“You were born with this?”
“Yes, it’s instinctive. When you are more experienced, you will be able to read boys better and know whom to trust and whom not to trust.”
“You are truly a very lucky girl to know so much,” I said.
We heard a knock on the door and turned to see Adan.
“May I come in, or is this one of those girls-only discussions?”
“If you mean are we talking about you, the answer is no,” Fani told him, and he laughed. “Is the party winding down?”
“Yes,” he said, entering. “My father did very well. You can’t run a real campaign without lots of moolah, especially if you are running for the United States Senate in California,” he added, directing himself more to me.
“This moolah is money?”
“Dinero, mucho dinero,” he said. He looked at Fani. “You’re wearing that all-too-familiar smirk, Fani.”
“You see what you want to see,” she told him.
“Yeah, well, I just came up to see if Delia needed a ride home. My father and I came in separate cars.”
“She doesn’t need a ride home, but she can let you take her home if that is what she wants. What do you want, Delia?” she asked, smiling.
“Oh…” I looked at Adan. “I don’t want to be trouble.”
“I doubt that he sees it as any trouble,” Fani said.
“No, of course not,” Adan added. “It’s not that far out of my way.”
“Depends what is your way,” Fani told him, and he laughed.
“C’mon, Delia. I had better get you out of here before she convinces you I’m a very dangerous Casanova.”
“You mean you’re not?” Fani said, and they laughed. I did, too, but mainly because they were laughing.
“Is this all right?” I asked her. “His taking me home? Your parents won’t be upset?”
“Hardly,” she said. “They are quite unaware of anything but what they are doing at the moment. Go on. We’ll talk tomorrow and prepare for the Johnson party. I understand your cousin was invited. She is going?”
“She says yes.”
“If Adan offers to take you to the party,” she whispered, “go with him. You won’t have to be with her that way.”
I said nothing, wondering what my aunt would think now.
We walked out and down the stairway so I could say good night to Fani’s parents and thank them. They acted as if they didn’t know I had been there and barely looked at me. Fani gave me a “See what I mean?” look.
Adan had a beautiful teak-colored Jaguar convertible. Fani walked out with us, and I thanked her again for the invitation.
“You make sure she gets directly home safely, Adan,” she warned him.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, saluting, and opened the door for me.
“I mean it. She was my guest tonight, not yours.”
“Understood, commander.”
“Keep thinking about the sex detector,” Fani whispered when I sat in the car.