Page 17 of Twisted Beauty

“Matt! You’re here.” Katie rushed toward him the moment he stepped into the store and threw her arms around him with her usual enthusiasm. Even as light as she was, she almost bowled him over.

He laughed and wrapped an arm around her, steadying both of them. “Hey there, Kat. What brings you in?”

“Just saying hi.” She let go and waved at Tito, who was seated near the back of the shop.

The bell chimed again and Liv waltzed in the door wearing what amounted to a long, slinky tank top draped over her body. He could see the outline of that pink bikini of hers beneath it. His eyes swept up her body of their own accord, from the flip-flops and pink toenails, along the curves of her dress, to the dark auburn hair piled in a messy bun on the top of her head. A camera with a huge lens hung from her neck, the strap pressing between her breasts. He swallowed.

She tilted her head and caught his eye.

“Nice to see you, Liv,” Matt said, secretly impressed with how calm and unaffected he managed to sound. Might have been embarrassing if he’d choked on his own tongue saying hello.

“I’m sure it is.” Her tone dripped with sarcasm, but her smile looked genuine, dimple and all.

“We’re playing tourist today,” Katie said.

“Last time I checked, I actually was one.” Liv looked around the shop and Matt followed her gaze, wondering what it looked like to a newcomer with no exposure to the world of magic his grandfather cherished. “Wow, this is awesome.”

Awesome was one word for it. Tiny and cluttered were others.

Daylight streamed in through the front windows, illuminating the items on some of the center tables. It looked like someone had emptied a garbage bag of worthless junk on each of the tables, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. But Matt couldn’t seem to convince Tito to let him rearrange or even prioritize what was displayed in the store.

Fortunately for Tito, Basilio Badillo was such a popular street for shoppers in downtown PV that his business was doing better than ever.

Matt heard laughter and conversation as a group of people paraded past on the street out front. Mostly locals filled the city at the moment, but in less than a month it would be high season and droves of tourists would clog the sidewalks. And that meant busier times in the shop. He absolutely had to convince Tito to let him reorganize this place by then.

Tito stood up slowly and walked out from behind the register. Just one more thing that drove Matt crazy. Tito used the same antique register he’d been using for decades, a manual one without a working lock. There was no persuading him to upgrade to the twenty-first century.

“This is my grandfather, Anselmo Verdugo Reyes,” Matt said as Tito approached Liv looking stiff and achy. “And Tito, this is Olivia Jaye.”

Liv shot Matt a glare that could have frozen the River Cuale, even in this humidity. He tried to bite back his smile. It was just too easy to rile her up.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Señor Reyes,” Liv said to Tito.

“Mucho gusto, Olivia. You will call me Tito, sí?” Tito smiled and took Liv’s smooth hand into his large, gnarled grip and then placed his other hand on top.

“Tito?”

Matt let out an annoyed sigh before he could stop himself. “It’s a term of endearment. Means grandpa. Everyone under the age of fifty calls him that. It makes him happy.”

“Gracias, Tito.” She smiled and asked him to call her Liv.

In perfect fucking Spanish.

Sadie would have bitten off her own tongue before speaking a word of Spanish. He guessed the same could be said of his mother since he’d never even heard her try.

He watched his grandfather melt, completely taken with Liv and her effort to speak to him in his own language. Tito answered her in Spanish.

Matt swore under his breath. The last thing he needed was for Tito to get any ideas.

His grandpa had a reputation for butting into other people’s lives, especially when it came to family. It was no secret he wanted all of his grandchildren happily married off within his lifetime. Matt’s refusal to date anyone seriously after his divorce frustrated Tito on a daily basis.

Not only was Matt past due for another lecture on the importance of family, it was entirely possible from the glint in Tito’s eye that he was impressed with more than just Liv’s Spanish skills.

“How am I supposed to know what’s going on here?” Katie folded her arms and put on the biggest pout he’d seen to date. “Are they really going to speak Spanish all day? Maybe we shouldn’t have come.”

“Well, don’t let us keep you inside on this beautiful afternoon.” If Matt had even the slightest chance of cutting their visit short, maybe he could keep his grandfather in check.

Tito stepped forward and wrapped Katie in a big, frail hug. “Katerina, mi querida, you finally visit me. You must come more often.”