Page 278 of Sweet Nightmare

The moment she sees us, her whole face breaks into a beam.

“¡Wepa, bienvenidos!”

“Hola…” Artemis answers, but the enthusiasm in her voice is immediately followed by the most adorably awkward smile I’ve ever seen.

She lifts one hand in a little wave, then seems to realize she doesn’t know what to do with the rest of her body.

The woman behind the counter, whose name tag reads Maria, chuckles warmly.

“Ay, qué emoción. ¿Eres puertorriqueña?”

“Um, well, sort of…” Artemis lets out a nervous laugh. “I was born in the States, but my mom is half Puerto Rican. My grandmother—my mom’s mother—was born in Ponce, so we grew up with her culture.”

Maria’s face lights up. “¡Ponce! ¡Mira qué chevere!” She presses a hand to her chest. “Ponce is beautiful, mija. The south side! My family is from the island, too.”

Artemis smiles.“Oh, really?”

“Sí! And you know what that means, right?”

Artemis tilts her head. “What?”

“That you cannot come to my truck and leave without eating.”

I laugh.

Clever.

Maria points a playful finger at me. “You, too, handsome. Nobody leaves hungry. That’s how we do things.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I answer immediately.

Artemis glances at me, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Ma’am? So polite.”

“I do have manners, the fuck.”

That makes her laugh.

“Okay, okay. Let me show you what we have today.” Maria disappears briefly behind the counter, then returns with a menu covered in colorful pictures. Artemis leans forward, her eyes scanning the options, and I watch her expression change with every new dish the woman points out.

“Mira, we have mofongo, made with mashed fried plantains, garlic and a lot of sazón. We have arroz con gandules, pernil, alcapurrias, pasteles when we have them, and, of course, tostones. And today, I made fresh empanadillas de juey.”

Artemis makes a tiny sound.

I turn to look at her.

“Did you just whimper?”

“No.”

“You did.”

“I did not.”

Maria grins. “She looks like she likes the empanadillas.”

“She does,” I say, thoroughly entertained.

“My mom used to make arroz con gandules y longaniza for special occasions. Mostly on the holidays,” Artemis tells her with a gentle smile as if remembering her mother with love. “And she always made sure there was enough food for, like, fifty people, even when only two were coming over.”