Page 76 of Hot Summer's Prey

“I spend a lot of time taking care of my garden,” I say.

“He also rescues animals and nurses them back to health. Not to brag, but he’s literally perfect,” Teresa says proudly, laying a big kiss on me.

Instinctually, I pull her closer, grip her sides harder. The cheers and whoops from her friends remind me this is not the place to go further. I have grown too accustomed to having Teresa all to myself.

“What are you going to tell your mom about him?” Zephyr asks.

Teresa’s face sours. “That he’s an environmentalist. Can you imagine walking in and telling her I’m in love with a sex worker? She just wouldn’t get it.”

A small feeling in the pit of my stomach twinges. At first, I am a little upset that she cannot be as honest with her mother as she is with her friends, but then I realize that she wishes me to meet her mother.

“And your brothers?” I ask. “Am I going to meet them, too?”

“Oh, buddy, you don’t know Filipino families. You’re gonna have to meet everyone,” Dawn says with a laugh, answering for Teresa.

“She speaks no lies,” Teresa confirms.

“Everyone,” I repeat, grinning.

“So, are you going to move to Hollywood?” Taara asks, “Or… Resa, are you moving here?”

“You think we haven’t talked about this,” Teresa accuses.

“You would be right,” Taara agrees. “You don’t usually think ahead in your relationships.”

“It’s all we can think about,” I say. “At least, when we’re not…”

Everyone giggles.

“We’re going to split our time. He can’t move away permanently, and I won’t be able to find gigs here, I don’t think,” Teresa answers.

“Sex work doesn’t travel? He’s gotta be able to make bank with all those rich old people in LA,” Zephyr says.

“Sex work travels, but not the garden,” I say. “I can’t abandon it. All those creatures, all the plants… I don’t know how well they could survive without me.”

“Aw, he’s such a cute plant dad,” Anelisa coos.

“You really want to go back to LA after what Janine did?” Zephyr asks. “I mean, I know you didn’t just come here for me.”

“Janine?” I ask.

For all the things we’ve talked about, there does seem to be an issue she’s avoided the whole time.

“My old boss,” Teresa finally admits. Once she starts, the dam opens. “She’s this singer. She used to be overweight like me, went on the diet drug of the week, and lost it all. The news went crazy over it. Working for her before wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst. Her whole thing was being a loud and proud plus size singer and dancer. Then when she lost it all, standards for the rest of her dancers changed too. She couldn’t outright fire us because of the optics, so instead she just made our lives a living hell. She treated me the worst—probably because I’m the best at taking it. I loved my Lola, but she was a little bit of a narcissist. It helped prep me for people like Janine, though. So, yay me. After the tour, she bitched me out and then sent her HR person in to offer me a crazy severance package. A severance package for dancing. God, the stories I could tell about that woman. Anyway…”

She takes a big breath, looking around at all of us. I hold her tighter, kiss her shoulder. Anelisa, sitting next to us, holds Teresa’s hand and sets her head against Teresa’s shoulder comfortingly. I like this. All of her friends around us, how easily they’ve welcomed me in—even if it’s under the threat of endless interrogation.

But most of all, I like hearing the parts of Teresa she doesn’t want to share. The parts she’ll only share with people she really trusts. And I love being one of them.

“I’m just… It really fucking sucks because agents and producers and all of Hollywood already shits on you if you’re the slightest bit overweight, so it was a really big betrayal when Janine turned on us. She started acting like she could save us from being fat. But me and the rest of the dancers? We do our best to take care of our bodies. Everyone’s got their own relationships with food, and it’s just so fucked up to try and force people into losing weight like that. Especially because for people like that, there’s no end in sight. It’s just a bottomless pit of making you feel like you’re too much and too lazy or stupid to do anything about it.”

“Imagine being that out of touch,” Anelisa says, nudging Teresa playfully.

“You know, Resa,” Zephyr says. “I know you really don’t want to run a studio, but if you find help, maybe you could start one here. Inspire other people to move their bodies, you know? That way when you need an escape from Hollywood, you can just come here and work with people directly, really see the impact you have on others.”

“Ugh! Fine!” Teresa says, burying her face in my chest. “You win! It’s a good idea and I hate you for it.”

“You just needed the right incentive,” Zephyr says, winking at me.

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