Chapter Ten
“Here you go.”
Lilí looked up from where she hunkered down next to an equipment duffel bag to find Omara holding out one of the red padded protective gloves they’d used during the self-defense class. “Thanks.”
She did a quick scan of their corner of the gym, noting that while the other students had bugged out, Omara’s group waited for her near the edge of the bleachers about thirty feet away.
Kent Smith had already left with two duffels of equipment. She’d told him she could handle the last two on her own. They’d hang on to the items to use during the final class next Tuesday.
“I appreciate you noticing this was left out,” Lilí told Omara.
“Sure.” The girl quirked her neck in a typical teen “whatever” head tilt. She jammed the toe of her pink-and-blue striped sneaker into the court. Evidently she had something else she wanted to say.
Lilí waited. Omara would either speak her mind or leave it for later. Best she not feel pressured or she’d clam up. That would only detract from the progress they’d made tonight. And thankfully for all the girls, because they were the ones that mattered here, progress had been achieved.
For starters, they’d all come dressed appropriately. Omara’s clique still sported full makeup and cute hairstyles—Lilí hadn’t really expected otherwise. After all, there were teen boys in the building to impress. But their exercise gear allowed them to practice the self-defense moves much easier and they’d all given 100 percent. That wasn’t always the case with some classes, despite Lilí’s best efforts.
Finished picking up the last of the protective gear, Lilí tugged the zipper closed on the duffel.
“You did a great job tonight. I hope you feel proud of yourself,” she told Omara.
Arms crossed, nearly covering the words “All That” scrawled in black script across the front of her tight gray T-shirt, Omara gave a tough-girl chin jut to indicate her friends. “Yeah, sure. Look, the girls and I thought we oughtta say thanks for doing this and, you know, for acting like you care. Or, whatever.”
The unwitting glimpse of Omara’s softer side made Lilí want to hug the girl. Of course, she refrained. That wouldn’t be a cool move.
Instead, Lilí rose from her haunches and met Omara’s gaze. Tentative acceptance lingered in the girl’s dark eyes. Doubt twisted her lips.
“There are a lot of people here rooting for you. Willing to help you develop the tools so you can be successful and healthy. I’m one of those people.” Lilí pressed a palm to her chest.
Several beats passed.
She could tell by the way Omara’s eyes narrowed the tiniest bit that the girl was weighing her options. Trust or not trust. It had to be earned in this neighborhood.
“You were pretty bad-ass going up against Officer Smith tonight,” Omara finally said.
“Well, we were both wearing protective gear, and it was simulations. But I can hold my own.”
“Like with that jerk who came at you last night?”
Surprise had Lilí drawing back a step. “How did you . . . um, what did you hear?”
Omara tossed her head, sending her black ponytail swinging behind her. “Melba González lived down the street from us. My mom knows her. If you ask me, it’s ’bout time she cut loose her sinvergüenza of a husband.”
Lilí barked out a short laugh at Omara’s apt description—no doubt about it, Tito had no shame. Definitely no conscience. That’s part of what made him so dangerous.
The memory of yesterday’s confrontation silenced Lilí’s laughter.
“To be honest, I was scared.” Palms splayed in front of her, she looked Omara straight in the eye. It was vitally important for the teen to recognize the severity of the situation. “But I did my best to use that fear and adrenaline to drive my actions. I looked right at him and didn’t flinch. I used strong, forceful, loud words so that I got his attention and to make sure anyone in the vicinity could hear me. I stomped the inside of his foot like we practiced tonight and I kneed him in the groin. Twice.”
“Sweet.” Omara’s expression was a mix of pugilistic rapture and pissed off. Not quite the attitude Lilí was hoping for.
“The thing is though, had my coworker not come out of the clinic, I’m not sure I could have gotten Tito off of me.”
Omara sobered. Her tan complexion blanched a shade and she cast a nervous glance at her friends.
Lilí stepped closer to bring the girl’s attention back to her. “You want to remember, our classes and these moves aren’t about kicking someone’s butt. They’re about trying to get you out of a situation. Either before it happens or before it escalates. But the moment you have an opportunity to get away, you take it.”
“I know.” Omara’s head bobbed in rapid nods.
“Good. That’s real good.” Tension she hadn’t even been aware of eased from Lilí’s shoulders. She forced a smile to lighten the mood. “Next class will be all simulations. I’ve already warned Officer Smith that you girls won’t go easy on him.”
Omara grinned. She arched a carefully plucked and shaded brow, her queen bee cover firmly back in place. “You got that right. We’ll be ready.”
“I’m counting on it.”
With a loose-fingered wave, Omara backed away. “See you around. And . . . thanks again.”
“Anytime.”
Their exchange of friendly smiles warmed Lilí’s heart. Diego was right. Omara was a good kid. She joined her friends, and a couple of the other girls waved to Lilí as they rose from the bleachers and headed toward the gym doors.
Lilí turned to give the area another once-over, making sure none of the equipment had been left behind. Satisfied that all was taken care of, she swung her messenger bag over her head and across her body, then snagged the hard plastic handles on the two rolling duffels.
Tonight they’d brought pads for all the students, as well as Kent. Next week, during the final class, Kent’s partner would gear up for simulations with more than one aggressor. It was the last opportunity for the girls to get comfortable with the moves. After that, Lilí prayed they never needed to use them.
She reached the gym’s double doors and one of the basketball players trotted over to hold one open for her while she pulled the bags behind her.
Halfway down the hall leading to the bustling lobby, she spotted Diego standing in front of the waist-high counter. The center’s assistant manager, David, stood on the other side.
Based on the cajoling look on David’s thin face, Lilí figured he was trying to talk Diego into something. Tall and gangly with a friendly personality, what the barely thirty-year-old lacked in experience he made up for with his commitment to the center. David was also a born sweet-talker with a knack for convincing you to volunteer for something before you even realized it.
That’s how Lilí had wound up agreeing to chaperone the middle school kids’ day trip on Saturday. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the event involved attending a Cubs game. Now that her cousin Julia was dating an ex-player and local sports figure, Lilí might luck into tickets more often, but still she rarely passed up a chance to catch her Cubbies in action. Something David knew, and had taken advantage of in his wily way.
The assistant manager caught sight of her, waved, then flipped his palm and bent his fingers in a “come here” gesture.
Diego turned around the second after her eyes had landed on his firm butt, which looked pretty fine in his faded jeans. He smirked. Probably because he’d caught her checking him out.
She slowed her steps as she approached. No need to seem in a rush to meet up with him.
Because she wasn’t.
Not really anyway.
“Hi, David, what’s up? Diego.” She gave the too-hot-for-her-own-good cop a nod in greeting, determined to focus on keeping things platonic.
It didn’t matter that she’d had a vivid sex dream about him last night. So vivid she’d woken up reaching for him beside her only to find cool sheets and an empty pillow.
He didn’t have to know about that.
Besides, this morning over coffee and Greek yogurt with berries, she’d vowed to squelch any attraction. It was unhealthy and pointless. His inability to have a simple discussion about his sister had proven that.
“Hola, Lilí, how was class?” Diego asked.
“Great.” She couldn’t hold back her grin. “The girls were fantastic. A few actually said they’re excited for our last class next week.”
“Nice.” Diego clasped his hands on top of his guitar case propped up in front of him. The motion accentuated his muscular arms and drew her attention to the bottom of the crown-of-thorns tattoo wrapped around his right biceps. The same tattoo she’d kissed in her dream.
She squelched that thought before it dragged her back to other, more enticing images from dreamland. Although she had to admit, Diego Reyes in the flesh was equally enticing.
Tonight he wore another Chicago Bears tee, the football team’s logo in deep orange and white standing out against the shirt’s navy cotton material. He hadn’t shaved, so his five o’clock shadow gave him a scruffy bad-boy vibe that made certain parts of her body take notice.
Cálmate, she cautioned her racing pulse. As if demanding it to calm down would actually work. Then she remembered something he’d mentioned when they were at his apartment, talking about his music.
“Wait, didn’t you say that you taught your guitar classes here on Tuesdays?” she asked.
“Yeah, usually.” He reached up to scratch his jaw, shooting a quick glance at David. “Sometimes I’ll throw in a free class if any of the kids want extra practice.”
A look she couldn’t decipher passed between the two men.
Suddenly, David got busy shuffling papers around, but she could have sworn a corner of his mouth quirked before he ducked his head.
“Thanks again, Diego!” A cute middle school–aged kid with shaggy brown hair and an adoring grin for Diego ran up to them. The boy switched an old battered guitar case from his right to his left hand, his excitement palpable in the way he bounced on the balls of his feet. “I think I got the fingering down now for that song.”
“Anytime, buddy,” Diego answered. He shared a quick fist bump with the kid. “You know I’m always up for practicing if I’m not working.”
Omara strolled up behind the boy and Lilí realized he must be the younger brother Diego had mentioned.
“Hola, I’m Héctor. You’re the lady who’s been teaching Omara self-defense, right?” The kid stuck out a skinny arm to shake hands with Lilí.
“That’s me. Lilí Fernandez. Pleased to meet you, Héctor.”
He grinned, his demeanor friendly and open. An older boy in long basketball shorts and a saggy tank shirt approached them, his deep voice rumbling Omara’s name as he drew near. Lilí noticed the protective hand Omara placed on her younger brother’s shoulder as she tipped her head in response when the teen strolled by.
Point made. Big sis had her brother’s back. In their neighborhood, oftentimes that was vital for survival.
Lilí’s heart softened even more for the loyal queen bee as Omara exchanged polite hellos with the adults.
“I heard class went well,” Diego said.
“You shoulda seen Lilí tonight. Girl kicked Officer Smith’s a—uh—booty.” Omara swapped the word after dropping her gaze to her little brother.
“No way!” Héctor said, bringing a fist to his mouth to cover his laugh. He gave Lilí an appreciative head bob. “She’s got game, huh?”
Normally not one to embarrass easily, that was Rosa’s thing, Lilí was surprised by the warm blush she felt climbing up her neck and into her cheeks. Mostly thanks to the heat in Diego’s eyes as they traveled from her head to her toes and back again.
“Yeah, she does,” he said, his husky voice a raspy caress to her already haywire senses.
“You two coming or what?” A boy in saggy khaki shorts and a white tee with a small towel slung over his shoulder called to Omara and Héctor from the youth center’s front door.
“We better get going. It’s safer to walk with the group once it’s dark.” Omara patted her brother’s shoulder for emphasis.
“’Kay. I’ll see you on Saturday for the game, right, David?” Héctor asked. He took a couple steps backwards, but paused when the assistant manager shook his head.
“Actually, I can’t make it now. I’m working on finding a replacement.” The expression on David’s thin face spoke of his disappointment, then it quickly brightened when he pointed to her. “But Lilí’s the other chaperone, so it’ll be fun.”
“You are?” Héctor perked up.
“Are you kidding me?” One hand on her hip, she gave him a raised-brow head waggle with some of the attitude his sister carried in spades. “A July afternoon at Wrigley? I’m not missing that.”
“Sweet!” Héctor balled a fist and pumped it in front of his chest. “Nos vemos el Sábado.”
“Sure thing, see you Saturday,” she repeated, waving as the two siblings headed out.
“You don’t know how relieved I am to hear you’re still in,” David said. “I was just telling Diego about my sister planning some surprise for my mom. Didn’t bother letting the rest of us know, but, there you go.”
He swiped a hand through the air, obviously annoyed with whatever was going down in his family. “Anyway, I can’t make the game and need to find someone to take my place. Eight kids is too many for one person to keep track of in a crowded ball park. I just hate canceling since Ben got us the tickets through his Cubs connections. And they’re bleachers seats. The kids are gonna love that!”
“Me too! Julia and I connected via phone last week since she and Ben are on the road, and she mentioned that he was working on it. I’m glad he was able to come through. Shouldn’t be too hard to find someone to replace you, right?” Lilí asked. “I mean, who doesn’t want to catch a free Cubs game?”
“This guy, apparently.” David gave Diego a bug-eyed, what’s-up-with-that? look.
Diego held up his hands in surrender. “Hey now, I didn’t say no. I said I needed to see about rearranging some plans.”
Lilí’s belly flip-flopped. The idea of Diego tag-teaming with her to take the group of middle school kids to Wrigley Field made her both giddy and nervously excited. Or maybe it was excitedly nervous.
Either way, it didn’t bode well for her. Feeling nervous was a warning—stay away from fire or you’ll get burned. Excitement, while it could lead to fun, oftentimes got her into trouble.
Rosa’s “look before you leap” cautionary motto wove through Lilí’s brain.
“I’m sure I can find another volunteer with security clearance,” she told David. Sidling up to the counter, she leaned against the edge. The corner dug into her hip through her black leggings. “There’s gotta be someone else interested in spending a sunny day at the ball park.”
“Wait a minute. I didn’t say I couldn’t go,” Diego protested.
He slid his guitar case to his left and matched her stance, leaning his right hip on the counter and facing her.
At the other end of the long check-in desk, one of the shift employees called out to David.
“You two hash it out,” he told them before stepping away. “All I can say is, you’d be doing me a solid if you would both say yes.”
Lilí waited for Diego to respond, but the pesky cop evidently continued to perfect his man-of-few-words routine.
“Look,” she finally said. “You’ve got plans, don’t sweat it. I’ll find someone else.”
She crossed her arms and blinked up at him like it was no big deal.
All the while her interest caught on the short whiskers darkening his jawline. The faint scar above his left brow. His earthy cologne invaded her senses. The same way it had when she’d roused from sleep, convinced he lay beside her.
“Why do I get the feeling you don’t really want me to go?” he asked, giving her a narrow-eyed, speculative look.
“Oh, I’m fine either way. Go. Don’t go.”
Please go.
She shushed the traitorous voice in her head.
“I haven’t been to a Cubs game yet this season,” Diego said. “Hanging out with kids from the center is usually a fun time. Hanging out with you has been—”
“You better say something nice or I’m gonna have to practice one of the class moves on you,” she warned.
He chuckled, the sound rich and throaty. And inviting. The laugh lines marking the corners of his eyes deepened.
Lilí couldn’t resist grinning back at him. Diantre, resisting his charms was about as easy as saying no to Rosa’s flan. That had yet to happen in Lilí’s lifetime.
“I was about to say ‘interesting,’” Diego replied. He dug his left hand into his back pocket, the motion stretching his tee across his muscular chest. “Amongst several other adjectives, but that one might be the safest.”
“Wise choice.”
“That’s me, a wise guy.” He punctuated his words with a flirty wink. “So, what time are we meeting here on Saturday?”
His question made her heart stutter step. Uh-oh, that meant trouble.
“You’re really going to chaperone?” she asked.
“Sure, why not? It’ll ease some of David’s stress.”
Sí, while adding to hers.
Now she’d spend the entire afternoon distracted, trying not to admire the easy way he connected with the kids, like when he’d filled in for Kent in her class. The same way he’d apparently done with little Gloria during Yaz’s dance recital. As well as with young Héctor. The man had been here an extra night this week offering the boy another free lesson.
How could she not be attracted to a guy who put these kids, many of whom needed positive role models like him, first?
Despite how wrong he might be for her.
Because, Dios mío, no matter how many times Rosa had told her not to play with fire when they were growing up, Lilí had always been the type that had to get burned before learning for herself. With Diego, if nothing else, everything leading up to the burn would feel really, really good.
“The kids were told to meet here at nine forty-five in the morning,” she said. “That gives us a little time for stragglers, then we’ll take the bus to Clark and Division and hop on the Red Line to West Addison. We wanna be at Wrigley when the gates open at eleven twenty.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“David’s, not mine really.”
“And now ours.” A spark flared in Diego’s dark eyes, warming her. “Guess I’ll see you Saturday morning.”
* * *
“Yeah, baby! That’s what I’m talking about!” Lilí yelled.
Diego watched her high-five Héctor, then reach across the kid to slap palms with one of the girls in their group.
He’d known she was a Cubs fan and had found out about her six degrees of separation connection to the team thanks to her cousin’s boyfriend. Apparently she also had cousins in Puerto Rico who played ball. But when she’d shown up at the center decked out in a Cubs ball cap and jersey, miniature Cubs baseball-cap earrings dangling from her lobes, Cubs sneakers on her feet, a leather Cubs watch strapped on one wrist, and a Cubs wallet dangling from the other . . . he realized that when it came to her baseball team, Lilí put the “fan” in fanatic.
Get the girl inside the ballpark and her eyes lit up with excitement like a rookie cop’s after making their first collar.
Arriving at Wrigley Field just as the gates opened had meant the kids could take advantage of reduced food prices for the first hour. Lilí took a group who wanted to eat right away while Diego and the rest of them headed to find their seats.
Twenty minutes later she’d shown up with a hot dog and fries in one hand, a soda in a collector’s cup in the other. A bag of roasted peanuts wedged between her left elbow and side, her broad smile had rivaled the kids’ as she plopped down in the seat next to him.
Her shoulder had bumped his and he’d grabbed her hot dog as the foil-wrapped food threatened to roll off the paper boat of fries. Then, he’d nearly swallowed his tongue when she stretched out her shapely, toned legs and tugged on the hem of her too-short-for-his-own-good jeans shorts.
Now, the game was in the bottom of the fifth inning with the home team ahead by two, thanks to the home run that had precipitated Lilí’s high-five fiesta.
Food had been devoured and peanut shells littered the cement floor at their feet. Giver that she was, Lilí had shared her bag with him. He and a couple kids had just returned to their seats with soft-serve ice cream, his with an extra spoon for Lilí.
The beer man walked down the aisle, hawking his wares. He paused at the end of their row.
Diego shook his head when the guy made eye contact. Lilí had already waved the beer man off earlier. No alcohol when they were on chaperone duty.
“Yes!” Lilí cried, balling her fist and punching the air as she capped off her run-scoring cheer and fell back in her seat.
He held up the miniature plastic batting helmet full of chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream.
“For me?” she asked, her eyebrows rising with her obvious glee.
She reached for the extra spoon when he nodded.
“Wow, you sweet talker, you.” She grinned, a little giggle escaping from her mouth.
He laughed, amused by her playful personality. Another side of her he found himself drawn to, along with the sexy, the determined, the dedicated, and even the hardheaded ones.
“What?” she asked around a spoonful. She slid the utensil slowly from her mouth, then stuck out her tongue to lick some cream off the back side. The provocative gesture sent blood surging south in his body and Diego nearly groaned.
She furrowed her brow in question. “You okay? Did you get a brain freeze or something?”
Or something, all right.
He shook his head, relieved when George, to his left, elbowed him to get his attention.
Lilí stuck her spoon back into the ice cream, her free hand sliding to cup his underneath the container to steady it. Her touch sent heat waves rolling through him, stronger than those beating down from the hot July sun.
“We get to stay for the whole game, right, Diego?” George asked.
“Yep, till the last out is called,” he answered. “And hopefully we’ll get to sing ‘Go Cubs Go’ at the end if the Cubs win.”
“When the Cubs win.” Lilí leaned over him, her upper arm grazing his chest as she held their dessert steady and shook her spoon to emphasize her point. “No if about it. When the Cubs win, we’ll sing at the top of our lungs. Got it?”
“Got it!” George fist-bumped Lilí, who sat back in her seat with a satisfied grin.
“We better eat this before it turns back into milk,” she told Diego, snagging another bite with gusto.
Diego stared at her in awe, continuously amazed by her many facets.
The positive energy she exuded with the kids, the sexy tomboy vibe she had going on thanks to her team gear, and the sparkle of mischief in her hazel-green eyes were a one, two, three punch combination pummeling his recent conclusion that he and Lilí’s relationship could remain both friendly and professional.
Volunteering to chaperone today had been his way of testing the friendship waters. Instead, he’d wound up leaving those slow-moving, placid depths and veering into the raging rapids of full-blown lust.
Life on the wild side was dangerous, but with Lilí he had a strong notion it would be worth it.
She tapped her plastic spoon on the edge of the mini Cubs helmet. He obliged, taking a bite of the melting dessert. The cold concoction tasted sweet on his tongue, but what he really wanted was to taste it on her lips. Lick the drop of chocolate caught on the corner of her mouth.
Whether she sensed his focus on her mouth or not, Lilí reached up to swipe the chocolate off with the back of her hand.
“Here.” Diego dug in a front pocket of his khaki shorts for one of the napkins he’d grabbed.
“Thanks,” she mumbled around another spoonful. “It’s getting messy, huh? You should finish it.” She pushed the container in his direction, then wiped her face with the paper napkin.
The Cubs players took the field and Lilí joined in with the cheering crowd.
Diego sat back to enjoy the atmosphere, especially the kids’ enthusiasm at being inside the ballpark. For many it was their first game and he was happy to be a part of their first Wrigley Field experience.
Lilí was a font of information when it came to her team’s history. Since most of the kids were budding baseball or softball players, they listened to her every word, off and on throwing questions at her. Despite her keen interest in following the game, she gave each child her undivided attention, ensuring they understood that whatever they had to say was important. That they mattered to her.
For a couple of the kids, this type of unconditional love wasn’t something they saw much of at home. The fact that she either knew this or was naturally an attentive, giving person made him respect her even more.
At the top of the eighth inning, Diego’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He dug it out to find a text from David, sent to him and Lilí.
Family party got over early. I’m down the street from Wrigley in the center’s van. Will meet you on the corner of Sheffield & Addison after the game.
Lilí was so engrossed in the Cubs manager’s pitching change decision, she didn’t seem to notice her phone had received the message.
Diego held his cell out to her. “Hey, David says he can pick us up so we don’t have to bother with crowds on the “L” and the bus.”
“Oh, okay.” She barely glanced at his phone, instead stretching up in her seat to yell at the umpire, “Come on, ump! Give me a break! That was a strike!”
Her fervor encouraged Héctor and a couple others to join in the cries. Diego made a mental note: In a tight game, don’t count on Lilí to contribute to important discussions.
While Lilí, the kids, and thousands of other Cubs fans in the park cheered as the pitcher struck out the next batter, Diego typed a message to David.
Sounds good. Will text when we’re outside.
David replied with the thumbs-up emoji.
A short while later the opponents were down to their last out. All the fans stood on their feet cheering, ready to sing the Cubs’ winning anthem and wave their white flags with the dark blue W signifying the team win.
The batter swung and missed and the crowd went wild. Including Lilí, who raised her arms high with a triumphant cry of “¡Wepa!”
Before he knew it she threw her arms around him for a celebratory hug. She smelled like sun and sweat with a hint of her coconutty-lime lotion. Absolutely delicious.
The hug was over much too fast for his liking. Then she was on to slapping high fives and singing along with the forty thousand plus others in the park. Including Héctor and the rest of their gang, who jumped up and down with huge grins on their faces.
Standing there, in the midst of all the chaos and cheers, it hit Diego. For the first time in a long while, everything seemed right in his world.
He had planned to spend today working on small renovations in his home. Trying to upgrade things that his mami had always talked about updating, but never gotten around to. Or more likely, hadn’t had the money for. Every completed project assuaged his guilt over not being able to provide enough before she had died.
Most days that guilt weighed heavily on his mind. But today, thanks to Lilí, he hadn’t thought about it at all.
Suddenly, as happy as everyone else was that the Cubs had won, Diego wasn’t ready for the afternoon to end. Not yet anyway.
Once the song had finished and fans started streaming out of the ballpark, while the kids were gathering their commemorative cups and anything else they’d brought with them, Diego grasped Lilí’s elbow gently.
She glanced at him, a question lingering in her eyes.
“What do you say to us letting David take the kids back, and we stick around to grab a drink at the Cubby Bear to celebrate? You up for it?” he asked her.
Lilí’s infectious grin spread across her kissable lips. “Heck yeah!”
And with that, his afternoon got even brighter.