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“I just know it will be a boy. Mateo Jr,” she replies.

Exactly fifteen minutes later, I stand up to say goodbye. I lean in as if I’m about to kiss Mateo on the cheek. “You brought me to the same place the last chick you cheated on me with worked. This is where she told me you were sleeping together, and now you do this. You’re a loser. Go fuck yourself.”

I pull back and kiss Naomi on the cheek. “I hope you know he’s screwing all the waitresses here.”

As I’m walking, I press a hand to my mouth and say semi-discreetly but loud enough for others to hear. “Congratulations to you both again. I’m sorry I spilled the beans on the new Birkin bag Mateo bought for you.”

I head out of the restaurant, not stopping to look back, but smile at the three men walking in. They’re tall and built, forming a wall between me and the entrance. I recognize them immediately as the Yankees’ shortstop, third baseman, and centerfielder. They’re handsome and as famous as my ex. If I really wanted to get back at Mateo, I would sit with them. I don’t know them, but I can talk my way to their table. Even as they smile at me, I’m not even tempted. It would be superficial. To be honest, I am tired of jocks and people in the limelight. Somewhere, there has to be someone as driven as me who doesn’t come with a ridiculous amount of baggage of side chicks and issues.

It’s hitting me how I’ve wasted this time. I should’ve gone straight to my less-than-perfect rowhouse. Instead, I’m hit, yet again, with how much I’ve put up with. He embarrassed me, and I stayed. Never again. I won’t ever date a guy like him again. I would rather be alone.

As a matter of fact, that’s the plan I’m sticking to.

5

Ollie

“You had a long day, didn’t you?”

I peel my eyes off my plate to stare up at my daughter. She’s sitting across from me, in her pajamas, blinking at me as if she’s been there for a while. What did she just ask me?

Oh yeah…

“I did. It was a lot of work. Why do you ask?”

She shrugs. “I’ve asked how your presentation for Lux went three times, Papi.”

Her eyes are knit into a frown.

But I can’t tell her that Lyssa spammed my texts with one angry message after another because I missed our time together because I had to wait for Lux, only for Cam to show up and ruin my good mood.

I didn’t get to see her smile as she looked at my plans, or ooh and aah at the design for the sky boxes.

“I’m sorry, negrita. I guess I got lost in my thoughts. She had a meeting, so she sent Cam instead. How’s my better-than-Chipotle burrito bowl?”

She puts a forkful into her mouth and smiles. “What is Chipotle?”

I chuckle. It’s one of her favorite things and super easy to make. Since my day had run over, I had little time to prepare it. It consists of leftover rice and beans, corn, lettuce, tomato, a fresh steak, and avocado to top it off.

“How about you? How was your day?”

“It was good. Took my quizzes, B and I used our lunch hour to work on our new art projects, Suzie is still a big, dry-snitching pain, and I talked to Abue.”

Abue, short for abuela, is what she calls her grandmother on her mother’s side.

I shake my head. “Let’s go in parts. How did you do on the quizzes?”

“Brilliantly. I’m your little genius. Remember?”

I don’t smile like I want to. She’s also my little smart-ass. “And what about this dry-snitching?”

She sighs. “You know how Suzie is. She’s always hatin’ about B and me. She loves tattling over any little thing.”

“What is there to tattle about?” Suzie has always been jealous of Ayla and Bron and their friendship.

“She told Ms. Winter we stayed in the art classroom during lunch and how we are trying to get a leg up on everyone else. But we’re not. We’re just trying to work on our concepts for the project we are working for our private classes.”

“Okay. You shouldn’t be using the words dry-snitching.”