Page 102 of The Spring in My Heart

Adri chimes in. “Not me. I always get the wrong salt-to-vinegar ratio.”

“I can show you.”

She grabs salt, vinegar, and olive oil from the cupboards. She gets started telling us what to add and in what order, and in that moment, it hits me again how eloquent she is, how she transforms when she’s instructing something or in front of the camera. If she decides to get her own channel, she would be a force. She could be a vlogger easily. The camera loves her.

I wonder if her dad would let her do a video with me. She, Bron, and I could do a recipe for my channel. Maybe I can ask him later.

When, Luciana? You’re almost ninety-nine percent sure you’ll be breaking up with him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ayla’s voice shakes me off my thoughts.

“Because you’re so good at that stuff. You could easily do instructional videos for a living. You’re such a natural at explaining and being on film.”

“Thank you,” she says. “I like processes and steps. It’s easier for me to follow, so that’s how I explain it. Like when you told me how to pose.”

Processes? Steps?

“Next time, I’ll try to make the salad, and you help me.”

She brightens. “Deal. Can you do a makeup tutorial with us? B and I really want to learn so we don’t look like clowns, like some of the girls in school.”

Adri doesn’t stop stirring. “I know who you mean. It’s because their mothers let them wear too much makeup. You are all natural beauties at your age. Makeup should look as natural as possible. I’ll be back. It’s too quiet. Let me make sure they’re all okay.”

Adri walks away, and I lean closer to Ayla. “Makeup should definitely be as natural as possible—except for eyeshadow and lashes. But you want schoolgirl style and not to look like a fan.”

Ayla laughs. “My lashes already get in the way of pitching if I don’t comb them.”

“It’s because yours are naturally long. You’re so lucky. Natural schoolgirl lashes and skin so gorgeous it should be in moisturizer commercials. I would kill for all that.”

She tilts her head like she doesn’t full believe me. “Really? I love your style. Your makeup is always great.”

“I wear it to make my skin look smooth, but yours already is even and silky. Always take care of it so it will continue to be that way. Make sure you’re doing three things. One, using a good cleanser. Two, moisturizing every day. And three, when you’re out on the field, wear sunscreen to protect from the UV rays.”

She nods. “Thank you. I’ll follow one, two, and three. Ohh, B and I saw your video yesterday about the trendy tops.”

“What did you think?”

“It was really good. Not everything has to be a crop top. Papi won’t let me wear them.”

“I can understand. You and Bron are still young. Honestly, there are so many ways to look pretty and sexy without showing so much. One of the primary rules of fashion is don’t show skin everywhere. If you’re showing shoulder, wear long bottoms. If you wear shorts, don’t show your stomach too—unless you’re at the beach.”

She nods like it makes sense. “I wish you could come shopping with us one day. You’re always great, and I sometimes don’t know what to get.”

“You should get things that you love, look good on you, and feel comfortable in,” I say, and I can’t explain why I’m so touched that she wants to go shopping with me.

“Do you ever get intimidated?” she asks, reminding me so much of me at that age.

“Of course I get intimidated.”

She shakes her head. “But you never show it.”

I shrug. “I’ve just learned to hide it well. I used to get super self-conscious, so I taught myself some tips and tricks to get through it.”

“Can you show me?”

I nod. “The first thing is, the world doesn’t have to know when you’re not feeling 100%.”

She blinks a few times. “How do you hide it? I get so nervous when I have to speak in public or with people I don’t know.”

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