. By the time everything was on the table, the food was hot and melty.
“Come sit here,” he instructed, pulling her chair out.
Not even trying to be sophisticated and graceful, Nora embraced her fun outfit and twirled to her seat. Arriving slightly dizzy, she wrapped her arms around Mateo to steady herself. “Whoops!”
Her Daddy pulled her tight against him. “Angel, be careful,” he warned before kissing her lightly. When her lips chased his as he pulled back, he closed the distance once again. The searing kiss made her hold on tighter as her world seemed to rock around her.
“Whoops?” she whispered when he ended that kiss.
“We’re combustible, Little girl. There’s no mistake about that,” he promised. Still steadying her, Mateo helped her into her chair and pushed it into place. He tucked her cloth napkin into her neckline.
“We’ll have to get some bibs for you, Angel. Littles are messy sometimes.”
Not sure if she should be amused or insulted, Nora breathed in the aroma from the plate he set in front of her. “This smells so good.”
“Eat, Angel. You can pick up the pieces of quesadilla with your fingers. Want some mild salsa to dip into?”
“Oh, yes.”
She watched him pour the salsa into a small bowl on the side of her plate and smiled. Somehow, he knew she didn’t like things to get soggy. Nora picked up a piece and dipped it tentatively into the chunky sauce. Lifting it to her mouth, she took a bite.
“Yum!” she complimented as she wiggled in her seat with happiness. “This is really good.”
“I’m glad, Angel. Dip a celery stick into the salsa, too. It works like a great scoop,” he suggested.
Trying it out, Nora scooped some of the diced tomatoes and other veggies up and lifted the celery to her mouth. She crunched down on it and felt her eyes widen. “This is so good. What brand of salsa is this?” she asked, looking at the plain jar on the table.
“My special blend. I make it from the tomatoes, onions, and peppers I grow every year in my garden.”
“Wow. I’ve never known anyone who made their own salsa.”
“We all have our own talents. I bet you never give a store-bought card to someone,” he guessed, waving a portion of quesadilla her way to encourage her to eat as they talked.
“Oh, no. You could get the same card from so many people. I like to send my own creations that are specially crafted for those I care about.”
“Exactly. Anyone could buy something from the store. Eat, Angel.”
A contented quiet fell over the table as they enjoyed the simple meal Mateo had put together for them. She liked that he didn’t chatter. Each of their businesses bustled with customers all day long. Nora interacted with more people than she’d ever talked to in her life. She loved it, but stillness was comforting.
“Thank you for inviting me over,” she said. “I love having time to decompress.”
“That’s what home is supposed to be.” He placed another quarter of a quesadilla on her plate and Nora smiled at him.
“Don’t mind if I do!” She dolled it up with salsa and took a bite. A few morsels of tomato tumbled and were caught on the protective napkin guarding her clothes. “Oops!”
“Eat, Little girl. We’ll get you all cleaned up when you’re finished.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“We have cupcakes for dessert, so remember to save a little room.”