He turned then, looking at Andie, a slow smile curving his lips when he saw her expression. Her eyes were scanning the room, her lips parted slightly in awe as she took it all in. She turned to him then, the most beautiful smile on her face, and Chase was just about to lean in and kiss her when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder.
“Senor Chase!”
“Manuel,” Chase smiled. “Como esta?”
“Bien, bien. Long time, no? Quien es esta?” he asked, smiling at Andie. “Su mujer?”
“Si,” Chase said. “Andromeda, this is Manuel. He owns this place.”
Andie smiled at him, reaching out to shake his hand, and he leaned over, giving her a big kiss on the cheek.
“Aye, preciosa. Es mejor que tenga mucho cuidado de éste. Conozco a una buena mujer cuando la veo.”
Chase smiled, looking over at Andie. “I will.”
“Bien. Se sientan,” Manuel said, gesturing at an open table before he turned back toward the bar, telling the waitress in Spanish that Chase was here and to bring the usual.
“What did he say to you?” Andie asked as Chase pulled out the chair for her.
“He said I better take good care of you, that he knows a good woman when he sees one.”
She looked down, a tiny smile on her lips as her cheeks flushed slightly.
“They’re probably just going to bring food out to us,” he said as he sat across from her, “but if you want something specific, I can get you the menu.”
“Whatever you have, I’ll have,” she said before she looked around, taking in her surroundings. “This place is incredible. So…I don’t know the word…authentic? Organic? That doesn’t sound right,” she said, looking back at him, and he smiled.
“I’m glad you like it. Wait until you taste the enchiladas. You’ll never want to go to another Mexican restaurant again,” he said, thanking the waitress as she brought over a pitcher of margaritas and some guacamole.
Chase poured Andie a drink before he poured one for himself, raising his glass. “To our first date.”
“To the best date I’ve ever been on,” she said, tapping her glass to his.
“Way to jinx it. It hasn’t even started yet.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she said softly. “I’m with you.”
Chase tilted his head. “Are you trying to get in my pants on the first date?”
Andie laughed just as a loud whooping and catcalling suddenly erupted, and Chase turned his head to see one of the couples on the dance floor spinning and twisting and twirling so fast that he was surprised they remained on their feet.
“Wow,” Andie said, taking a sip of her margarita. “They’re amazing.”
“Ever take dance lessons?”
“Not like that,” she laughed. “I took some ballet classes when I was young, but it was never really my thing.”
Chase smirked slightly, laughing when he saw Andie bristle.
“Why is that funny?” she asked.
“I’m not laughing at you,” he said over the top of his glass before taking a sip. “I just thought it was sort of amusing that we have that in common.”
Andie froze. “We have what in common?”
Chase laughed again, taking another sip of his drink as he brought his eyes back to the dance floor, trying not to smile but failing when he heard Andie’s drawn-out, “No way! You took ballet?”
“Hey, I’ll have you know we all had to. My soccer coach in high school made us. He said it helped with flexibility and agility.”
Andie raised her eyebrows thoughtfully. “Huh,” she said. “So, did you wear tights?”
“No,” he answered, reaching to take a chip, “but that was only because I didn’t want to make the other guys feel bad.”
Andie pressed her lips together before she burst out laughing.
A few minutes later, the waitress brought over Chase’s favorite, enchiladas posotinas, and when Andie closed her eyes and groaned over the first bite, he fell even more in love with her.
The conversation flowed easily as they devoured the enchiladas and drained the pitcher of margaritas; they talked about Andie’s time in college, about Chase’s mother, about Andie’s best friend Tracey, about Chase’s summers with his grandfather. They talked about the most embarrassing things that had ever happened to them and the best things. They talked about everything and nothing, and they laughed the entire time.
Andie had been right. It was, by far, the best date he’d ever been on.
Manuel came out and cleared their plates, telling them he was preparing a special dessert for them, and as they sat and waited, one of the men from the dance floor approached the table and asked Chase if he could dance with Andie.
“Oh God,” she laughed, the beautiful flush that drove Chase crazy lighting her cheeks. “I can’t dance that way.”
“I show you,” the man said. “Is easy.”
Chase smiled. “Go ahead,” he said, nodding toward the dance floor.
“Oh God,” Andie mumbled again, her face turning crimson as the man took her hand and walked her out into the open space.
Chase turned in his seat, his eyes on her as the man walked her through a few of the basic steps. She followed him, hesitant at first, and despite her admitted lack of expertise, she carried herself with such an elegance and a grace that it looked like she had been dancing for years. Chase could see her smile, see the confidence growing behind it as she picked up the steps, and every now and then, she’d throw her head back and laugh at something the man said.
She had not the slightest idea how charismatic she was. Everyone in the room seemed to be watching her, and Chase couldn’t figure out what he’d ever done in his life to deserve her.
When the man saw Manuel bring their dessert to the table, he kissed both Andie’s hands and sent her off the dance floor, nodding his thank you to Chase, and Chase held up his hand and smiled in return.
“You were great,” he said as she sat across from him, fanning herself.
“I don’t know about that, but at least I stayed on my feet.”
They finished their dessert and said good-bye to everyone in the restaurant, and it was blatantly clear to Chase that everyone was as smitten with Andie as he was.
“That was so much fun,” Andie beamed as they walked back out onto the street.
“I knew you’d like it. Oh, and Andie?” he said, opening the car door for her.
“Yeah?”
“I know what El Hueco means. It means The Hole.”
“The Hole?” Andie echoed, her brows raised.
“Yeah. I figured I probably shouldn’t tell you that before we went in.”
“Good call,” she said through her laughter, and he leaned in and kissed her softly on the mouth before he closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.
“I had so much fun tonight,” she said as he slid into the car. “Thank you.”
“It’s not quite over yet. There’s one more place I want to take you.”
Chase drove through the darkened streets with Andie’s head resting on his shoulder, and this time, as he turned up side roads and off onto a dirt trail, she didn’t question where they were going.
He parked at the end of the trail and took her hand as she exited the car, walking them through the underbrush and up a small hill.
“This might be a little hard to get up,” Chase said, gesturing toward the rock incline that led up to the bridge above.
“I got it,” Andie said. “But stay behind me, just in case.”
Chase watched her roll up the sleeves of her sweater as she dug the toe of her heeled boot into the side of the wall, using her hands to help scale her way up. It was unbelievable how much something as silly as watching her climb turned him on.