Boss Meets Her Match

“Sorry. I was talking to the cat. Come on, Mom. Really? Y’all are setting me up on blind dates now?”

“It’s not a blind date. You’ve met him. He liked you.”

Lena frowned and picked at a piece of pepperoni. She’d have to go for a run tomorrow to make up for this. She tried to put a name to the emotion squirming within her at the idea of going on a date with Eduardo. Don’t want to. Yeah, that’s it.

“Magdalena.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You sound like a whining six-year-old. He’s a nice man. Educated. Has a good job. Not bad-looking. What? You got so many men falling at your feet that you can be picky?”

“Damn, Mom. You can lay one hell of a guilt trip.”

“Don’t curse. It isn’t ladylike. And I’m Catholic—we’ve cornered the market on guilt. May I give him your phone number?”

Slouching down into the corner of the couch, Lena sighed. So, she’d go on a date. Give him a chance. Then maybe they’d leave her alone. She could say she tried. “Okay.”

Hanging up, she looked up at the ceiling.

Sass jumped back up on the couch and stared at her. “What do you think, Sass? Eduardo?”

Sass responded by lifting her leg and licking her privates. Lena took a huge bite of pizza. “Now, that,” she said with her mouth full, “is unladylike.”

* * *

THE MELLOW MUSHROOM restaurant in Avondale seemed extra noisy. Lena frowned and scanned the restaurant for Sadie. Spotting a hand waving in the air, she headed in that direction.

“It’s so loud in here tonight,” she said.

Sadie gestured at the wineglass on the table. “That’s for you.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s going on?” Sadie asked, lifting her own glass.

“Not much. The usual.”

“No. I mean—” Sadie waved a hand in Lena’s face “—what’s going on with this face?”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“You look like you’d like to kick a puppy.”

Lena scowled. Sometimes having a best friend wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Especially when said best friend was all chirpy happy and sleeping with a gorgeous hunk of man every night. The scowl deepened when Sadie laughed. Loudly.

“Stop it.” Sadie gasped. “Now you look like you want to stab a nun.”

The waitress appeared and Lena gave her order without looking at the menu. Pizza twice in one week. She’d definitely have to do some running this weekend. She sipped wine and tried to relax her face while Sadie ordered.

“So, what’s going on?”

Lena made another face. “My mother. That’s what’s going on. She made me agree to go on a date with some random dude my aunt Estrella dragged to the house last weekend.”

“Pooh! A date. Tell me more.”

She told Sadie about the date, that there was no spark.

“What else?” Sadie asked in a leading tone.

“I lost a client. He’s moving overseas. Sort of bummed about it.”

“Ah. I’m sorry. Do you have another client waiting?”

Lena looked down at her drink. Matt’s smile and appraising blue eyes came to mind. She felt a little rush of heat. “Yeah. But I don’t know. I may give him to Mose to be her first client.”

“Whoa! Whoa! Stop the planet. What did you just say? You? OCD queen? Are going to turn over a new client?”

Lena shrugged and Sadie leaned in close to stare into her eyes. “Stop staring at me.”

“What’s up with Mr. New Client?”

“Nothing.”

“Lena. You are practically blushing. Tell me. I’m your best friend. You are required by law to tell me the details of your life.”

Their pizzas arrived and Lena took a few bites, ignoring Sadie as hard as she could. Sadie grinned at her from behind her wineglass. “Sass barfed up a hairball the size of my fist on the bathroom rug and I accidentally stepped in it.”

“Gross. Lena, I’m trying to eat here.”

“You said I had to tell you all the details of my life.”

“Point. Revision—tell me all about this new client you don’t want to take on.”

“Trust-fund frat boy.”

Sadie made a face. “Ugh. Yeah. Give him to Mose.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Sadie’s instant agreement helped. She was attracted to him simply based on his looks and that bad boy vibe he gave off. But she was over that. She was almost thirty years old and she didn’t have time to play. Serious applicants only. She let out a long sigh. “Eduardo it is.”

“Ha-ha. Mr. Dream Nerd.”

“Knock it off, okay? It’s bad enough I have to go out with him. Ugh. My life sucks. And why are they so loud up there?”

“It’s a restaurant, Lena, not a library.”

The waitress stopped by to refill their water glasses.

Lena pointed at the upper level. “What’s going on up there? They are so loud.”