The Edge Rules (The Rules Series Book 3)

by Melanie Hooyenga

  “So you know the owner?”

  “He’s from the next state over in Mexico. Our families go way back.”

  I break out in a sweat, but my smile conceals my nervousness. This isn’t just dinner, this is meeting people that are practically family. “Cool.”

  We step inside and are hit with the intoxicating aromas of spices and roasted chicken. Tables are tucked into every available space, covered in worn cotton cloths and flanked with mismatched chairs. Several customers glance at us before returning to their meals. The walls display art that I’m guessing comes from Mexico, vibrant colors depicting farms and sunsets and white lilies. Looking around, the lilies are everywhere. Crawling up the backs of chairs, wrapped around the host stand near the front door, and printed on the back of the menu.

  “What’s with the lilies?” Only when I say it out loud do I make the connection. “Your sister.”

  A guy our age with hair as black as Xavier’s but shorter and spikier greets us. “Xavi, man. Good to see you!” He pronounces his shortened name like it starts with an H. Like Havi. He slaps Xavier on the back and they do that guy handshake hug thing before they both look at me.

  “Fer, this is Brianna. Brianna, this is my brother from another mother, Fernando.”

  I start to smile when Fer lets out a low whistle. “Damn, bro. You’re stepping up.” Normally I’d be all over the attention, but when several heads turn our way, their curious stares aren’t what I’d call friendly. As I stare back, I’m struck by the fact that I’ve never felt so white in my life.

  Xavier pushes Fer in the shoulder. “You got my table?”

  “Your table?” I murmur.

  Fer does an exaggerated bow. “This way, sir. Y mamacita.”

  Xavier swats him again and slips his arm through mine. “Calla lilies are really popular near where my mom and Javi grew up. A lot of the decorations and stuff in here are from there. And yes, my sister was named after them.”

  We sit at a table tucked in the far corner, away from the judgmental looks from the other customers. “Does everyone here know each other?”

  He glances around. A couple people wave at him, and he nods back. “Not everyone. But I usually know one or two people when I’m here.”

  A curtain on the far wall opens and a girl who’s the opposite of me in every way saunters toward us. Long dark curly hair, curves in all the places I don’t have them, and a smile that lights up when she sees Xavier. “Xavi,” she purrs when she gets to the table. He half stands and they touch cheeks, each kissing the other.

  “Gladys, this is Brianna.”

  She holds her hand out to me and I take it uncertainly. Am I supposed to kiss her cheek too?

  “Mucho gusto,” she says, then turns her focus back to Xavier. “Papa said you were coming. I haven’t seen you in forever.” She drags out the word forever into a whine that sets my teeth on edge.

  “I’ve been busy.” His tone is friendly enough, but his shoulders tense and his hands clench together on the table.

  She sticks out her lower lip, then cocks her hip and smiles. “You know what you want to drink?”

  “I’ll just have water,” I say.

  “Jarita for me.”

  “Naranja?” she asks. He nods, and I bite back irritation at not knowing what she said.

  Once she’s gone, I force a smile. “She seems nice.”

  He sighs. “She’s a pain in my ass. For years our parents thought it’d be perfect if we got married and Gladys bought into it. But she’s like a sister to me.” He shudders, and the knot in my stomach loosens.

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  He leans forward and hooks a finger through mine, resting our hands in the middle of the table. “Was this a bad idea? I wanted you to have the best Mexican food in town, but I didn’t think about having them on our date.” He jerks his head toward the kitchen, where Gladys is talking to Fer, her hands waving as fast as her lips are moving.

  “No, I’m glad you brought me here. It’s like seeing a new part of the town I’ve lived in my entire life.” I mean it as a compliment, but my words hang between us, a giant flag reminding us how very different our worlds are. I open my menu and read it like I’m studying for a test. “So what’s good here?”

  “Everything.”

  I raise an eyebrow at him. “Not helpful.”

  “The seafood is amazing. So are the enchiladas, the sopas… oh, and the molé is the best you’ll ever have.” He points at an item on the menu. It’s in Spanish but I know pollo is chicken. I must give him a blank look because he keeps talking. “Molé is a spicy chocolate sauce that’ll make you cry it’s so good.”

  “Chocolate on chicken?”

  “Trust me.”

  I close my menu. “Done.”

  He stacks our menus and smiles softly. “I gotta say, it’s nice seeing you without a helmet or a garbage bag.”

  “Likewise. Although you do look pretty fierce in your snowboarding gear.” He looks fierce in everything, including the plain shirt and jeans he’s wearing tonight.

  His eyes crinkle as he smiles, but he pulls away and leans back in his chair.

  “Here you go.” Gladys sets our drinks in front of us. “You ready to order?” She looks expectantly at me, her hand resting on her hip.

  “I’ll have the molé,” I say, hoping I pronounced it right.

  “Gambas con ajillo for me.”

  She presses her hand to her chest, and I swear she’s unbuttoned a button since she took our drink order. “You’re not having the molé? But that’s your favorite.”

  Does everything she says come out as a whine? No wonder he’s not interested in her. I’d claw my ears off having to listen to that all night.

  He smiles at me. “I’m sure Brianna will let me have a bite. I want her to try your dad’s shrimp.”

  She makes a tsk-ing sound. “Okay, but I’m not responsible if he gets mad.” He hands her the menus and she saunters away, her hips swinging so hard that every man in the room turns to stare.

  Except Xavier.

  “She can be a bit… dramatic.”

  “Hmm.” A thousand insults flip through my mind but no matter how annoying she is, she’s his friend. Or at least the family’s friend. “So what are you going to do with all your free time when you finish community service?”

  His gaze flicks over my shoulder before settling back on me. “I might try to pick up a few shifts here. Get some money to fix my car. Lily promised to help pay for it, but that’s about as likely to happen as my dad coming back.” His face grows hard as he speaks.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He drags his hand over his face. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up, especially with you…” he trails off.

  Because my dad left, too. I’m officially a statistic. But at least I know where my dad is. “I didn’t tell you the worst part.” He cocks his head and I take a breath. I wasn’t planning on talking about this but he’s shared so much and invited me into his world, I need to give a little back. “My dad didn’t just leave. He announced he’s got another family. Like a girlfriend and a daughter.” Bile rises in my throat admitting his betrayal out loud.

  Xavier reaches for my hand. “That’s messed up. And you and your mom had no idea?”

  I shake my head, my eyes burning with tears. I dab the corner of my eye with my sleeve, making my fury burn hotter. My father doesn’t deserve my tears. “She’s seven, so it’s been going on practically half my life.”

  He squeezes my hand. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know.”

  He seems to consider this. “Have you met her? The daughter.”

  I shake my head again. “It’s crazy that I have this half-sister out there who I never knew existed. I’m curious what she’s like, if she’s anything like me, but then I feel guilty for even thinking about her and push the whole thing out of my head.”

  “Sometimes that’s
the easiest way to deal with things.” His thumb moves over the back of my hand, rubbing small circles against my skin.

  If I focus on Xavier, on the sensation of him touching me, I can forget about my father and his other life and how he’s destroyed everything I know. “Can we talk about something else? Like what else do you do for fun when you’re not snowboarding?”

  He tells me about his friends and how they play soccer any chance they get, and has me laughing so hard that by the time Gladys arrives with our food, I’ve forgotten about my father and The Seconds. She sets his plate of grilled shrimp and rice in front of him, then sets a plate with a huge piece of chicken and rice covered with a thick brown sauce in front of me.

  “Oh my god, this looks amazing.”

  She smiles, the first genuine smile she’s given me. “Papa will be happy you like it.” She turns her attention back to Xavier. “Xavi, let me know if you need anything else.” The suggestion in her voice leaves nothing to the imagination, but he brushes her off.

  “We’re good. Thanks, Gladys.”

  Once she’s gone back to her brothel or kitchen or whatever, I pick up my knife and fork and stare at my plate. “When you said chocolate sauce I wasn’t picturing this.” I cut a piece of chicken, drench it in the sauce, then take a bite. The molé has a sweet, smokey, spicy flavor that wraps around the chicken and overwhelms my taste buds. “How do they get so many flavors in there?”

  A smile spreads over his face. “Javi is magic.” He rolls his sleeves to his elbows, revealing more of his tattoo, and it’s a good thing I’m sitting down because I nearly fall over. No wonder Gladys loses her shit whenever she’s near him. I’m surprised she hasn’t poisoned my food.

  “You should have ordered your own, ‘cause I’m not sharing.” His eyes go wide and I burst out laughing. “Okay, maybe a bite or two.” I look at his plate. A pile of grilled jumbo shrimp sits in a pool of buttery garlic and little red flakes. “You said their seafood is good but I didn’t realize that’s what you ordered.”

  “Zihua is a fishing village so they know the best way to cook it. Javi has to pay a little more to get it fresh in the middle of Colorado, but it’s so worth it.” He cuts a piece and dredges it through the sauce, then holds his fork out for me.

  I pause, not sure if I should take the fork or open my mouth. His eyes dip from mine to my mouth, and he bites the edge of his lip. Mouth it is. I part my lips and lean forward, and he meets me halfway. I take the bite and can’t help but close my eyes and let out a soft moan. Butter and garlic and a different kind of spice fill my mouth, contrasting with the molé. “How? How can that be so good?”

  “I told you. Magic.”

  As I’m cutting another piece of chicken, an older man in a white button-down shirt, gray pants, and white apron approaches the table. He sets a bowl with a folded napkin inside on the edge of the table and smiles at us.

  “Javi!” Xavier says, jumping up from the table. They do the same handshake bro-hug thing he did with Fer, but they also kiss each other on the cheek. They turn to me, smiles on both their faces.

  “And who is this lovely lady?” His accent is stronger than his kids’.

  “I’m Brianna.” I start to stand and he waves me back into my seat.

  “No, no. You sit and eat. How do you like the molé?”

  “It’s amazing.”

  “She threatened not to share,” Xavier says.

  “You should have ordered your own,” he says, winking at me.

  I laugh. “That’s what I told him.”

  He faces Xavier. “How is your mother? And Lily? We haven’t seen her in here for too long.”

  Xavier’s jaw tightens for a second. “They’re good. I’ll give them your love.” If Javi doesn’t know about Lily, it doesn’t look like he’s going to find out now.

  “Xavi, you sit with this young lady and maybe I’ll find an extra piece of molé for you.” He rests his hand on Xavier’s shoulder and gives him a smile that’s so loving it confirms these families are more than just friends from back home. They’re family.

  “Thanks, Javi.”

  He gives me a warm smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we’ll see more of you around here.”

  “I hope so, too.” The words come out automatically, but I mean them. Aside from Gladys and her overactive hips, this place is so warm and welcoming that I never want to leave. Javi heads back to the kitchen, stopping at each table to chat with customers. “He’s so nice.”

  “He took it really hard when my dad left. They’d been best friends forever and he stepped in, helping around the house, that sort of thing.”

  “Is that why they call you Xavi?”

  He laughs softly. “Yeah. When I was a kid I made sure everyone knew it was Xavi with an X, not a J. But they’ve always pronounced it like his.” He picks up the bowl Javi brought and unfolds the napkin. Steam billows out. “You ever have fresh tortillas?”

  I rest my forearms against the edge of the table. “At this point, let’s just assume that all of this is new for me.”

  He removes a yellow tortilla the size of his hand, but instead of scooping his food into it like a taco, he rips it in half, then again. Holding the piece of tortilla between his thumb and fingers, he uses it to grab a piece of shrimp and some rice and shoves the whole thing in his mouth. He chews slowly, his eyes closing as he swallows, and I decide Xavier enjoying his food the most sensual thing I’ve ever seen. He opens his eyes and hands me a piece. “You try.”

  I take the tortilla and stare at my hunk of chicken. “Am I allowed to cut it first?” He nods, and after a minute I’ve decimated the chicken into bite-sized pieces. “Here goes nothing.” I pick up a piece of chicken with my tortilla hand.

  “Be sure to get the sauce.” He’s watching me intently, but I don’t feel scrutinized. It’s like when he’s teaching me to snowboard. There’s no judgment—he’s eager for me to do well.

  I drag the chicken through the sauce and pop it in my mouth, and it tastes even better. The tortilla has a subtle corn flavor that mingles with the chocolate and I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. After I swallow, I give him a serious look. “How do you not weigh three hundred pounds? This is so good.”

  He pats his belly and my gaze lingers on his stomach. “I work out. And I don’t eat this every day. We usually only get fresh tortillas for our big meal on Sunday.”

  “I would be a blimp.”

  “I’m really glad you like it.”

  We dig into our food and eat so many tortillas that Gladys has to bring another bowl, which he assures me is normal. When we finish, I’m so full I feel like he’ll need to roll me outside. Xavier leads me to the host stand where Fer is waiting with a smart-ass smile.

  “What’re you kids up to now?” he asks.

  Xavier and I glance at each other. “I’m still thinking about that molé,” I say, dodging the question. We didn’t talk about what comes after dinner. I hope he wants to stay out—or find a secluded place to park.

  He must see something in my expression because his gaze grows heated, his eyes settling on my lips, and he takes a shallow breath. “I dunno man,” he says without looking at Fer. “But it doesn’t include you.”

  Fer clutches his chest like he’s been shot. “That hurts.”

  Xavier hands him the check and a couple bills, then they do the back-slappy hug thing before Fer turns to me. He holds out his arm like he’s going to hug me, so I step in and he kisses my cheek. His lips don’t actually touch me—just a light brush of his cheek against mine—so I do the same.

  “Pleasure to meet you,” he says. “Now you kids have fun.”

  Xavier shoves his shoulder before opening the door for me. The cold air is like a slap in the face and I pull the top of my jacket tight against my neck. “So….” I say.

  “Do you want to go downtown?” he asks.

  “That sounds great.” But before I can take a step, he slides his hand behind my neck, burying his fingers in my hai
r, and kisses me. His lips move softly against mine and I lean into him, breathing him in. My hands wander over his back, settling on his hips, and I gently pull him closer. His lips part and I follow his lead, and when our tongues touch I nearly lose my mind. He tastes like garlic and the sweetness from his soda and while I’ve never imagined wanting that combination, I can’t get enough. He backs me up until I’m pressed against the side of the building, and a loud pounding on the window makes us jump apart.

  “Órale, hombre!” Fer’s standing in the window with a huge smile and both thumbs up.

  I duck my head so my hair falls in my face, but Xavier grabs my hand and leads me to the parking lot. “Sorry about Fer,” he says as he yanks my door open. “But I’ve been wanting to do that for the past hour.”

  Instead of getting in the car, I reach up and kiss him. “Me too.”

  He rests one hand on the top of the car and the other on the open door, and leans into me. “You okay with going downtown?” His voice is husky and from the look on his face he’d be okay going someplace much more private. But as much as I’m drawn to him, the annoying little voice in my head insists that I don’t jump in with both feet. At least not yet.

  “Yeah. We could get coffee or ice cream or something.”

  His eyebrows quirk at the “or something,” and I touch his chest. We stay like that for several moments, staring at each other like we’re the only people in the world, and the voice in my head grows quiet. So what if his bank account is a fraction of the other boys I’ve dated and he doesn’t fit the squeaky clean image they try so hard to maintain. He’s the sweetest, most thoughtful, and loyal boy I’ve ever met. Or that I’ve let get close enough to find out.

  And that has to mean something.

  Sometimes I wish life didn’t keep leading back to the Pearl Street Mall, with its constant reminders of my arrest and how badly I screwed up.

  Xavier parks a block over and we stroll the pedestrian mall hand in hand. The sidewalks are filled with other people, young and old, doing the same thing, and I’m content to blend in with the crowd. Before, I’d encourage Austin to make a grand gesture so others would look at us—jump on one of the bronze statues or pick me up and spin me around like we’re in a fricking movie—but I no longer feel the need to announce my happiness. Having Xavier’s hand in mine, his arm pressed against me, is enough.