Page 25 of A Dish Best Served Hot

Saint laughed and wrapped his arms around her. “Loca Lola,” he said fondly.

She leaned into him. The front of her luscious body pressed all along the front of his, but he felt her suck in her stomach at the last minute.

He didn’t get why she felt the need to do that. She never just let herself completely be with him. He hated it when she hated on her own body, saying that she was too fat to date a guy as fit as him. He loved every single inch of Lola. She was soft and warm and her skin constantly smelled like the cinnamon bun lotion he’d gotten her for Christmas because it reminded him of the dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. It made him hungry. It was getting really difficult for him not to put his hands all over her like he wanted, but Lola had made it clear that she wasn’t ready for anything more than kissing. He respected her feelings and did his best to keep everything light and affectionate instead of hot and heavy.

Saint stifled a groan when she nuzzled into his shoulder. Luckily the carousel came to a stop and they were in the next group to board. They handed over their tickets and Lola made a beeline to the zebra, brushing past people and ducking in between the animals like she was playing laser tag. She even mean-mugged a trio of middle schoolers until they chose a different row of animals.

Once he settled on his horse next to her, Saint shook his head with a smile. “You know we have more tickets, right? It didn’t need to be that intense.”

“They were behind us in line and heard me say I wanted the zebra. They were just being jerks and I don’t put up with that nonsense.”

Saint laughed. “Ay, mi Lola. I love you.”

Her eyes grew so big he worried they’d fall out. “What?”

He cleared his throat. While his plan had been to tell her today, he hadn’t exactly meant to tell her like this, but what was done was done. He didn’t regret it at all. Saint turned on his horse and looked her in the eye, so she’d know that he wasn’t joking. “I love you,” he said clearly.

The longer Lola stared at him wide-eyed and silent, the harder his heart pounded. Right when he was about to begin panicking her face lit up with the biggest smile he’d ever gotten from her and her cheeks flushed. “I love you too,” she whispered so quietly that he read her lips more than heard her words.

He didn’t care that she hadn’t proclaimed it as loudly as he had. He didn’t care that they were sitting on plastic animals instead of at the top of the Ferris wheel like he’d planned. Saint was still on top of the world because the girl he loved just told him that she loved him back.

A hard knock pulled Saint out of his journey to the past. He turned and saw Tío Luís standing by the driver’s side window of his truck dressed in an expensive-looking shirt and tie. Saint looked down at his black slacks and white button-down and wondered if he should’ve put in more effort. “I look like a damn cater waiter,” he mumbled to himself while turning off his truck and sliding out.

“Are you ready?” his tío asked. “You were able to look over everything I sent you?”

Saint nodded and followed his uncle into the building that used to house El Hogar. He tried to ignore the way this felt like a betrayal to the girl he’d loved all those years ago, but his stomach turned just the same.

The feeling only got worse as he followed Tío Luís and the development team around the building listening to their vision and plans. Evidence from the rushed departure of the staff and members was everywhere. Office chairs still sat behind the desks that used to house computers. There were old board games stacked on the shelves of the game room and Tupperware in the kitchen. The most gutting were the posters that still decorated the walls in the small bedrooms used by homeless teens.

The scene made Saint feel legitimately nauseous.

This was wrong. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t be a part of it.

Saint eyed the team from the developer, Raven Realty. They were huddled together at the other end of the room taking in the old multipurpose space. The original plan was to make a movie theater that tenants could sign up to use, but now they were discussing the possibility of creating a separate mail room with large, locked drop boxes for each unit to help prevent package theft. He left them to that discussion while he turned to have a very different one with his uncle.

But at the sight of his tío leaning heavily against the wall, he froze.

Tío Luís had his eyes closed and was practically panting. His face was pale and the tiniest sheen of sweat glossed over his forehead.

He slid closer. “Are you okay, Tío?” he asked in a quiet voice.

Tío Luís immediately straightened and opened his eyes. “I’m fine.”

That was clearly a lie, so Saint didn’t bother with a response.

At Saint’s prolonged look, his tío finally cut the shit. “I’m a little dizzy,” he whispered. “It happens sometimes when I get really tired, but I’ll be okay. I just need some coffee.”

That was more bullshit. Saint thought about how he’d witnessed Tío Luís mainlining coffee over the last few days when usually he’d only drink a cup a day. The coffee hadn’t really affected his apparent exhaustion at all, which meant it wasn’t just lack of sleep. It was something else. “This is from the RA,” Saint said. “You have fatigue and you’re dizzy because you’re trying to push through it.”

Tío Luís sighed. “What other choice do I have? Things have to get done and if I don’t do them, then who will?”

Saint knew then that he wasn’t going to back out. It felt awful betraying his neighborhood, but the only time he’d ever felt worse about his choices was when he’d gotten the call that his wife had died. His infant daughter was in Child Protective Services, and he’d failed them. He wasn’t going to fail his family again, no matter how dirty he had to get.

And he felt like he was mired in shit when he finally exited the building only to run smack into Lola, who stood on the sidewalk holding a sign that said Gentrifiers Get Out.

The shock, then the instant disappointment on her face was a punch to his already rolling gut.

“I can’t believe you’d do this,” she said to him.

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