in the sight. “This is perfect.”
“You want cheap tacos,” I said with a grin. “Then you’re getting cheap tacos. And they’re good cheap tacos.”
“Even better.” She grabbed my hand and we hurried into the restaurant, me holding the door open for her.
The space was wide open, only a few tables taken. I led her to a booth, the smell of cooking pork thick in the air, upbeat music on the juke box.
“Oh, wow,” she said once the menus were given to us. “All-you-can-eat tacos?” She closed the menu and set it down confidently. “I know what I’m getting.”
“Same here,” I said with a grin. “Whoever eats the most doesn’t pay.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she looked me up and down, as if scanning me to see how many I could put away.
“Joking,” I said. “No way you could eat more than me.”
“I don’t know,” she mused thoughtfully. “You haven’t seen me at work.”
The waiter arrived and we ordered, starting off with a couple of oversized margaritas and a trio of al pastor tacos.
“Anyway,” I said, the waiter quickly returning with the drinks and placing them on the table. “There’s no way I’d let you pay even if you did eat more tacos than me – which you wouldn’t, by the way. We’re celebrating, remember?”
She grinned as if still riding high about the news. “Why, thank you,” she said. “And yes, you’re looking at the newest writer for Classical Monthly.”
I raised my glass and we tapped rims. “So excited for you. I know you’ll be a smash.”
“It’s not where I’d imagined myself, but I’m happy to do it. No one said life was supposed to take you exactly where you’d expected it to, right?”
Well, unless you’re exceedingly good at planning, I thought. Like me.
“So,” I said. “Tell me all about it.”
Annie went right into it, explaining the magazine and all the duties she had to look forward to. And I was happy to sit there and listen, watching her face light up as she spoke. It was clear her passion was teaching, in sharing her gifts and talents with children, be they students or children in need at local hospitals. But she had a killer way with words, and I knew she’d be great at the job.
“This is all assuming onboarding tomorrow goes off without a hitch,” she said.
“There’s no reason to think it won’t,” I was quick to add. “This time next week you’ll be impressing the hell out of your boss with the first of many killer articles.”
She smiled. “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. And I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” I said, meaning the words.
She cleared her throat before taking a sip of her giant margarita. “So,” she said. “I’ve been talking your ear off about what’s going on with me. What about you? Anything interesting happen this week?”
Andrew. I’d met with him. I realized it was a great chance to bring him up, to start planting the seeds. “Yes. I finally managed to meet up with my brother for drinks.”
“Oh, nice!” she said, her eyes lighting up again. “And how did that go?”
“It was good. He’s been busy with his new job, and eager to tell me all about it.”
“New jobs seem to be a theme,” she said. “What’s his line of work?”
“Attorney,” I said. “Just started at his new firm not too long ago.”
Her expression darkened.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It’s stupid. My ex was a lawyer, that’s all. It was a big part of why he and I split up.”
“Right,” I said, nodding. I decided it was a good opportunity to bring her in on a little more. A big detail, one to really make her feel like I was letting her in. “There’s something about my brother and me that you should know.”
She was curious, tilting her head as she looked at me. “What’s that?”
“We have a very different history than most siblings.”
Her brows furrowed. “How so?”
“It’s kind of a long story. First thing you should know is that I’m adopted.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Okay.”
I nodded. “My mom – my biological mom hadn’t been expecting a kid. This might be a blunt way to put it, but I was the product of a random hook-up.”
She said nothing, letting me go on, her expression still curious.
“My dad, whoever he is, didn’t stick around long enough to even know he was going to be a father. At the time, my mom was working a minimum-wage job, hadn’t been planning on being a mother anytime