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Me:Sure. What works for you?

Charlie:Early dinner tonight at Gonza Tacos? 6?

Me:See you there.

I head into the bathroom to jump in the shower before work. Glancing in the mirror, I realize I have a huge smile plastered on my face.

Girl, you are in so much trouble…

Chapter 6

Charlie

Walking into Gonza Tacos, the mouth-watering smell of Mexican food smacks me in the face. There's not much I like more than a good taco, except maybe an extra-large margarita to go with it.

It’s early and the restaurant isn’t very busy yet. I look around to see if Tess has beat me here. Not seeing her anywhere, I head toward an empty table near the back. Suddenly, Tess pops around the corner. She must have been in the bathroom.

“Well, hello,” I say, surprised, my heartbeat quickening. “You surprised me. Didn’t think you were here yet.”

“Hey. Yeah, I was just in the restroom. How's it going?”

“Really good. I was just about to sit. Is this okay with you?” I motion to the colorful tiled table next to us.

“Yeah, of course.” We each pull out a chair and settle into them, the wooden legs scraping softly against the floor. I glance at her, my eyes meeting hers for a brief moment before we both look away.

I have to tell her what I’ve done, and I'm not sure how to say it. My brain has been looping through this all day long.

I'm still can’t believe I told my dad that Tess and I are dating. I'm just so damn sick of him needling me about when I'm goingto settle down, and the little fib just popped out of my mouth. But now I have to admit to Tess what I've done. But first…a drink.

The server approaches and asks what we'd like, and we both order their famous chicken verde tacos and margaritas.

“Thanks for meeting me. So, I just wanted to talk to you about the weddings; when and where they are, the flight times and some other details.”

Tess looks surprised. “Oh, I didn't realize there would be air travel.”

“Yes, for two of the weddings, we’ll have to fly. One is in San Fran and the other’s in San Diego. I own a plane-share with 3 other people, and I’ve already booked the plane for the times we need it. So, it will be a lot easier than flying commercial.”

Her lips curl into a sly smirk, eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and disbelief. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" she says, her voice tinged with a playfulness.

I chuckle. “Once you go private, you never go back.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“And just so you know, I’ll be paying for everything—travel, hotel, meals.”

She nods and I detect a look of relief on her face. Poor girl—worried about keeping her job. The last thing she needs to worry about is the cost of going to these expensive weddings.

“Speaking of expenses, do you already own dresses that you can wear?”

She has a concerned look on her face. “I do have a couple that would work, but I was thinking I would pop down to the mall and see if I can find something else or maybe check online. I haven't been to any weddings recently, so my dresses are probably a bit dated.”

“I've already ordered six dresses for you. They're arriving tomorrow.”

Tess looks at me incredulously. “Six dresses? Really? That's very sweet of you but you really didn't have to do that.”

"I wanted to," I admitted. "I talked you into doing this, and even if you already have perfectly acceptable dresses, I thought it'd be nice for you to have a few more," I continue, trying to explain my intentions. "I'm guessing all six won't work so send back whatever you don't like."

She chews on her bottom lip and gives me a thoughtful look. I can’t tell if she’s excited or irritated that I’m picking out her clothes.