Page 98 of Along Came Amor
“Qué linda,” Estrella murmured, shooting a knowing look at Roman. “No me dijiste que tienes novia.”
Ava waited for him to correct Estrella and say that Ava wasn’t his girlfriend, but he just smiled, so Ava kept her mouth shut. It wasn’t her place to correct the other woman. And if some part of her didn’t mind being mistaken for Roman’s girlfriend, well... she’d think about that later.
“So, how much do you know about rum?” Estrella asked in Spanish, getting down to business.
“More than I did this morning?” Ava replied, and the older woman laughed.
“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you some practical tricks, and then we’ll work on the wedding cocktail. Let’s begin.”
Estrella started with a tasting, similar to the way Roman had introduced Ava to his rum the night they’d met. At Ava’s insistence, Roman once again busted out his barback tricks. Estrella called him a show-off, but her teasing was good-natured.
“Roman is the reason I’m still here,” Estrella told Ava. “I told them if they sold to some big company that was going to swoop in and change everything, I was out. But Roman has roots here, and more than that, he understands spirits. You know he was a bartender, right?”
“He might have mentioned it,” Ava said, shooting Roman a private little smile.
“Bars trust him. He understands the industry better than most celebrity owners.”
Roman absently spun a cocktail shaker on the back of his hand and snorted. “I’m not a celebrity.”
“Yes, you are,” Ava and Estrella said in unison, then laughed together at his exasperated sigh.
“I was ononetelenovela,” he protested. “Almost twenty years ago.”
“Who cares about that?” Estrella said saucily. “Not me. I’mtalking about Pepito el cocodrilo, the character you voiced on that cartoon. What was it called?El Zoo de Mateo. My son loved that show when he was small.”
“You played a crocodile?” Ava asked, delighted.
“A baby crocodile,” Roman clarified. “You really haven’t internet stalked me?”
She shook her head. “Have you searched me?”
“I tried, but your social media accounts are private.”
“I’m a teacher. I can’t have my students following me.”
“Makes sense.” He gave her a sly look. “What would happen if I sent you a friend request?”
She shrugged and continued squeezing lime juice for the Donato Mule they were making. “Try it and see.”
“I think I will.”
Ugh, why couldn’t she stop flirting with him?
In their quest to develop a signature cocktail for the wedding, they made a mule, an old-fashioned, and a piña colada. After they tasted all three drinks, Roman turned to Ava. “What do you think?”
Ava held his gaze and couldn’t smother the smile that curved her lips. “Thank you for asking,” she said quietly. Despite the cool drink and the air conditioning working overtime, his answering smile warmed her to the tips of her toes.
Aware that Estrella was watching them intently, Ava took another sip from the glass in her hand, then smacked her lips lightly, savoring the spiciness of the ginger beer.
“Personally, the mule is my favorite,” she said. “But I can tell you from years of experience, my family enjoys a piña colada that kicks you in the teeth.”
“Let’s make it shaken instead of blended,” Roman said. At Ava’s quizzical look, he explained. “Easier on the bartenders.”
Ava consulted her notes. “Jasmine said it would be nice if the drink were a fun color, or at least looks good in photos.”
“Guava,” Estrella said decisively. “You want a pretty drink that doesn’t taste overwhelming? Add guava. It’s extremely versatile.”
“Could we add guava to a shaken piña colada?” Ava asked.
