“Yes,” Ophelia said then walked over to the kitchen. A bright blue toaster oven, espresso machine, and blender sat on the counters. The same blue was also the color of the hand towel and ceramic containers. I liked the way the place fit Ophelia’s personality. She had made it hers.
She stirred the blue pot on the stove then went to check the oven. “Not too much longer,” she said with a nervous smile. I was trying to figure out what had suddenly made her tense. “Here’s a plate.” She offered a small bright yellow plate to me that had the word EAT written on it in a bold blue print. “Help yourself to the stuffed jalapeños. I’ll get you a drink.”
I crossed the living area and took the plate from her by reaching over the bar. The stools were metal but painted bright colors with different faces that resembled works by Picasso on the backs of them.
“Do you want whiskey? Or red wine? I’m afraid I don’t have beer.”
I studied her a moment before speaking. “You went from relaxed to tense. Why?” I asked her bluntly. No point acting like her mood hadn’t changed drastically within seconds.
Although she didn’t respond right away, her eyes flicked very briefly over my shoulder toward the painting before she went to grab a glass from the cabinet. “I didn’t realize I was tense,” she replied. Like hell, she didn’t.
I understood the difference in her demeanor now though. I’d missed it because she was so wrong with her train of thought that it hadn’t dawned on me. Ophelia obviously believed I’d cared more for Lila than I had. “The painting,” I began. “Lila and Cruz, our past, none of that bothers me. I was over it all before I drove out of Sea Breeze on Cruz’s bike.” No reason for her to think my baggage had anything to do with her boss and former roommate.
Her shoulders relaxed. It was very subtle, but I still noticed.
“She was never meant to be mine. I don’t entertain the idea of anyone being my future. That belief is naïve.”
Ophelia’s smile fell some then. I couldn’t think of why she wouldn’t just agree. It was clear she felt the same way. She didn’t open herself up to men the way most women did. My being honest about how I felt shouldn’t put a damper on things for her. It should be a relief.
I took one of the jalapenos. “Whiskey will be fine,” I answered her earlier question. Then I took a bite from the stuffed pepper in my hand and watched her begin fixing my drink.
“Ice?” she asked.
“Three cubes,” I replied.
She cut her eyes at me with an amused expression and counted out three ice cubes before free pouring the whiskey. That was more than two ounces but not too much. She had a good eye.
When she placed the glass on the countertop in front of me, I finished off the appetizer in my hand. “These are amazing. Thanks for cooking. I’d have gladly taken you somewhere tonight. I didn’t expect you to go to all this trouble.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Those stuffed jalapeños were a cheat. I bought them prepared at the deli across the parking lot. All I had to do was put them in the oven. This”—she waved to the other items cooking—“is one of the few things I can cook. It’s nothing special and you may hate it. If you do, then you don’t have to eat it.”
I liked her honesty and ability to make fun of herself. She didn’t care about impressing me or anyone for that matter. She didn’t make excuses for things or try to be someone she wasn’t. She was confident in who she was and didn’t try to meet some higher standard to impress. That kind of self-worth was admirable. It was also sexy as hell.
“If it sucks, we can order pizza,” I stated the obvious. Although I’d told her that I was good with taking her out, now I had her all to myself I didn’t want to give that up.
“Mexican. If it sucks, we can order Mexican. There’s a new place in town and it’s yummy. Besides, I have my heart set on tacos.”
I almost said we could have gone there, but I didn’t. If she wasn’t going to lie about dumb shit neither was I. No reason to say I wanted to go out when I wanted to stay in. I came here to be near her and enjoy the way she made me feel. Staying away from everyone else would only make that calming effect her presence had on me stronger. I took another pepper and ate it while she pulled out what looked like tacos standing up inside some kind of slots that held them.
“It at least looks edible,” she said with relief in her voice.