Page 182 of Pretty ’n Peak

“Oh, is that good?”

There was another flurry of angry Spanish from Teo’s mother as she approached them.

Then Teo was standing. Pulling Austin up.

“Yeah,” Teo’s voice cracked again. “It’s okay. She wants to hug you.”

Austin found himself smushed against Teo’s side, enveloped in a hug from a plump, ferocious woman that had to be at least a foot shorter. “You! Austin! You should have introduced yourself. You were here for Teo’s show, and you didn’t even tell us.”

Austin quirked a smile, eyes stinging. “Sorry, ma’am.”

“I saw those flowers you got him. But did you tell us? No.”

This wasn’t an argument he was going to win. “My apologies.”

“And how long have you been together?”

“Five months.”

“See!” A man’s voice crowed in the background. “He wasn’t mountain climbing. I told you he wasn’t mountain climbing.”

“Shut up, Andrés,” another baritone voice shot out. “Everybody knows.”

“So, you are part of the family,” Teo’s mother continued, undeterred. “Have you eaten yet?”

“Uh, no.” His stomach had barely sloshed all evening with bitter coffee.

“Well, eat, eat. Teo, make him a plate.” She let go and turned. “He likes the tinga de pollo. Y las enchiladas. ¡Vamos!”

Still reeling, Austin sank back to the couch. Teo was, apparently, getting him food.

“Austin,” a woman’s voice called. “You live in Portland?”

“Yes. Um, sorry. Can you introduce yourself?”

“I’m Maria José.”

“The baby sister,” he commented. “You work in the office.”

“Yes,” she sounded pleased. “What do you do for work?”

“I’m a computer programmer. Well, I manage computer programming projects. And program.” God. He sounded like an idiot. But he was not mentioning Cuffd.

“Do you take Mateo on nice dates?” Maria José continued the inquisition.

“¡Cállate! You can’t ask that.” Another man’s voice.

“Yes, I can.”

“I do,” Austin answered, mind spinning. “I took him to brunch at a nice place this morning.” Before tying him up and paddling his ass until he bruised. “Sorry, can you introduce yourself, too?”

“I’m Diego.”

“The oldest,” Austin nodded, trying to commit the voice to the name. “Your daughter played with my phone last summer, and you live in the house Teo renovated.”

“Nice.” The man leaned forward from the next couch, and Austin found his hand to shake. “Welcome.”

“Do you take him dancing?” Maria José put in.