It was nice. “Anytime. I feel like I’m getting away with something. The rest of my family is slaving in the kitchen, and you and I are going to watch TV all day.”
“And Maria is going to bring us food and tea.” She snuggled closer. “And I’m going to man up and check my email at some point.”
“For what?”
“Ms. Ogden was going to get back to me today about my application to nursing school. I filled everything out like she said and lined up the recommendations. But I need to get good grades in three biology courses next semester to be truly eligible. She was trying to get them to consider my application as if those classes were a done deal. She said she’d tell me today if it was going to work.”
I massaged the sole of her foot with mine. “And if it doesn’t?”
“I’ll take some post-grad classes at NYU next year and then reapply. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would set me back.”
“Ah.” I drained my glass and set it aside. “Let’s watch a movie, and then you can check.”
“Okay. Deal.” She picked up the remote. “I think I feel a chick flick coming on.”
I did my best Joan Cusack. “Coffee? Tea? Me?”
Bella’s eyes widened. “I love Working Girl. And you’ve got that Staten Island accent down. Are you sure you’re not from there?”
“I thought you were a nice person.”
Bella laughed, and I pulled her a little closer to me, burying my nose in the clean scent of her hair.
Maria stuck her head in the bedroom door as our movie was ending. “I made pozole. But you have to come downstairs to eat it.”
I groaned. “I love pozole, especially when I’m not the one making it.”
“You cook?” Maria asked.
“Sure. Doesn’t everyone?”
The housekeeper sniffed. “Bella, this boy is a keeper.”
“I know,” she said, sliding off the bed. “He convinced me already.”
“Bring your phone,” I reminded Bella. “You have to check your email.”
She blew out a breath and grabbed it off the nightstand. “I’m goin’ in.”
Downstairs, Maria fixed us giant bowls of soup, thick with braised pork and hominy. “I have toppings,” the housekeeper said. She brought us a tray with chopped onions, diced avocado and a couple bottles of hot sauce.
“Wow,” I said, finding Bella’s feet under the table. “That’s it. I’m never leaving.”
But Bella didn’t listen. She was staring at her phone, and her eyes got big. “I can’t believe it.”
“What?”
“This is going to work! Ms. Ogden thinks they’ll offer me a conditional acceptance. And if I do okay on the bio coursework, I can start at the nursing school in the fall.” She smacked her phone down on the table. “You know what this means, right?”
“You’re going to spend all of next semester in a weenie bin?”
She waved a hand, dismissing that problem. “Whatever. I’ll come out for hockey games and sex. But next year? I’m at Harkness again.” She got up from her chair and moved into my lap. “How do you feel about that?” she whispered.
I slid my hand between her legs and squeezed one of her thighs. “I like that a lot.”
She clenched her thighs around my hand. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
I found Bella’s mouth with my own. The first kiss was slow and soft. But one wasn’t nearly enough. I pressed forward, parting her lips with my tongue. She tasted of orange juice and happiness.
Bella wrapped both arms around me, and the kiss went from “congratulations, honey” to “rip my clothes off” within a minute.
“I know you’re not letting my soup get cold,” came a scolding voice.
Guilty, I pulled back.
But Bella didn’t look guilty. She only smiled at me. “More on that later,” she promised.
I gave her ass one more good squeeze before she went back to her own seat.
Propped up on cushions on her big pink bed, Bella and I used up a lot of tissues, played some cards, and watched TV. We were beginning to nod off when I heard a sound at the door. I opened my eyes and saw Maria peeking in from the hallway.
She put a finger to her lips. “I didn’t mean to disturb you two. But I’m heading out for the night.”
“Thank you for lunch,” I whispered.
“Anytime, chiquito. Will you make sure that my Bella eats something for dinner? There’s more soup. Or homemade pizzas in the freezer.”