“Go to bed. I’ll help Naomi,” he said.
Welita turned to her son and patted him on the cheek. “You’re a good boy, and you raised a fine daughter. My college graduates,” she said as she took their hands into hers. “I’m so proud of both of you.”
Naomi glanced over at Chuy, who was still talking with a couple of his friends, as she and her father picked up the discarded cups and plates. Whenever Chuy glanced over at one of the girls, she’d bat her eyes and pretend that she was enraptured by every word that came out of his mouth. He rewarded them by flexing his biceps every time he brought the bottle of beer to his lips, or when he moved around the ice chest, which he was doing a lot.
At one point, Chuy glanced over at Naomi and wiggled his brows when a girl named Rosie brushed against him. She was one of those girls—the type with impressive cleavage that made men drool. Rosie brushed her long wavy hair over her shoulder and gave Chuy one of her signature smiles. Naomi stuck her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag. She wasn’t impressed. Rosie had a reputation for hitting on anything that moved, and she had a couple of babies to prove it. If Welita were awake, she’d probably get her broom and shoo Rosie away.
“Hey, Naomi, come over here,” Chuy called.
“What’s up?” Naomi waved off an offer of beer from Lalo.
“What’s wrong with your cousin, man? She too good to drink with us?” Mateo, one of Chuy’s friends, asked.
“I’m right here, Mateo,” Naomi said, placing her hands on her hips. “And to answer your question, I came on my bike, so unless I want to stay on the couch for the night with Chuy’s snoring shaking the entire house, no booze for me.”
“I don’t snore. You snore,” Chuy said.
“Uh, huh. Yeah, right.” She rolled her eyes.
“Come on, Chuy, rub it already,” Lalo said. “If we leave now, we can get in a couple of hours at the craps table and be back before our afternoon gig.”
“Rub what? And where are you going out this late? Don’t you have work tomorrow?” Naomi swatted Chuy’s hands as he brushed her hair off her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“We’re going to the Lake Charles Casino in Louisiana,” he said as he attempted to fold down the back of her shirt collar. “Come on, Naomi. Let me rub it for good luck.”
Naomi hit his hands again. “Knock it off, Chuy. My freakish birth defects are not meant for your entertainment.”
“I’ll give you twenty bucks if I win.”
“No.”
“Aww, come on.”
“It’s just a patch of freckles, Chuy.”
“They’re good luck.”
“Are you talking about her freckles?” Javier called out as he walked past them, dragging a couple of filled trash bags. “They’re good luck,” he said before disappearing into the front yard.
“Dad,” she groaned.
“See? Even your dad thinks they’re good luck,” Chuy said.
“I’ve got to see this thing.” Mateo took a step toward Naomi.
Chuy got in front him and placed a hand on his chest, keeping him at bay. “No can do, man. It’s a family thing.”
“Seriously, Chuy, you’re getting as superstitious as Welita. Just because my freckles form the number seven, it doesn’t mean they’re lucky. If they were, do you think I’d let Welita live in this neighborhood … with you?” It was a weird-shaped mark on the back of her neck. She hadn’t noticed it growing up until one day, when she and Chuy had gone swimming. He had snuck up behind her and was about to push her into the pool when he noticed the odd-shaped mark. Welita had told them that Naomi was born with it and that she was meant for something special. Chuy took it to mean that the mark was a good luck charm.
“It is lucky. Last week after I massaged your neck, I bought a lotto ticket, and I won fifty bucks.”
She fumed. “I thought you were trying to be nice because I was so stressed during finals week!”
Chuy tried to touch her neck again, and she slapped his hands. “Stop it! I’m not some genie in a bottle.”
“What if I let you into my self-defense class?”
Chuy volunteered to teach self-defense classes at the local community center. She’d been asking him for weeks to let her join. Living in Houston, especially in this neighborhood, self-defense was something every woman needed to know.
Naomi sighed. “Fine.” She lifted her hair and tugged down the collar of her shirt. “Hurry and get it over with.”
Chuy gave it a quick rub. “There, that wasn’t so bad was it?”
“Ugh, go away. And take your friends with you.” She pushed him playfully and went to look for her father.
Chapter 3