Making You Mine by Elizabeth Reyes Read Free Book Online

He mentioned being a little lonely these days so I thought maybe if you came along he might sweeten his offer.”
    “No!”
    Rose plopped onto the bed and crossed her legs, watching them both.
    “Graciela, for Christ’s sake, it’s only dinner and you won’t even be alone with him. Is that too much to ask? You’re doing your family a favor.” Her mother opened Grace’s closet. “Where is that dress you wore for your cousin’s quinciniera?”
    “I thought you said this was just dinner? That dress is way too fancy.”
    Her mother was unbelievable. Of all the stunts she’d pulled this one took the cake. Even though she said it was just dinner, Grace had a feeling there was more up her mother’s sleeve. Judging by the way she squeezed her hand at the mention of Frank owning a restaurant, she knew her mom was already scheming.
    “Well, he’s taking us somewhere fancy. So you have to look nice. Did you not notice the man is wearing a suit?”
    Exasperated, but aware she wasn’t going to win this battle, she walked over to the closet and pulled out the dress. “Isn’t it a little late for dinner?”
    “Dinner, cocktails, dancing, whatever, it’s all the same thing. Just hurry up and get ready.”
    Her mom walked out the room but not before mouthing “ te apuras .”
    Yeah, she was in a real hurry to go out with this guy. Grace turned to Rose who looked at her sympathetically. “At least you won’t be alone.”
    Suddenly Grace remembered and smiled. “I got a job today.”
    “You did?” Her sister’s smile matched her own excitement. “Yeah, at Moreno’s in La Jolla.”
    Rose’s blank stare didn’t surprise her. Unlike Grace, her sister wasn’t up on all the area’s best restaurants. She didn’t read “Fine Cuisine” magazine and follow the reviews religiously like Grace did. “It’s one of the best Mexican restaurants in the San Diego area—in all of Southern California if you ask me.” That was saying a lot, especially since Los Angeles was only two hours north of them.
    “Really? So you’re their chef now?”
    Grace chewed the corner of her lip. “No, I’m bartending. But they said they’d give me a chance and let me cook sometime.”
    For a second, Rose seemed disappointed but quickly snapped out of. She knew how much Grace had been going on and on about trying to get hired at a good restaurant. She only had a couple more months of school before she graduated with her Culinary Arts degree. With her foot already in the door and with the opportunity to prove herself she was sure she’d make head chef in no time.
    “I knew you’d find a job eventually, Grace. You’re an awesome cook. Abuelita taught you well.”
    Grace felt a dull pang in her heart at the mention of her grandmother. Rose’s cell phone beeped and she looked down at her hands. That phone may as well have been surgically attached to her hands the way Rose kept it by her at all times.
    “Mom says to tell you to hurry.”
    With a roll of her eyes, Grace began changing. Her own phone was in her bag in the front room. No doubt her mother had already tried her phone. “Can you believe her?”
    “Of course. This is so typical of her,” Rose said, lying down, putting her hands behind her head.
    She had a point. Her mother would stop at nothing short of prostitution and drug dealing to make an easy buck. Even then, Grace didn’t completely rule those two out. She’d seen how her mom dressed on a few occasions when she was just going to dinner with a few friends. She was surprised Ruben let her walk out looking like that.
    Grace didn’t bother with makeup. Aside from some lip gloss and a little mascara sometimes she never wore the stuff. She wasn’t starting now. The dress she wore was one her mother had picked out. Grace didn’t mind the length, but it was tighter than she was used to and a bit low in the front.
    Frank didn’t even attempt to hide what he thought of her in the dress. The bulging eyes and goofy smile