Rules Of Attraction (24 page)

my roof. If I make it harder for you, maybe you’ll make better choices.

And I should also tell you, as your father, Kiara, and your guardian,

Carlos, to stay a virgin until you get married.” He sits back in his chair

and smiles at us, mighty pleased with himself for that last sentence.

Too bad this discussion is a few years too late, at least for me.

“Were you a virgin when you got married?” I ask, challenging him.

Immediately his grin fades.

“Yes, um, well, um . . . when I was a teen it was a very different day

and age. Teens today are smarter and more educated. There are

incurable diseases . . . and dangers for both partners if you’re not in a

serious, monogamous, committed relationship.” He wiggles a finger at

both of us. “And don’t forget the big p-word.”

I can’t help but chuckle. ¿Perdón? “The p-word?”

“Pregnancy!” The Professor narrows his eyes at me. “I’m not ready

to be a grandpa for a long, long, long, long time.”

I think about my mom, who got pregnant with Alex when she was

seventeen. Mi'amá made me promise to always wear a condom if I was

ever physical with a girl— she never wanted one of her sons to end up

like her and mi papá. Hell, she even hid some condoms in a pair of my

underwear as a reminder.

Last night scared the shit out of me. ’Cause while I’ve always had

my head on straight when it comes to protectin’ myself and the girl I’m

with, I can’t say I would’ve been able to stop us last night even though

I didn’t have a condom within reach. And I wasn’t even wasted. If I

hadn’t been scared half to death from those gunshots comin’ from the

TV, Kiara and I might be having a very different talk with the

Professor right now.

“Dad, we know about all that,” Kiara chimes in.

“It doesn’t hurt to have a refresher talk, in light of the fact that

Carlos’s shirt was lying on the floor in the den this morning.”

When I hold up the shirt so she knows what he’s talking about,

Kiara chokes out a surprised, “Oh.”

Westford checks the clock on his desk. “I’ve got to get Brandon

outside before he develops ADD from watching too much television.”

He holds his hands out as if he’s about to hand me an offering. “Carlos,

are we in complete understanding with each other?”

“Yeah,” I say. “As long as it’s not in your house and you don’t know

about it, you’re okay with us messin’ around.”

“I know you’re joking with me. You are joking with me, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

Kiara steps in the room. “Dad, he was kidding.”

The Professor counts off each word on his fingers and gives me a

level stare. “Don’t forget . . . (1) serious, (2) monogamous, (3)

committed relationship, (4) not under my roof, and (5) trust.”

“And don’t forget (6) the p-word,” I remind him.

He nods. “Yes. The p-word. One day in the military, Carlos, and

they’d kick that cockiness of yours right out the window.”

“Too bad I’m not plannin’ on signin’ up.”

“That is too bad. If you ever did sign up and put as much energy

into being a good soldier as you do trying to have a major attitude,

you’d go far. I’m tempted to put something red inside the laundry so

your underwear turns pink. It would be a little reminder of our talk

today.”

I shrug. “That’s okay. I don’t wear underwear,” I lie.

“Out, wise guy,” he orders, shooing us out the door. I think I catch

the side of his mouth quirk up, amused at my comeback, but it quickly

disappears. “Both of you, out of my office. And let’s keep this talk

between just us. Now get your butts over to Hospitali-Tea. My wife is

expecting to put you both to work today. Don’t stop on the way,” he

calls out when we’re in the hallway. “I’m calling there in fifteen minutes

to make sure you’ve arrived.”

FORTY :
Kiara

“Listen, chica—,” Carlos says when we’re driving to my mom’s store

a few minutes later.

My hands tighten on the steering wheel. “Don’t call me that

anymore,” I tell him.

“What do you want me to call you, then?”

I shrug. “Whatever. Just not chica.” I reach down to turn on my

stereo but realize it still doesn’t work. I grip the steering wheel

tighter and concentrate on the road ahead, even when we’re at a

stoplight.

Carlos holds his hands up. “What do you want from me? You want

me to tell you lies, is that what you want? Okay, I’ll give you lies. Kiara,

without you I’m nothin’. Kiara, you own my heart and soul. Kiara, when

I’m not with you I feel like life has no meaning. Kiara, I love you. Is

that what you want to hear?”

“Yes.”

“No guy who actually says those things really means them.”

“I bet your brother says them to Brittany and means them.”

“That’s because he’s lost all common sense. I thought you were the

one girl who didn’t fall for my bullshit.”

“I don’t. Consider my wanting you as my real boyfriend as a lapse in

judgment,” I tell him. “But I’m over it. I expect less than nothing from

you from now on, and I’ve realized you’re not my type at all. In fact,” I

say, glancing at him, “I might call Michael. He wants to go out again.”

Carlos reaches down to my purse and pulls my phone from the side

pocket. I try to snatch it out of his hand, but he’s too quick. “What are

you doing?”

“Concentrate on the road, Kiara. You wouldn’t want to get into an

accident ’cause you weren’t payin’ attention, would you?”

“Put it back,” I order.

“I will. I need to check somethin’ first.”

At the next stoplight, I reach over and take the phone out of his

hand. I read the text message Carlos just sent Michael. 4Q. “You

didn’t.”

“Yeah, I did.” He sits back, looking pretty pleased with himself.

“You can thank me later.”

Thank him? Thank him! I pull off the road, pick up my purse, and

swing it like a war club aiming right at Carlos’s head.

He grabs the purse before it hits him. “Don’t tell me you really

wanted to go out with that tool again.”

“I don’t know what I want anymore.”

I get back on the road, heading for my mom’s shop. I stop the car

and get out, without waiting for Carlos.

“Kiara, wait.” Carlos growls as he climbs out of the window. I hear

him jog to catch up with me. “I’m gonna fix that damn car door if it’s

the last thing I ever do.” He rubs his hand through his hair. “Listen, if

things were different . . .”

“What things?”

“It’s complicated.”

I turn my back on him. If he won’t tell me, there’s no use in arguing.

“Hi, guys!” My mom greets us at the front of the store, so our

conversation is cut short.

“Kiara, I pulled out the receipts from last month and the past week.

Feel free to reconcile those. Carlos, come with me.”

While I sit in the office and tally receipts and reconcile the books,

I hear my mom explain to Carlos how to separate the boxes of loose

teas that were just delivered. At around one, my mom peeks her head

in the door and tells me to meet her in the break room for lunch. My

mom is oblivious to the tension in the air as we all sit in the break room.

She expects everyone to be happy and energetic all the time, so I

wonder when she’ll notice the happiness quotient in the room is way off.

“I got this from Teddy, the vendor outside the store,” she says as

she pulls food out from a bag.

“What is it?” Carlos asks as she hands him one.

“Organic vegan dogs.”

“What’s a vegan dog?”

“A vegetarian hot dog,” she says. “With no animal products.”

Carlos unwraps his hot dog uncertainly.

“It won’t kill you to eat healthy, Carlos,” my mom says. “But if you

don’t like it, I can go out and get you processed food if you want.”

I start eating my vegan dog. I don’t mind eating all the healthy

stuff my mom makes, but I definitely like processed food every now

and then.

Carlos bites into his. “It’s pretty good. Got any fries to go with it?”

I almost laugh when my mom dumps out a bunch of orange fries on

top of a napkin. “They’re baked sweet potato fries. With the skin on, to

give you more fiber. If I’m not mistaken, I think they’ve also got

omega-3 fatty acids.”

“I like to eat without thinkin’ about what’s inside,” Carlos says as he

munches away. My mom pours us glasses of iced tea from a big pitcher

she made for us. “You should care about what goes in your body. For

example, this tea blend has açaí, orange-peel extract, and mint.”

“Mom, eat,” I tell her. Before I know it, she’ll go through an entire

explanation of antioxidants and free radicals.

“Okay, okay.” She takes out her hot dog and starts eating. “So how

was the movie last night?”

“It was good,” I say, hoping she doesn’t ask details because I have

no clue what the movie was about.

She picks up a fry and bites off the tip. “It seemed a little violent.

I’m not into violent movies.”

“Me, either,” I say. Carlos stays silent. I feel his gaze on me, but I

don’t look up. I focus my attention on everything else besides him.

Iris, one of my mom’s weekend employees, opens the break-room

door. “Colleen, you’ve got a customer specifically requesting you. She

seems as if she’s in a hurry.”

My mom takes the last bite of her dog. “Duty calls.”

I get up to leave too, but Carlos reaches out and takes hold of my

wrist. God, how I want him to pull me toward him and tell me that last

night wasn’t a mistake. This thing between us doesn’t have to be

complicated.

“It’s not you, you know. I haven’t wanted to be with a girl so bad

since . . .” His voice trails off and he lets go of my wrist.

“Since who?” I ask.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me.”

He hesitates, as if he doesn’t want to say her name. When he

finally says “Destiny,” he can’t hide that he still has feelings for her.

Her name rolls off his tongue as if he savors each syllable.

I’m definitely jealous. There’s no way I can compete with Destiny.

Carlos obviously still loves her. “I get it.”

“No, you don’t. Last night freaked the hell out of me, Kiara. Because

I felt somethin’ I haven’t felt—”

“Since Destiny,” I say.

“I won’t let myself fall that hard for a girl ever again.”

“So am I still supposed to pretend I’m dating you at school?”

“Just for a couple more weeks, until Madison decides she’s movin’

on.” He looks up at me. “Then we can create a fake reason to break up.

We made a deal, right?”

“Right.”

Back in my mom’s office, I look down at the tallies in front of me.

The numbers are a blur. Tossing my pencil aside, I put my head in my

hands and sigh.

I was so stupid last night to tell Carlos I was falling in love with

him. I definitely scared him away. All my life, until now, I’ve held back.

And then I met Carlos, a guy who makes me want to forge ahead and

never regret a single moment.

When he played soccer with my brother, and I saw a glimpse of

generosity that he only gifts to the few he thinks are worthy, I knew

that what you see isn’t necessarily what you get when it comes to

Carlos.

At the end of the day I find him in the back room, carefully

measuring the various ingredients for my mom’s homemade blends.

“I came up with a fake reason why we’d break up,” I tell him.

“Hit me with it.”

“Because you’re still in love with Destiny.”

His fingers go completely still. “Pick somethin’ else.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Just somethin’ else.” He puts the ingredients back on

the shelves. “I’m gonna walk to the auto-body shop to talk to Alex. Tell

your parents I’ll be home later.”

“I can drive you,” I tell him. “I’m leaving now, too.”

He shakes his head. “I want to walk.” I watch as he heads out the

back door a few minutes later, leaving me wondering if he just wants to

get away from me as fast as he can.

FORTY-ONE :
Carlos

When I’m far enough away from the tea store, I pull out the cell

phone Brittany gave me. I punch in Devlin’s number and wait.

As soon as I hear him pick up, I say, “It’s Carlos Fuentes. You

wanted my attention, you’ve got it.”

“Ah, Señor Fuentes. I was waiting for you to contact me,” a smooth

voice says from the other end of the line. It’s got to be Devlin.

“What do you want from me?” I ask, letting him know right away

I’m not fuckin’ around.

“I just want to talk.”

I keep walking as I talk because I’ve got a crazy feeling the guy has

people tailing me.

“Couldn’t you have done that without havin’ Nick Glass set me up?”

“I needed to get your attention, Fuentes. But now that I have it,

it’s time for us to meet.”

My entire body tenses. Whether I want to meet Devlin or not, it’s

gonna happen. “When?”

“How about now?”

“You have guys tailin’ me?” I ask, even though I know the answer

before I even ask the question.

“Of course, Fuentes. I’m a businessman, and you’re my newest

apprentice. I’ve got to keep my eye out for you.”

“I haven’t agreed to do shit for you,” I tell him.

“No, but you will. I’ve been told you’ve got what it takes.”