Orlando: Boyle Heights #4

by Elizabeth Reyes

  “No shit.” Even for something as exciting as this should be, Orlando couldn’t even crack a smile right then. “Alright, I’ll be right down.” He turned back to Dani, curious about one very important thing. “If I hadn’t smelled the cologne, were you planning on telling me about running into him today?”

  Dani chewed the corner of her lip in that nervous way he’d seen her do often. “Probably not.” Orlando clenched his jaw in reaction. “I didn’t see the point,” she added quickly.

  “Look,” he said, trying his damnedest to remain calm. “I know you and I haven’t discussed the details about what’s happening between us, and the last thing I want is for you to compare me to that controlling fucker. But fair warning, Dani, hearing about you around this asshole, especially now that I know he put his hands on you like he did is gonna piss me off. Every time. But . . .” He held up a finger, wanting this part to be even clearer. “I’m gonna ask you to please not keep it from me. You keeping it from me will only piss me off even more. So, please don’t, okay?”

  Dani nodded, and Orlando leaned in and kissed her softly. “I’d hold you longer like I love doing, but that smell is making me nauseous.”

  “I’ll stop by my house on my way to yours and change.”

  “Thank you.” He was finally able to crack a very tight smile as he grabbed the baby’s things. “I’ll help you out to the car with all this.” Orlando didn’t miss the way the guys watched them as they made their way out of the shop. Clearly, they’d seen their embrace and him kissing her earlier. When they reached her car after getting the baby in the car seat, Orlando made a point of pulling her to him and kissing her deeply again. He knew the guys would likely still be watching, and he wanted this out there already.

  “This is new.” She licked her lips, squeezing his arm and motioning to the window.

  Orlando turned to see the guys gawking, including Nine. He turned back to Dani. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”

  “Not at all. Just surprised me.”

  Shrugging, Orlando smirked. “Yeah, I got to thinking, why the hell should we hide it from anyone? We’re two grown-ass adults and now these fuckers will have to answer to me if they keep trying to throw the moves on you.” Her tinging face made him smile.

  “No one’s ever tried to throw the moves on me, Orlando.”

  “The hell they haven’t. I’d make out with you right here right now to really drive my message across, but seriously . . .” He frowned as the stench of the cologne hit him again. “Go home and throw that blouse away, please. I’ll buy you another one.”

  She giggled now, looking playfully remorseful. “I will.”

  He laid another long deep kiss on her before he walked away, knowing he’d have a million nosey inquiries as soon as he got back in the shop.

  Chapter 23

  Orlando

  It’d been weeks since Orlando had stopped trying to pretend his ass wasn’t as sprung as he felt. Everybody at the shop knew now that they were together, but he’d still tried, for the sake of not spooking Dani, to tone down what he was feeling. Only he had it bad for her now, and there was no sense in trying to deny it. She’d also just come off a pretty serious relationship. Given how quickly and eagerly she’d been all for their physical connection, no questions or even demands, he’d wondered if he might be her rebound guy. But so far, everything between them seemed perfect. She appeared to be just as sprung as he was and didn’t seem to mind whenever he’d slip and make a comment that bordered on what might sound controlling or overly possessive. It just couldn’t be helped sometimes, but he’d meant it when he said he’d be damned if he’d ever want her to compare him to her asshole ex.

  Of course, Oreo was just as obviously smitten with her as Orlando was, and who could blame the little dude? Everything about her was so fucking perfect. Orlando had even cut off all other women cold turkey, including Felicia, especially after making it more than clear how he’d feel about Dani around her ex. The way he was feeling about her so soon scared the shit out of him, but at the same time, he was trying to set the precedent. Despite what an asshole her ex turned out to be, there was no getting past how serious she’d been about him, and how recently. There was no question about it now either. The guy was still pining over her—dropping to his knees in public to try and beg her back. Who the fuck did that? Orlando wanted to believe what she’d told him about the guy: that once she’d cut him off, he’d been respectful of her wishes and stopped trying to reconnect with her. It’s why it was so important to Orlando that she knew this was how he wanted things to be for both of them. Not just with her ex. No exceptions. So, he hadn’t answered or responded to any of Felicia’s calls or texts since he’d gotten his first taste of Dani’s lips, even before the cologne incident.

  Seeing Felicia’s name on the envelope on his phone screen now annoyed him. He hadn’t heard from her in over a week when he last ignored her call, but now there it was again. Didn’t she get the hint? He pulled up the driveway of his house, anxious to get inside to Dani and Oreo. Only reason he even clicked on Felicia’s text was to get it off the screen of his phone. He wasn’t taking any chances when it came to this, especially since he and Dani had yet to make any real promises. Orlando was trying not to be too pushy. Everything was still under assumed expectations. So, he didn’t want to give her any reason to think this was some kind of open relationship like he’d described his and Felicia’s. Clicking the text, he almost hit erase before even reading it, until Dani’s name in the text caught his eye. He clenched his jaw instantly in defense mode. He’d only respond to her if she even remotely made a snarky remark about Dani.

  How goes it? Is everything with Dani and the baby still working out? Seeing her love interest this morning reminded me of her, so I thought I’d ask.

  Orlando reread the text again, trying to make sense of it. Love interest? Was she being catty? Baiting him? Orlando’s relationship with Dani hadn’t been a secret in any way almost since the beginning. It stood to reason she’d heard about it already. Maybe she’d even come by the shop or his house and caught a glimpse of them together. With him barely able to keep his hands and lips off Dani now, Felicia could’ve easily been witness to just how much their relationship had changed. If that were the case, then what the hell was she up to texting him about Dani’s love interest?

  Deciding not to bite, Orlando deleted the text, refusing to give it any more thought. Whatever games Felicia might be playing, he wouldn’t let her suck him in. For all he knew, maybe she’d seen Orlando somewhere that morning. They’d uploaded a few new YouTube videos that past week about the shop’s latest restorations. If Felicia had caught any of that, maybe this was just her cryptic way of letting Orlando know she’d seen him and that she knew he was now Dani’s love interest. As if it mattered or he’d care that she knew he’d moved on.

  “Whatever,” he muttered as he walked around his truck. One glance up at the window where Dani stood, smiling, holding his giddy baby boy, squashed any irritation Orlando had begun to feel. He hurried his step, already smiling as big as his boy was. When he walked into the house, he was greeted by a squealing Oreo, who as usual nearly jumped out of Dani’s arms to get to Orlando. “Dada!”

  “There’s my little guy!” He took the baby in one arm, kissing him on the head before wrapping his other arm around Dani. “Jesus, homecoming doesn’t get any better than this.”

  Dani kissed him back just as eagerly, smiling beautifully between each peck. “They had perfectly ripe avocados at the farmers market today, so I made taquitos with the chicken we had left over from the barbeque. I hope you’re hungry.” She giggled as he pulled her to him again, raising a brow. “They’re not perfect, but they weren’t a total fail. I watched a YouTube video. Of course, they made it look a lot easier than it actually was. They’re not very pretty, but they’re good.”

  Orlando chuckled. So far none of her dishes had been pretty, but she was getting better. As usual, he could barely keep his hands and lip
s off her, despite Oreo demanding his attention too. She told him more about the farmers market down at the park as they made their way to the dining room. As she always had so far, whenever she prepared a meal at his home, she set up the dining room with all the fixings where they ate all their meals. Orlando could hardly believe how much his life had changed in such a short span of time. He’d gone from being a clueless single dad trying to figure right from left when it came to raising a baby on his own, to this. Unless he was at his mom’s or he bought himself something on the way home, his meals had usually consisted of something quick and dirty like a pizza pocket or frozen burrito he’d throw in the microwave then eat walking around the house, fumbling as he played dad. This was the fourth night in a row he was eating his dinner in the dining room with his new little family. Who cared if it wasn’t so perfectly cooked? But he dared not make more of it and jinx things. Sure, it was silly that she was spending more and more nights a week at his place and they’d yet to discuss their relationship in any real detail. All he knew was, from the moment he’d gone for it that first day he kissed her, she’d never protested his advances. Not once had she so much as shown any sign of wanting to slow things down. Yes, he’d picked up on the unease, the same unease Orlando only ever felt when he paid her each week. It was a reminder that she was here because she was getting paid to be there. But the only thing he was paying her for was to watch the baby and work at the shop, not anything else, damn it. Still, it was a rude reminder of the unestablished meaning of what was happening between them now. But it was like neither seemed to want to step up and discuss it. Once again, as all their other meals had gone since day one, they discussed the day’s happenings: Oreo’s newest milestones, any additions to his ever-growing vocabulary, and the list of new foods he was now eating. As Oreo babbled on, bringing little pieces of his mashed food to his mouth, Dani’s eyes suddenly went wide. “Oh my God. I almost forgot. Watch this.” She turned to the baby. “Oreo, tell dada hola.” She smiled big and waved at Orlando. “Hola!” The baby smiled, waving his messy little hand at Orlando. “Hola!”

  Orlando laughed, wiping his mouth. “What? Are you bilingual now?” He waved back at him, smiling big. “Hola!”

  Dani laughed now too. “The lady selling the avocados said it to him, and he said it right back. My jaw fell open, and the lady didn’t even think it was a big deal until I told her he’d never said that word.”

  “Say Papa,” Orlando said, tilting his head toward the baby. The baby lifted a half-mushed bean from his plate and showed it to Orlando. “Papas.”

  This had Dani giggling again. “Oops, that’s my fault. We’ve always referred to food in general as papas at home when we talk to Dominic. Time for papas. I sort of started using it with Oreo. It’s why he’s showing you his food. He’s been repeating the word for days. I thought you’d heard him.”

  “I probably have. He’s just been sputtering out so many different new words I didn’t catch it.” Dani pouted playfully, making Orlando smile and lean over and kiss her. “It’s okay.” He turned to Oreo, opening his mouth to accept the mushed bean his son was offering him. He chewed on it making mmm noises to show Baby O how much he liked it. “Delicious.” He turned to Dani as he picked up another crooked-ass and slightly burnt taquito. “You are getting better.” He dipped it in the guacamole and sour cream and bit into it. “It’s not pretty, but it is good.”

  The taste of the burnt parts was completely worth seeing Dani smile so proudly. All through dinner they coaxed the baby to say new words. Short easy words like fork, drink, and bread. For the most part, Oreo babbled out stuff that sounded something like what they were asking him to say, but mostly it was all gibberish. The few times he got close enough to what they asked him to say they applauded and made a fuss.

  By the time Oreo got through all the mush Dani had prepared him and he was bored with the word game, he began getting fussy and repeating one of his latest favorite words, up! He was ready to be out of his highchair and done with dinnertime. It was also obvious he was getting tired by the way he rubbed his eyes. “Bath time,” Orlando said, pulling him out of the highchair.

  “It sure is,” Dani said, ignoring how Oreo reached out to her. “You and daddy can get ready for that while I clean up a little.”

  “You don’t have to, babe,” Orlando said, kissing the baby on the head. “I can get that once I put him down.”

  “No, no,” Dani assured him as she started cleaning off the highchair. “I’ll meet you in the bathroom as soon as I’m done here.”

  She explained how she’d cleaned up as she cooked and all she had to do now was clear the table and load the dishwasher. Orlando headed to the bathroom in his master bedroom and set up the baby bathtub on the bathroom counter. He was glad now that the his-and-hers sinks were far enough apart it left plenty of room for the tub. He’d since bought a special faucet with a sprayer that reached perfectly for him to rinse the baby off. He worked diligently, surprised by how good he’d gotten at this since his first bungling attempts. So good, he was done before Dani ever made it back to the bathroom. He even got the baby into his jammies and ready for bed before she made it back. Once done and Oreo was all warm and toasty in his fuzzy pj’s, they headed back to the kitchen to fetch a bottle. Orlando could hear the TV on in the kitchen, either that or her phone, and wondered if she’d gotten caught up watching something. When he walked into the kitchen, he was surprised to see the under-the-cabinet TV wasn’t on and she wasn’t in the kitchen. But he followed what sounded like a news broadcast of some kind around the corner of the kitchen into the larger walk-in pantry. Dani was standing halfway in the pantry, engrossed in whatever she was watching on her phone. “Hey.” Seeing her jump nearly out of her skin and clutch her chest had him wincing. “Sorry—”

  “No, no.” She shook her head, clearing her throat as she brought her phone down to her side, even as whatever it was she was watching kept playing. “I just . . .” She glanced down in the direction of her phone but didn’t lift it. “I didn’t hear you come in the kitchen. You startled me.”

  Curious now, Orlando glanced down at her phone. “What were you watching?’

  “Someone—” She cleared her throat. “Ted sent me a link to a press conference he did today.” She shrugged indifferently as Orlando felt his entire body go taut. “He’s running for office. I guess since he’d been talking about doing so forever, he wanted me to see it’s finally happening.”

  Their eyes met for a moment, but she glanced away quickly before hitting something on the phone that turned the sound off. “Office, huh?” Orlando said, trying not to sound as irritated as this made him because it shouldn’t. It was just a video. “What’s he running for? Mayor?”

  “No, he’s already on the city council. He’s trying to move up to the county board of supervisors.” She walked back into the kitchen and over to the sink as Orlando eyed her closely. Something about her demeanor made him nervous. She seemed nervous, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was there something she wasn’t telling him? Then something dawned on him. Felicia’s text. Could it be just a coincidence that she’d texted him that obscure text the same day Dani would get so sucked into whatever link her ex had sent her that Orlando startled her?

  “So, you still keeping in touch with him, huh?”

  “Not really.”

  Trying desperately not to overreact, Orlando bounced the baby in his arms as he peered at her, swallowing hard. “Not really?

  “Well, just a little. Stuff like this. Always him not me. He’s sent me a few articles and such; some I didn’t bother to read. They’re not all about him either. Like the one I did read the other day.” She reached up into the cabinet and pulled a bottle out. “You haven’t made him one yet, have you?”

  “No.” Orlando shook his head. “What was the article about? The one you did read?” Dani turned to him for a second but then brought her attention to the bottle she was making for the baby. “He’s always been into politics and k
eeps up with all the news. There was an article about the gentrification in my neighborhood. He’s always sent me articles and whatnot since day one. He’s all about staying in the know and sends all his friends and family members links and videos and such about stuff he thinks they should be keeping up with.”

  Shaking the bottle to mix the formula well, Dani turned to Orlando and smiled, as if that was all she was giving him. Working his jaw, Orlando held back what he really wanted to say: that things were over between them and this fucker had no right to continue to dictate anything in her life, including what she should or shouldn’t keep up on.

  But he couldn’t keep it all in. “Is that right?” he asked, cautiously, because again, the last thing he wanted was her comparing him to her controlling ex. “So, he’s still sending minor orders from headquarters?”

  Dani glanced at him as she placed the bottle in the microwave. To his relief, she smiled. “My sister said the same thing. It’s why I don’t bother responding. But one text I read from him recently did catch my interest.”

  This had Orlando raising a brow, but he was determined to keep his cool. “Did it now?”

  “Yeah.” Danica nodded as she pulled the bottle out of the microwave and closed the lid on it. She turned to Orlando, smiling at the baby, who was already reaching out for the bottle, but she shook it again. “One of the latest businesses that’s in danger of going down because of the gentrification is a panaderia just up the street from my parents’ house. It’s been there for as long as I can remember. It’s also the neighborhood’s convenience store, the place my mom would send me to pick up some milk or even something from their small produce section, like a tomato or onion. We know the owners and they’re good people.” She shrugged as she finished with the bottle and handed it to Oreo then took him from Orlando. Turning to Orlando as they made their way to the bedroom, she explained how it wasn’t the first time she and Ted had discussed the possible demise of the panaderia. Though she was quick to explain none of it had been anytime recently. She’d just expressed her concern in the past and how she really hoped they wouldn’t be closing up shop. If they did, she was certain it’d be replaced with some upscale yuppy café or an artsy-fartsy boutique of sorts.