Chapter Sixty

**

“You gonna stick by me?”

“Maybe….”

**

“Nah, she ain’t here,” I heard Vince say from the front of the garage.

Wondering who the hell he was talking to, I walked up there, nearly ran straight into Miguel.

“What’re you doing here?” I asked. Had a bad feeling I already knew, though….

“I, uh…I was looking for Leticia,” he stammered.

“Oh,” I said, nodding my head a little, smiling as I watched Miguel relax and turn to leave. He’d been nervous. And I didn’t think I’d ever seen Miguel nervous before…not at the races, not during a fight, not running from cops, not ever. I could only think of one reason why he’d be nervous, coming to talk to Letty. And I didn’t like it at all.

“Why?” I asked, just as he was about to walk out the door.

“What?” he asked, turning back to face me, looking panicked again.

“Why’d you want to talk to Letty?”

“Oh…uhm…well….”

I looked over at V and raised my eyebrows, hoping he’d get the idea of what was going on. Made me wish Leon was out front instead of working in the back…Vince was always a little slow to pick up on things.

“Isabel’s having her quinceanera Saturday after next and I wanted to ask Leticia to go with me,” Miguel finally spit out, talking so fast I could barely tell what he was saying except that it involved taking Letty somewhere…like on a date.

“Ah,” I nodded, watching him slowly relax again.

Maybe I should’ve just left it at that - Letty’d told me a hundred times that there was nothing going on with him. And I knew she didn’t even see his flirting…didn’t think of him as anything more than a friend. But there he was, the personification of my worst fear - that Letty’d find some guy her age and leave me for him - and I couldn’t stop myself.

“You shouldn’t,” I said, taking a step towards the door.

“What?” Miguel asked, looking panicked again. I almost felt bad, jerking him around like I was. Almost.

“Ask Letty out. You shouldn’t.”

“Why…why not?” he stammered.

“It just wouldn’t be a good idea,” I growled at him.

Miguel turned, started walking out the door. But just before he got outside, it was like he’d gotten his confidence back.

“You know, you can’t make decisions for her any more, Dom,” he said, glaring at me. “You dumped her. You never really loved her…couldn’t have, with the way you acted with all the girls at the races. Fucking around with Julie behind her back…. Why don’t you just leave her alone, let her make her own decisions?”

“I think you should leave now, before I lose my temper,” I said, taking a step towards Miguel. “But ask yourself one thing…how sure are you that you know what went on with me and Letty? You have no idea how things are between us. No idea.”

With that, I let him walk out. Stood there listening until I heard his car door slam, the engine roar, tires squeal as he drove off.

“Little rough on him, eh dawg?” Leon asked, coming up behind me.

“Maybe,” I said, sighing as I rubbed my hands over my head. “What else could I do, though?”

Leon didn’t say anything, just stood there next to me for a minute.

“I don’t get it,” Vince said, breaking the silence. “He likes Letty?”

“Yeah, V,” I said, looking over at him, “yeah, he does.”

“Boy oughtta know better…” Vince said.

“Why’s that?” Leon asked. “’Cause Dom’d kick his ass if he tried anything and prolly end up back in Lompoc?”

I just glared at Leon.

“Hey now, don’t look at me like that…” Leon started.

“Just think of it…” Vince said, interrupting Leon. “Miguel and Letty. She’d chew him up and spit him out before noon, and you both know it.”

I couldn’t help it, I just busted up laughing.

“You gotta point there,” Leon said, almost thoughtfully. “You straight now, dawg?” he went on, looking over at me.

“Yeah…” I said, still laughing.

“Okay then, you think maybe we could get some work done around here?” he asked, heading back to the cars.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Vince grumbled. “Slave driver.”

“C’mon pumpkin, I need some help with the brakes on this Buick!” Leon shouted from the back.

Laughing again, I went back to checking the Mustang over.