Alana
I wipedmy eyes as I finished chopping the onions and popped them into the pan.
‘Here she is,’ I heard Alejandro’s voice from behind me.
I spun around to see him walking into the kitchen with his father, Mateo. I’d never met him before but I’d seen pictures of him. He was an imposing figure, dressed smartly in a suit and possibly the shiniest shoes I had ever seen in my life.
Alejandro looked just like him. I wiped my hands on the towel before self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. If I’d known Alejandro’s father was stopping by, I’d have worn something a lot smarter than a tank top and a skirt. Not to mention the fact that I was following the no panty rule to the letter these days. I blushed as I realized that fact, and thanked the Lord that my skirt was a maxi.
‘Alana, this is my father,’ Alejandro said as they walked towards me.
‘Mr. Montoya, it’s so lovely to finally meet you,’ I said, extending my hand, my voice barely a whisper.
He ignored my outstretched hand and grabbed me by the shoulders before planting a kiss on each cheek. ‘Please, call me Mateo. You are family. Family don’t call me Mr. Montoya.’
‘Mateo,’ I said with a nod.
‘Papa just stopped by to see us on his way back to Nevada,’ Alejandro said as he walked to the refrigerator and took out a jug of fresh lemonade that Magda had made earlier that morning.
I smiled at him. So he hadn’t been expecting his father either then. ‘Will you be staying for dinner, Mr … I mean, Mateo?’ I asked, suddenly aware that I was making cheeseburgers for dinner. I bet he was used to much finer dining than that.
He turned to Alejandro who nodded subtlety while he poured three glasses of lemonade. ‘Of course. I’d love to. What are we having?’
I blushed to the roots of my hair. ‘I was going to make cheeseburgers. But I could do something else?’
He frowned at me and then at Alejandro. ‘Doesn’t Magda cook for you?’
‘She does most nights, but I like to cook too,’ I replied.
He nodded appreciatively. ‘And you make your own cheeseburgers?’
‘Yep,’ I said with a smile.
‘And they taste better than any burger you’ve ever eaten before. I guarantee it,’ Alejandro added and I blushed further. He had never complimented my cooking like that before.
‘Well, if that is true, you’d better not tell your Uncle Phillipe, or he’ll be finding excuses to visit you every weekend.’
Alejandro laughed as he handed each of us a drink.
‘Thanks,’ I said and he slipped his arm around my waist, skimming across my ass as he did.
Mateo was temporarily distracted by Magda walking into the kitchen. It was clear she had worked for their family for many years and she and Mateo had a brief but animated conversation in Spanish.
Alejandro took the opportunity to whisper in my ear as he squeezed my ass. ‘You have permission to go and put some panties on.’
Two hours later, Alejandro, Mateo and I had eaten our dinner and were sitting at the dining table. ‘That was delicious, Alana,’ Mateo said as he patted his flat stomach. ‘Where did you learn to cook like that?’
‘My grandma,’ I said with a smile. ‘I lived with her and my grandpa until I was fourteen. She used to cook all of her meals from scratch. We never had much money, so if I ever wanted a burger, it had to be home-made. I used to get so embarrassed when my friends came around, but once they tasted my grandma’s burgers, they used to come round every Friday night for some.’
Alejandro and his father stared at me and I felt my cheeks flush pink. ‘Sorry. Was I rattling on?’ I asked. I couldn’t help it. I had such lovely memories of my grandparents.
‘You weren’t,’ Mateo replied. ‘But, I didn’t realize you were raised by your grandparents?’
I shrugged. ‘My mom and dad were always on the campaign trail. So, my dad asked his mom and dad to look after me. It was better that I stayed in Brooklyn with them.’
‘You were raised in Brooklyn?’ Alejandro asked.
‘Uh-huh. Queens. Until my grandma died anyway and then I moved to Manhattan with my folks.’