Page 90 of Truth or More Truth
“OK, Foundation Family,” Diego says to the rest of the group, “let’s leave the lovebirds to do their own thing.” To Melissa and me he says, “Have fun. I’d better not see nor hear from either of you in the next …,” he checks his watch, “twenty-six hours or so.”
Melissa hugs him again and thanks him for the ride.
“Anything for you, my road-trip and sky-trip buddy!”
“Truth or dare?” Melissa asks as I take a seat catty-corner from herat the white cast-iron table on the outdoor patio of the Cuban restaurant where we’re eating lunch.
“Hmmm.” I twist my mouth to the side. “I think I want to see what you’re going to dare me to do that won’t get us kicked out of this restaurant.”
Her grin is a little devilish when she says, “I dare you to tell our waitress she’s the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. And say it in Spanish, so she’ll think I don’t know what you’re saying. I want to see how she’ll respond.” She nods and looks past me. “Here she comes. You’re up.”
“I can’t lie to this woman,” I say in a low voice.“You’rethe most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s your dare,” Melissa whispers as her cheeks pink at my compliment. “You have to do it.”
“Hola,I’m Estella. May I get you some drinks? A mojito, perhaps?”
I finally look away from Melissa to the sprite-like Cuban woman standing next to our table, who’s seventy-five if she’s a day. She also sports a large, hairy mole above her upper lip. Melissa tries to suppress a giggle as I struggle to keep my facial expression neutral.
“I’d love a mojito,” my troublesome date says. “Bobby, what would you like, dearest?”
My eyebrows ascend at her term of endearment, and I shoot her a look that asks: “You really expect me to do this?” She nods in assent, wide grin in place.
“Um, just ice water for me, thanks.” I clear my throat and I feel my face heat as I then say in Spanish, “I also must say you’re a beautiful woman.” I simply can’t tell anyone other than Melissa that they’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
Estella lets a surprisingly deep laugh fly, and she swats my shoulder with her order pad as she replies in Spanish, “You’re a liar, but a handsome one.” She look at Melissa and switches to English. “Keep your eye on this one. He’s a charmer.”
As Estella walks away, Melissa asks, “What did she say to you?”
A grin forms on my face. “She said I’m a handsome liar.”
Now Melissa swats my shoulder. “She did not!”
“Indeed, she did. Now it’s your turn. Truth or more truth?”
“Oh, that’s what we’re playing now, huh? No dares for me?”
I shake my head. “Not now. Maybe later.” I give her a heated look, and she blushes again. “Anyway, I want to know how you’re feeling about this weekend. I don’t regret asking you to join me, but I realize it’s very soon into our relationship, and it was an offer you would’ve had a hard time refusing. I just want to make sure you’re OK with this—with spending all this time with me and then with a bunch of people you don’t know tomorrow. I’ll be in work mode at the game, and you’ll have to meet my clients whether you want to or not, and?—”
When she cuts me off with a hand over my mouth, I realize I’ve been rambling, which I never do, but it seems I’m doing a lot of new things since she came into my life.
“Bobby.” Melissa’s hand moves down to cover mine. “Take a breath. It’s fine.I’mfine. I wouldn’t have agreed to come otherwise. I appreciate you looking out for me, but it’s not a hardship for me to spend uninterrupted time with you, and it’s also not a hardship for me to meet and socialize with a bunch of professional athletes. I love sports, remember? And I work for a baseball team, so I’m used to being around a bunch of overpaid jocks, some of whose best behavior leaves much to be desired.”
I flip my hand over and thread our fingers together. “I want this weekend to be good for you.”
“And I want it to be good for you, which it won’t be if you keep worrying about me. Please trust me when I say I’m fine. And if at some point I’m not, I’ll tell you. Now for your ‘truth.’ Tell me how you’re feeling about it foryou,not for me.”
I stroke her hand with my thumb as I summon up the courage to be honest with her. I’m known for my candor, but for once in my life I truly care about what someone else thinks of me. I can’t look her in the eye when I say, “I can’t stop imagining that you’re going to get tired of me or decide my family or career demands are too much to deal with, and you’ll want to leave me but be too kind to say so.”
Melissa releases my hand and cups my cheek as she forces meto look her in the eye. “It’s not too much. And that’s not the way this is going to go. There will be no playing of games between you and me, all right? We’ll always tell each other how we feel and what we’re thinking. That’s the only way this can work.”
My chest feels tight. “I want this to work so badly, but it’s hard to believe it will.”
“It’s not going to work if that’s your mindset. You can’t be waiting for us to fail. Do you go into your business deals thinking they’re going to fail?”
I shake my head. “Never.”
“Then don’t do that with us. Think of this as the biggest deal of your life. Are you going to let it fall apart because you’re scared?”
