Page 107 of A Dish Best Served Hot

She stood. “I will.” Then she left.

There was a beat of silence before Benny spoke in Spanish. “You realize that at no point did you tell her how you feel, right?”

Fuck.

27

Lola swung the door open to the small conference room in El Centro that she, Yara, and Saint had been using for the last week. “Why aren’t you ready to go?” she asked Yara as she burst in. “We’re supposed to meet them there in thirty minutes!”

Standing on the other side of the table wearing a cute but totally casual denim jumpsuit and colorful headscarf, Yara did not look ready for a business meeting with a former pop star. Lola looked down at her own outfit, which consisted of black high-waisted trousers, a strapless bustier-type top, and a white blazer. She’d second-guessed herself a million times before determining that it was businessy enough, but here Yara was looking like 2002 JLo. “You look good, as always, but that is not the vibe we discussed.”

“Hunnie, I create the vibe not follow it,” Yara said. She motioned to the table. “Have a seat for a second.”

“We don’t have a second,” Lola exclaimed. “We gotta go.”

“We have enough time for this. Trust me.” She motioned to the table again, before sitting on the opposite side.

With an impatient huff, Lola plopped down. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to jump in.”

Lola’s stomach dropped. Did anything good ever come after the words, “I don’t know how to say this”? She doubted it.

“Fonseca offered me the position of director and I accepted it. Starting next month I’ll be the director of El Vecindario.”

Lola squealed. “Oh my god, Yara! That’s amazing!” She hopped up and rushed around the table where Yara met her and they hugged. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you. I can’t imagine a better person for the job.”

“Are you sure? I know Fonseca had been hoping to put you there.”

Lola immediately shook her head. “No. I’ve been gone too long. I need to pay my dues and reconnect with this neighborhood before I’m anywhere near ready for something like that. You have dedicated your life to this place. You deserve this.”

Yara beamed at her. “Have I told you yet how happy I am that you’re back?”

“Not today.”

“Well, I am.”

“Me too.”

Yara waved her hands. “Anyway, back to what I was saying.”

“There’s more?”

“Duh.” Yara pulled out the chair and sat back down.

Instead of going back to the other side of the table, Lola took the chair next to her.

“As you can imagine, this means that I’ll no longer be the director of El Hogar.”

Oh right. There was no way Yara would be able to do both. She often wondered how Fonseca was able to have enough time for one position. “I think Mariana would be a great replacement,” Lola suggested. “They are so passionate about the shelter.”

“I was actually thinking of someone else.”

“Who? Brittany? I don’t think she’d want to leave teach—Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

“I did and I’m going to do it again. Watch.” Yara gave her a magnificent and prolonged eye roll.

“That’s mean and unnecessary.”

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