“You gonna share the wealth?” Arrón yells, breaking up our moment.
Seraphine smiles and shoos me away, looking determined to get that Bunn up and running. Now if only I can get her determined to attack life in the same way.Chapter ElevenSeraphineMateo lingers for a moment after his brother calls out to him. He runs his deep brown eyes over my body, warming me from the inside. The way his lips quirk up makes me think he likes what he sees, which is something I am not ready to think about, even if I did pick this outfit with him in mind.
Though, if I had known his family and daughter would be here with us, I’d have probably gone with something a little more modest. Not that there’s anything wrong with my cut-offs and loose-fitting crop top. They’re comfy, and I don’t mind them getting dirty, but still, I feel like I have a flashing neon sign over my head that reads desperate.
So, I turn away and start a pot of coffee.
My reprieve doesn’t last long, thanks to this dinosaur’s crazy-fast brew time, and before I know it, the entire Reyes clan is surrounding me, all vying for a cup of joe.
“First cup!” Arrón hollers.
But his sister—who I’ve yet to be formally introduced to—knocks him out of the way. “Brains before beauty.”
The younger Reyes brother waggles his brows. “So, you admit I’m prettier than you, Silvi?”
“Oldest and wisest goes first,” Mateo says.
Desi worms her way to the front. “Pretty sure it’s women and children first—both of which I am, so scoot back, losers.”
I can’t help but smile at their antics. You can tell they’re a close-knit family with a lot of love between them.
“Everyone knows the brewer gets first dibs.” The words fall from my lips without much thought, as if bantering with them is something I’ve been doing all my life.
“She’s got a point,” Arrón concedes, but Mateo clutches his heart like I’ve fatally wounded him. “Mariposita, why you gotta do me so wrong? I even brought you breakfast!”
Laughter spills from my lips as I pour myself a cup of caffeinated nectar. “For that little guilt trip, you can go last.”
Desi and Arrón crack up, while Silvi glances between her oldest brother and me, a small smirk playing on her lips.
“You wound me,” Mateo declares while hauling himself to the back of the line.
“Your ego can handle it,” Desi shoots back as I pour her a mug.
“Watch it, pollito, or you might end up grounded.”
Desi laughs, knowing her dad is full of hot air, but Silvi rushes to her defense. “You can’t ground my niece for teasing you. I will not allow it.”
Mateo reaches around Arrón and tugs on the end of his sister’s ponytail. “Oh, yeah? How are you gonna stop me?”
Silvi’s brown eyes twinkle with mirth. “Mamá.”
“You wouldn’t!”
The youngest Reyes sibling grins, looking every bit like a mischievous little sister. “Bet.” She and Desi bump hips and knock their mugs together before making room for Arrón.
“You know she would, Mate. Remember when we wouldn’t let her come to the ballpark with us, so she threw a baseball at the television and told Jefecita it was us?”
Mateo barks out a laugh from deep in his belly. “Devious little shit. Mujer diabólica.”
“Did you just call me a devil woman?” his sister asks. Her voice is hard but she’s smiling.
“Damn straight.” He takes the mug I offer him and winks. “Now, put away your pitchfork and grab a paintbrush.”
I collect all of the mugs while the guys get the paint ready. I’m halfway through washing them when I feel someone watching me.
“Oh, hey,” I turn, surprised to see Silvi standing there. At about five foot, she’s petite but with attitude in spades. Her skin is a flawless golden-tan and her black hair, though tied up in a ponytail, spills down her back.
“We haven’t met yet.” I can’t put my finger on it, but something in her tone makes me feel like I’m being tested—and quite possibly failing.
“Nope, we haven’t.” Yep, definitely failing. “I’m Seraphine.” I offer her my hand to shake.
“I’m Silvia, but you can call me Silvi,” she says, clasping my hand in hers.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” I blurt out, for lack of anything better to say.
She fluffs her ponytail. “And I you.”
The thought of Mateo—or even Desi—talking about me has me feeling like I’m about to take flight.
“Oh, uh, really?”
“Really. You seem to make them happy.”
I blink twice. “It’s not—we’re not—”
“Not yet.” She mutters something under her breath in Spanish. “You’re both too bone-headed to see what is right in front of you.”
The heat radiating in my cheeks threatens to burn me from the inside out. “Really, you have the wrong idea about us. Your brother… he’s… my friend?”
Silvi laughs. “You say that like it is a question.”