She squeezes his hand happily. “Then I’ll get some, too!”
“And how about guacamole? It’s made out of avocados, and it’s really yummy.”
Desi looks delighted. “Yeah! Let’s do that!”
“Cool.” JJ points at the meat selection. “And what do you want on your tacos? Beef, chicken, fish…”
Desi squints at the menu. “Dunno,” she says, and she blinks up at Cass. “Cass?”
“Hm…” Cass’s eyes skim over the options. “You didn’t like the fish I made for dinner the other night, so no fish tacos. You like beef and chicken. Haven’t tried steak yet.”
JJ’s eyebrows shoot up. While he always brought Desi different foods to try at the Sanctum, eating is another human activity that demons don’t actually require for survival. The fact that Cass isalsocooking regular meals for her—and remembering her likes and dislikes—is a little bit strange and?—
And a little bit heartwarming, too. Firmly, JJ shoves the thought away.
Desi looks intrigued. “What’s steak?”
“It’s kind of like beef,” JJ says. “We’ll get the steak tacos for you, yeah? And I’ll get the beef ones for me, so if you don’t like the steak, you can have mine, instead.”
“Yay!” Desi hugs his arm. “Thanks, JJ!”
“My pleasure.” The couple ahead of them steps off to the side to wait for their food, and JJ walks forward, smiling at the truck’s owner. “Hey, Esteban.”
“Hello, new friend!” Esteban booms, and JJ fights back a flinch. He almost forgot about the glamour. On any other day, Esteban would already know JJ—and his usual order—but today, he’s a “new” customer. “Welcome to our humble taco truck! What can I get for you three?”
Three.JJ hastily calculates the cost of three taco meals in his head and figures that he has enough money for Cass, too. “Can I please have a taco meal with steak, a taco meal with beef, and…?” Reluctantly, he looks at Cass. “What kind of tacos do you want?”
Cass looks taken aback. “Ah,” he says, and to JJ’s disbelief, he turns to Esteban and says in flawless Spanish, “Los tacos de pescado para mi, por favor. Y un plato grande de chips con queso, pico de gallo, y guacamole, también.”
Esteban beams. “Por supuesto!” he says, and JJ forces down a twinge of jealousy. He’s always wanted to learn a second language, but that was never a priority in the Sanctum’s curriculum. “The three of you are together, yes?”
“Yeah,” JJ says, and he holds out his debit card. “Gracias, Esteban.”
“Es un placer!”
While JJ waits for his receipt, he turns to check out the rest of the Courtyard, taking stock of how many tables are free. It’s just after eleven a.m., so it’s not terribly crowded yet, but he knows that the lunch rush is going to start soon. “Um, Chin?”
Cass arches an eyebrow. “Um, Jackson?”
Dick.“Do you want to take Desi and grab a table while I wait for the food? Or—” He quickly gauges the distance in his head. “Or is that too far away for the glamours?”
Once again, Cass looks strangely bemused by the question. “Oh,” he says, and he peers at the closest tables. “No, that should be fine. Good idea.”
“Yep,” JJ says awkwardly, and he ruffles Desi’s hair. “Be good for Chi—for Cass, okay? I’ll be over with tacos soon.”
“Tacos!” Desi cheers, and she hugs him around the waist before taking Cass’s hand and trotting away.
Letting out a slow breath, JJ turns back to the counter. Esteban hands back his card and receipt, smiling. “Your daughter is precious. What’s her name?”
“Oh—” JJ feels an irrational sense of pride at the compliment, like she reallyishis daughter. “Desi. Her name is Desi.”
Esteban looks pleased. “She seems like a very happy child.”
“She is,” JJ says. “Or I—wetry to keep her that way, at least.”
Esteban laughs. “And your partner—he is from Argentina, maybe? I couldn’t place his accent.”
JJ’s brain short-circuits. “Uh.”
