Page 40 of Nightmare’s Playground

He was wearing dark wash jeans and red Nikes, but everything else was black. Black tee, black mask, black hat, a black cape that swished out behind him when he did; he even had a sword strapped to his hip.

“You like?” he asked, whipping the sword free and slicing it through the air with a little flourish.

Smiling, I shook my head. “Very cool. Very demure,” I teased.

If I were being honest, which I always tried to be, he was actually kind of adorable.

“So!” he blurted as if suddenly remembering we had places to be. “Are you ready for our date?”

“Ready as rain.”

Smiling, he shoved the sword back in its sheath and rushed around to open the passenger door. “Let me get this for you, my lady.”

I gave a curtsy. “Thank you, kind sir.”

Chuckling at my playing along, Ben offered me his hand and I graciously accepted it because, hello, I had a mini skirt on and was not looking to flash my goodies at all the neighbors. I might be a biker’s daughter, but I prided myself on being a classy broad.

“Watch your head,” he said.

“Got it.”

Situating myself in my seat, I clicked the seatbelt into place and watched as he rounded the front of the truck with his cape flowing out behind him, and I tried to find it—tried to find that feeling of something more, but it wasn’t there.

Relax, Joy. You can’t force the butterflies.

Ben opened the driver’s door and climbed up into the cab.

“So? Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“El Toribio,” he answered as he turned the key in the ignition. “That okay?”

I let out an excited squeal as I shimmied in my seat. Hell yes that was okay. I loved El Toribio. Not only did they have the best Mega Margs—which were half price on Wednesdays, and I knew that because me and Cleo were regulars on Wednesdays—but also they had the most amazing chimichangas. And let’s be honest. A girl could soothe most awful days with a good Mega Marg and ‘Changa. So yes, El T’s was perfectly fine with me. In fact, it felt quite fitting for the week I’d been having.

After watching me act like a fool, Ben shot me a pleased smile and put the truck in reverse. “I’ll take that as a good sign that you like where we’re going.”

I nodded my agreement. “I couldn’t have picked a better place myself.”

The ride to El T’s was quiet, and a bit awkward in that way first dates often were. Granted, I knew him from him being Murphy’s vet, and there was the fact that he came into the bakery every morning for treats for his employees, but that really had been the extent of our interactions.

Content to stare out the window, I watched the Southside zoom by until a few minutes later when we pulled into the lot.

“Let me come around,” Ben said before bailing out and quickly rounding the hood.

Like the gentleman he was proving himself to be, he opened my door and offered me his hand. “Seriously.” He smiled. “You look great, darlin’.”

I felt my cheeks flush again. “So do you.”

Linking my arm through his, I let him escort me inside.

“Joy!” I heard called out the second I stepped through the door.

Turning, I spotted Rosa Diaz, the owner and a woman I considered a friend seeing as I was a frequent flyer in her wonderful establishment.

She came around the hostess stand with her arms out. “Mija, look at you!” She hugged me, then held me out by my shoulders and gave my outfit a long once-over. “Always so beautiful, but tonight you are a hot tamale.”

Her eyes slid to Ben then back to me. Who is this? she mouthed for us both to see as she grabbed two menus.

I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.