Orlando: Boyle Heights #4

by Elizabeth Reyes

He stared at her from behind, his hopeful heart speeding up as she tapped away at the keyboard. As soon as she turned to him, he smirked but decided not to comment on her beck-and-call remark. “You really wanna tour of this place?”

  Standing up to get the copies off the printer, she shrugged. “I didn’t ask for one. Alonso just offered because he was surprised I’ve never been on that side of the shop. But I wouldn’t mind.”

  Orlando hadn’t even thought about that, but if anyone would be giving her the grand tour, it’d be him. No way would he be letting Alonso do it, and if he had to talk to him about his trying to throw the moves on Dani, as he had with Fernando, he sure as fuck would. “Come on.” He took the papers she handed him. “I’ll show you around.”

  “But who’ll cover the lobby?” she asked, already walking around the counter.

  “I’ll send Alonso’s ass to do it.”

  “But doesn’t Nine need him?”

  “He’ll be fine without him for a few minutes.” He held the shop door open for her, and she walked past him. “Alonso,” he said as they walked past him, and he handed the paperwork to Nine. “Go cover the lobby while I show Dani around.”

  Alonso’s jaw dropped, looking as annoyed as Orlando expected him to, but he didn’t care. Orlando would get it through these guys’ heads one way or another. Dani was off limits to any of their flirtatious asses. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. Now go answer phones until she gets back.” Dani continued walking alongside Orlando, who didn’t even bother stopping. She glanced around, taking it all in. As hard as he’d purposely made his request to Alonso, one glance at Dani’s sweet curious eyes had him smiling. “All this,” he explained, “is mainly an auto shop: oil changes, tire rotations, basically any kind of auto repair.” They walked through the big open garage door where Dani had been looking when he'd first seen her taking in the convertible. There were about twelve cars and trucks in different stages of restoration, and the space was getting tight. Dani glanced around wide-eyed as if in awe as she took in all the different heavy machinery. “And this is why we need to expand,” Orlando explained as he took in the cars they were working on. “There’s only room in here for about twelve maybe thirteen or fourteen cars. It’s why we have such a long waiting list. Beast is hoping the shop on the other side of the one we’re expanding into next door will close down soon and we can expand even further. Good chance they might. They keep getting locked out by the landlord for not paying their rent.”

  “Oh wow.” No surprise Dani walked around the old convertible he’d seen her eyeing earlier. “I like this one. It reminds me of something out of a romantic movie that takes place back in the day.” She pointed at him, smiling as if it suddenly came to her. “The Notebook. I have no idea what kind of car it was, but it looks like this one.”

  “Never seen the movie, but this is a classic. Nineteen forty-one Lincoln Continental.” He told her a little more about the car’s history and such before opening the door for her. “Have a seat.”

  She turned to him before getting in. “You’ve really never seen The Notebook?”

  Orlando chuckled. Was that really all she’d taken in about his explanation of the car and its history? “No, I haven’t. Never really been much of a movie buff and especially not romances.”

  “But it’s so good,” she said as she got in behind the wheel. Orlando closed the door and started around the car. “Now that’s a classic, if you ask any movie enthusiasts. So, sad too.” She pouted, making Orlando smile as he got in on the passenger’s side. Taking advantage of the bench seating, he slid in a little closer than he would’ve had they been in a car with bucket seats. “I’ll admit I ugly cried the first time I saw it. But I’ve watched it many times since.”

  Too many times now he’d been so tempted to just go for it. Just taste those sweet lips already, and sitting this close, he knew the danger of giving into the temptation would be too much. Still, he couldn’t help himself as their eyes locked once again. He couldn’t be sure, but each time this happened, he got the feeling, if he did go for it, she’d be all for it, especially when those big beautiful eyes dropped to his lips as they were doing now. “I’ll have to check out the movie one of these days then,” he whispered, leaning in.

  The car’s horn honked loudly, startling them both, and they flinched out of the moment. She brought her hand to her mouth, looking down at her other hand that had inadvertently honked the horn. Appearing embarrassed but at the same time smiling, she turned to Orlando. “Oops. I’ve never been very good behind the wheel,” she explained. “I don’t think I’m that bad, but my sister never lets me drive when we go anywhere together.” She giggled now. “She calls me Mrs. Magoo and can’t believe I passed my driver’s test.”

  Orlando chuckled, remembering the times she’d knocked over his trashcans, backing out of his driveway and the time she’d parked on his flower bed and didn’t even notice. Orlando had thought those were just flukes. Now he had to wonder if that accident she’d been in had anything to do with her being under the influence or if she was just that bad a driver. She did say she was just above the legal limit and had passed the sobriety test.

  Danica’s attention went back to the car’s interior. Even Orlando hadn’t had a chance to check the car out in detail since it’d just gotten in. He explained what everything was for as he himself took everything in. It was in awesome condition already but did need some work. “The walnut wood trim wasn’t added until nineteen forty-seven. It’s one of the main things we’ll be adding to it all around the inside. That and adding newer shinier knobs and such.” He reached out to touch one of the knobs on the dash just as she reached out too, and their hands grazed. Once again Orlando turned to her, their faces close enough to kiss, and he was going for it this time. She even licked her lips as her eyes dropped to his.

  “Hey, I was supposed to be the first one to sit in this bad boy,” Nine said, walking up from behind the car with Byron. Motherfucker!

  Orlando let his head fall back against the head rest as Nine reached the passenger’s side and Dani opened the door. “Nah, you’re good.” Nine smiled. “I’m just messing with you.”

  “I should probably get back to relieve Alonso anyway,” Dani said, starting out of the car.

  “I’ll walk back with you,” Orlando said, not wanting her back in that lobby alone with the guy. “I need to get something from there.” He turned to Nine as he opened his door too. “Looks good, man. This one’s gonna be tight.”

  “I already ordered some of the parts,” Nine said, jumping in the passenger’s side as Byron jumped in the driver’s side as soon as Dani got out.

  Orlando told them he’d be back and headed to the lobby with Dani. Not wanting the walk back to get awkward, he pointed more stuff out about the shop. It was probably for the best that he didn’t get the chance to do what he wanted to so badly. He had to keep reminding himself that, if he went there, there’d be no turning back, even if it was just a kiss. If he hadn’t even kissed her yet and he was already seeing red anytime there were guys sniffing around her, he could only imagine how much worse he’d be once he’d had a taste of that mouth. She might balk at any demands he knew he’d start making if he gave into the temptation of kissing her. He just had to calm his damn heart and stay focused on what really mattered: his son not his own lustful temptations. Fuck my life.

  Chapter 19

  Danica

  More than once throughout the day, Danica caught herself prancing around and humming: mostly Cri Cri songs and usually with Oreo in her arms as her partner. It was hard to believe she’d gone from being so miserable for months to now having what felt like the perfect life. She still couldn’t get over how her boss was an absolute dream to be around. Even if some of their moments had gotten dangerously intense, Danica still had things under control. She’d since gone out and searched the Cri Cri songs on YouTube after Orlando initially reminded her of them and had been playing them for Oreo during the day every time she
watched him. It was the oddest thing now to relate these songs to Orlando. But if it hadn’t been for him, she probably would’ve forgotten all about them.

  During her now routine daily stroll to the park that day with Oreo, she’d had time to think, since the baby was good and distracted with all the dogs at the park. They were having some kind of dog vaccination day or something, and lots of people attended with their dogs. While they distracted her from her thoughts, she’d inevitably zone out, thinking about all those intense moments with Orlando again. For as dreamy as Orlando was in every way, she couldn’t help feeling excited at the possibility that he might actually be attracted to her. Never in her wildest dreams had she considered anything happening between her and Oreo’s father a possibility. But she had to remind herself how critical it was that she not get carried away with this crush she’d developed on him almost since that first day.

  When he’d walked back into the shop from the moving truck outside that first day, her jaw had nearly dropped. Seeing him in that tank top had been beyond breathtaking. She’d even dreamed of him in his signature beanie since then more than once. But hearing him speak of his boy the way he had that day with such genuine urgency, not only had her heart pounding with joy and relief, but admittedly also generated an instant infatuation, one she’d considered harmless at the time. She’d just been so happy about his taking on fatherhood so willingly. With each passing day around him, his being so incredibly sweet and then keeping her secret about her past, she felt this bond with him now. He’d even shared his heartbreaking story about his brother with her and then later admitted only a handful of people knew about it. She’d been adamant all this time that she wouldn’t let her crush on the guy mess things up for her. And she still was, but it kept getting harder and harder, and now she was beginning to feel lovesick.

  With Felicia out of the picture now and Orlando all but assuring her that he was done with her, Danica had to continue to remind herself that doing anything with him was still a risk. If things went sour, she could lose this job. Lifting Oreo out of his stroller, she hugged him tightly with a grunt and kissed his little cheeks. God, she couldn’t take the chance. She just couldn’t, no matter how tempting it’d be to give into anything Orlando might actually put out there. She was also determined to get her life together, the sooner the better, especially if things changed between them. Knowing how he felt about the person who’d cheated him out of those first months with his baby, she had all the more reason to hold off on spilling it about that. She’d since decided, maybe if their bond got even tighter, he might be more apt to forgive her. Hearing the ways the guys talked down at the shop helped her not get any crazy ideas about giving into just a fling. Just as Orlando said Byron had decided to go back to just having his fun with girls but not getting into anything serious with any of them, all the guys down at the shop seemed to think the same way. With the exception of his married partners, most of the other guys who worked there openly joked about getting laid and bagging a different chick every weekend. Now Orlando had pretty much told Danica it’s what he did too. That he’d even been upfront with Felicia when he’d first started seeing her. So maybe he stared at Danica a little too long sometimes. Maybe he was thinking naughty things when he smiled at her the way he did that left her breathless. He’d all but spelled it out for her already. He was all for a good time as long as she didn’t start getting clingy. Felicia was a perfect example of what would happen if she did.

  “Ma, ma, ma, ma!”

  Glancing down at the precious baby and hearing him call her this was all it took. This was more than the reinforcement her heart needed to remind her she had no choice. She needed to dig deep and summon all the self-discipline she could to make sure she didn’t ruin this. So far, everything had fallen perfectly into place. How could she be stupid enough to even start fantasizing about something so out of the question? The baby had given her the most precious gift he could possibly offer her—his first word. He still hadn’t even said dada despite all the coaxing she’d done to get him to. And this is how she repaid him by giving into her fluttering insides?

  Between the mental scolding and the blissful sound of the baby calling her mama, she was done! After holding him and cuddling him for a few more minutes, she placed him back in the stroller and headed back to the house. They’d blast Cri Cri while she prepared his early dinner and got him ready for his bath. No more thinking about the only thing she’d been able to think about since Orlando walked out the door that morning. It was out of the question and just not happening. Period.

  The roar of Orlando’s truck was one Danica recognized even before he entered the driveway of his home. It had one of those after-market mufflers that made for a much louder-than-the-average exhaust pipe you could hear clear up the street. He claimed he got it to save on gas since his older model restored truck was a bit of a gas guzzler, but Danica was sure he enjoyed how loud and powerful it made the truck sound. Normally, it brought a giddy smile to Danica’s face as she listened to the truck near the house and then roll into the driveway. It meant she’d be face to face with him real soon. But today it had her insides roiling. As the roar got even louder when he rolled into the driveway, Danica took a deep breath but smiled big, widening her eyes at the smiling baby. She’d just finished getting him in his jammies. Orlando had since called to give her a heads-up that he’d be running late today. The shop wasn’t open to the public on the weekends. But Orlando and his partners still went in to work on VIP projects. Because of Beast’s fame, they’d acquired quite of bit of celebrity clientele. Not just other sport figures like De La Hoya who were car buffs, but television, movie, and recently some reality show celebs who were in the same business had reached out to them. Orlando mentioned this weekend they’d be meeting with a few guys from a car restoration reality show out of Vegas. But they’d dropped in a day early, late that afternoon. When Orlando called, he wasn’t just giving her a heads-up that he was going to hang out a little longer than the norm. He was calling to check if it’d be okay with her first. As if staying and hanging out with Oreo a few hours longer was in any way a sacrifice for her.

  “Daddy’s here!” She lifted Oreo from the changing table and mushed his warm little body against hers, kissing his chubby cheek. “Daddy,” she said again as he smiled at her but rubbed his eyes. “Can you say dada?”

  “D, d, d, d.”

  It was still just the d sound, but it was so close it excited Danica. When she’d first heard him call her mama, she’d felt faint. She was still so paranoid about Orlando making the connection she’d been certain that had done her in. She was also sure Orlando would be disappointed the baby’s first word hadn’t been dada. Oreo was also close to saying baba when he reached out for his bottle, but that too was just the b sound. Danica could only hope dada would be his next full word to make up for it not being his first. She walked to the front room with the baby in her arms as she continued to repeat the word. Danica had been doing so most of the day when she’d point at pictures of Orlando and the baby around the house. Glancing at the clock, as Oreo rubbed his little eyes again, she took in the time. “Almost time for mimis,” she whispered as they made it to the window that looked out into the front lawn and driveway.

  Today was the first day she’d been there when he woke after his second nap of the day. All the other days she’d made her exit when he was knocked out for it. It was usually around the time Orlando got home. But today was different. She’d now have to wait until he was out for the night to avoid leaving him in tears and again raise any more questions about his unusually quick and close attachment to her. But it was less nerve-wracking now that she’d been watching him this long. His attachment at least made more sense now. Flipping the wood shutters on the window open, she opened her eyes and mouth wide again even as her heart pounded at the sight of Orlando getting out of his truck. Like all the days since that first one when he’d left her breathless at the shop because he walked back in wearing a tank, he was once
again down to a tank now. His glorious muscled and tatted arms and shoulders were on full display. As usual, Danica had no idea how he could make something as simple as that beanie, coupled with his five o’clock shadow, look so damn sexy. “Look who’s here,” she whispered, unable to take her eyes off Orlando.

  Oreo squirmed in her arms in excitement. “D, d, d!”

  Turning back to the baby, Danica enunciated slowly, “Da da.” But just as quickly, her eyes were back on Orlando. As he rushed up the walkway and onto the porch, the baby continued to repeat the single syllable. She heard the dings from the door code being entered, and then the door opened. They stood back as the front door pushed open, and then there he was, bigger than life, in all his glory. Strangely, although he looked the same, for some reason there was something so much more gorgeous about him each day as he’d walked through that same door. Danica was just reminding herself to breathe as she took in Orlando’s big smile when it happened. She had to grab Oreo tighter as he nearly squirmed out of her arms in his effort to reach for Orlando. “Dada!”

  The smile on Orlando’s face was replaced with a look of stunned disbelief. Oreo said it again and again, and Orlando reached out and took him from Danica’s arms. “He said it. Did you hear him?”

  Danica laughed, feeling a little choked up. “Yes! Oh my God, he wasn’t saying it a moment ago when we watched you through the window. He just kept doing the d-d-d thing but then . . .” She held her hand over her mouth when she noticed Orlando’s glistening eyes. “I told you it was just a matter of time.”

  The baby continued to say it in between squeals because Orlando spun him joyfully. “Fuck, I could listen to that all day long.”

  “Uck!”

  Instantly, Orlando stopped spinning. “No, no,” he said quickly. “Not that. Don’t say that.”

  That made Danica laugh even more. “We’re gonna have to watch it from here on. Babies are sponges, and looks like he’s gonna start picking up and repeating everything we say.” Danica was right about that. No less than a half hour later when she was getting ready to give him his nighttime bottle, he started calling out for his baba as he watched her make it. For the third time that day, she and Orlando exchanged equally stunned looks before smiling big and discussing the baby’s latest milestone. Minutes later, she sat in the rocking chair in Orlando’s room as she rocked Oreo to sleep. She was enjoying listening to Orlando on the phone with his mother. He’d been on the phone with her now for a few minutes, gushing about the day’s exciting happening.