Page 61 of Love at First Ink

“No, uh, I’m actually supposed to be meeting a group here. I’m not sure if they arrived yet,” she admitted.

“Do you know who the reservation would be under?”

“I think Stella?” She actually didn’t know. Normally, she would have this information, but it was a testament to how nervous she was.

The hostess clicked on her computer and then nodded. “Your party is here. They are in our private room. Follow me.” She smiled and led Marisol through the restaurant. It wasn’t prime dinnertime yet, but already the tables were full of couples and families. The industrial feeling of the restaurant made the atmosphere relaxed yet professional. The hostess stopped once they reached two gray sliding doors. She knocked first before opening them.

“Another member of your party is here!” she called and then looked back at Marisol. “Enjoy your meal.”

Four unfamiliar faces and Stella turned in her direction. Stella beamed, jumping up from her spot. “Marisol! I’m so happy you could make it!” She crossed the room and threw her arms around her.

Startled, Marisol awkwardly hugged her back. If Stella noticed her hesitation, she didn’t seem to mind.

“Let me introduce you to everyone,” Stella said, pulling back. “These two in the striped shirts are Paul and Antonio.”

One of the men waved. “I’m Antonio. Paul is my partner, who decided to match me today.”

Paul gasped, lightly shoving his partner. “Don’t believe him. I got dressed first, and he said he wanted to match. Not me.”

“His words were ‘that’s too gay even for me.’” Antonio rolled his eyes. “Men, am I right?”

The nerves she felt a moment ago slowly disappeared.Antonio and Paul were the type of people who could get along with everyone, a trait she envied. “It’s nice to meet you.” She smiled.

“The guy with green-and-black hair who looks like he just rolled out of bed is my husband, Blaine. And the cute pink fairy-looking woman is Izzy,” Stella finished.

Blaine reminded her of a lead singer from an early 2000s rock band. He had the grunge look down, with his navy-blue shirt and ripped jeans. His messy hair swooped across his forehead, obscuring his left eye from view. He reminded her of Cisco a little bit, mostly because Blaine was also covered in tattoos. He nodded in her direction. “Nice to meet the woman who was able to tame Snowball.”

“Oh my god, that was you?” a sweet, melodic voice asked. Izzy turned to smile at her, and Marisol understood the fairy description. Izzy looked like she just stepped out of a fairy tale with her frilly pink dress. Her heart-shaped face and button nose only added to the effect. “It’s so good to meet you. How’s Snowball doing?”

“Really good. She has definitely made herself at home,” Marisol said, deciding to leave out Snowball’s escape fiasco.

“Come sit by me.” Stella led Marisol to an empty seat. On the table were a few appetizers. Spinach artichoke dip, finger sandwiches, and a large serving bowl of Caesar salad. “Feel free to eat anything. We like to get a bunch of appetizers and share.”

“Some of us share.” Antonio smirked, staring pointedly at his partner. “And some of us inhale like a human vacuum.”

“And I’ll do it again,” Paul said, unabashed.

“Honestly, it’s a little impressive how quickly you can make a basket of chips disappear,” Izzy chimed in.

Paul grinned, reminding her of a black-haired Ryan Reynolds. “It’s my specialty.”

The banter between them was easy and lighthearted. Marisol could tell they were more than just people who volunteered at the same shelter, but friends too. None of them made her feel like the third wheel in an already established friendship. In fact, she was the shiny new toy everyone wanted to know more about.

“So, what do you do for a living, Marisol?” Paul asked.

This was always an awkward question because she didn’t have a job. People often looked down on her when she said that, though, thinking she lived off Daddy’s money. And while that was mostly true, Marisol had been saving her own money since childhood, learning how to invest from her father. Even without her father’s money—which she often told him he didn’t have to supply her, but he refused—she could still live her comfortable lifestyle.

“Well, I used to work at the family business. We run a winery,” she said. “But I recently stepped back. I’ll help my dad occasionally. Sometimes I’ll help my sister out at her bookstore, but…that’s about it,” she finished lamely. She didn’t have much of a social life…at least until she met Cisco. She enjoyed her life, but it did sound boring when she spoke about it to others.

But apparently not to this group. “Nice.” Blaine grinned. “I want to be a stay-at-home trophy husband, but Stella says I’m not pretty enough.”

“That’s not true.” Stella rolled her eyes but laughed. The two of them looked like a cute goth couple you’d find in a Tim Burton movie. “You are plenty pretty enough, but if anyone is going to be a stay-at-home spouse, it’s going to be me. Then I could spend all my day with cats and dogs. I prefer them over people…except for you all.”

“Nice save, Ella.” Blaine laughed.

“Please tell me you aren’t grossly in love,” Izzy said to Marisol. “I can’t be the only one here that’s single.”

Just thinking about Cisco had her smiling, and that didn’t go unnoticed.

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