Free Inner Diva by Laurie Larsen

before Carlos
comes.”
    Barbie received her daughter while Mae stared
up at her with adoring eyes. “Oh, I’ll help you. And what about
your makeup? I brought …”
    “No, no, I’ll be fine. Really. I have loads
of makeup, and the clock is ticking.” Monica started toward the
door, coercing her sister down the hall.
    “But can’t I meet … what’s his name
again?”
    “Not this time, Barb.”
    “Okay, well, if you’re sure.” They had almost
made it to the front door before Barbie remembered her son.
“Spencer! Come on, honey, we’re going now.”
    Spencer ran from the kitchen and jumped up
and down, trying to land a kiss on his favorite aunt’s face. Monica
put her hands on his shoulders and bent down to him, determined to
avert a bloody nose or other disaster.
    Barbie and her crew were halfway to her car
when she yelled, “Have fun! I want to hear all about it
tomorrow.”
    Monica waved, nodded, closed the door and
heaved against it, breathing deeply. Hurricane Barbie, always
exhausting. She checked her watch. She now had less than an hour
before Carlos picked her up and she still had no idea what to wear.
On her way to her room, she glanced in the kitchen, and of course, of course , the bowls were not only still out, they were
strewn across the entire kitchen. She detoured and spent a few
minutes organizing and tidying up.
    She arrived in her bedroom and it looked like
a bomb had gone off, clothes everywhere – on her bed, on her floor,
draped over her desk chair.
    “Thanks for the help, sis,” she muttered and
got to work.
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    The first sound she heard that was out of the
ordinary was the growl of a high-performance engine on the street
outside her house. Moments later, the doorbell rang, and despite
the fact that she was expecting it, Monica jumped in her seat.
    She sprang to her feet and ran to the door.
Counting a slow one, two, three, she swung the door open. And got
lost in the oddity of seeing Carlos on her own doorstep.
    “Hi.” He looked absolutely gorgeous – even
better than she’d seen him before – hair still moist from a shower,
a thin dark sweater stretched tightly across a very fit and buff
chest, covered with a worn leather jacket. He looked like he
could’ve walked off the cover of a magazine. And the fact he had
come there for her – it was breathtaking, at the very least.
    “Hi.” She grinned at him. “Would you like to
come in?”
    He smiled and walked past her into her tidy
living room. She couldn’t help admire the spectacular view of his
rear end in the snug jeans he wore.
    Oh boy, she was in trouble tonight. The sight
of him sent her hormones into overdrive, and if she didn’t watch
out, she could easily fall in love with this handsome, dark
lothario. Which would be the absolute worst thing to allow. He was
Luisa’s brother; Senora Garcia’s son. Never a good idea to mix
business with pleasure.
    Plus, he wasn’t her type. She’d have no idea
what to do with a man like Carlos. He’d launch her completely out
of her comfort zone. Although staring at him now, she suspected she
would enjoy the trip.
    “You look very nice,” he said politely. She
looked down at her wardrobe choice – khaki slacks and a bright red
sweater. In an attempt to differentiate the outfit from the many
occasions she’d worn it to work, she’d added a pair of dressy high
heels.
    “Thank you. And you look very nice, too.” She
squeezed her eyes shut at her understatement of the year. “Nice”
wasn’t exactly the adjective she’d use to describe the way he
looked, but she didn’t want him to know that.
    “Do you like Mexican food?”
    “I sure do.” What better tour guide through
Mexican food delicacies?
    “Then, let’s go.”
    When they reached his car, she gave a low
whistle. This was a real man’s man’s car. Although she wasn’t a
sports car aficionado, she recognized a collector’s model when she
saw it. “Nice car.”
    He looked at her with