I threw an arm over my eyes. “I need coffee,” I said.

“Later.”

I wasn’t going to get out of it, I wasn’t going to delay it and I wasn’t going to get more sleep.

I took the arm away and looked at him.

It was a serious look, no attitude, no bul shit.

“I need coffee before we talk.”

He looked at me, registered the seriousness, then rol ed out of bed and pul ed me with him.

I put on one of Eddie’s flannel shirts (thinking I’d steal that too if I could get away with it) and a pair of panties and Eddie tugged on a pair of jeans.

We made coffee.

We used the delicious in-store bakery bread Blanca bought and made toast, breaking the seal on Eddie’s new toaster. We smeared it with real butter (that Blanca also bought) and grape jel y (again, that Blanca bought).

We sat at the dining room table with our coffee and toast. Eddie sat back, his legs out in front of him and his feet crossed at the ankles. It wasn’t a good position because it was a good position and it was a new position.

I hadn’t had the opportunity to be around an Eddie who was relaxed, sitting back at his dining room table, wearing was relaxed, sitting back at his dining room table, wearing nothing but jeans. Al I knew was Eddie at Fortnum’s, Eddie Action Man or at most, Eddie lounging on the couch holding me while watching a bal game. Stil , even lounging on the couch, there was something active about him, alert, aware, focused, whatever.

He was focused now but we’d had a lot of sex last night and I’d agreed to talk. Not to mention, I was sitting at his dining room table eating toast and wearing his shirt.

He was focused but laid-back. He looked real y handsome and both were going to make things a lot harder for me.

He took a bite of toast and watched me.

“You’re gettin’ that about-ready-to-bolt look again,” he said when he swal owed and then he took a sip of coffee, al the while, his eyes on me.

“I didn’t real y think you’d be mad that I moved out. I wasn’t real y moved in. I was just staying here—” I started but he interrupted.

“You weren’t moved in, we’re not ready for moved in.

Stil , you could have told me and you could have stayed awhile. At least until your sister found a place to stay.”

“Mom gave up the apartment. She and Lottie are moving in with Trixie.”

His eyes didn’t leave me but they became active.

“That was fast. Where are you gonna live?”

“They found me an apartment. I’m quitting Fortnum’s and working at Smithie’s until the Credit Union has an opening.

Then, I’m going back there.”

He stil watched me.

“Prefer it to the other way around, you stay at Fortnum’s and quit Smithie’s.”

“Smithie’s is more money.”

“Then you are moving in until you can afford your own place.”

I shook my head.

“It wasn’t an offer, Chiquita. I don’t want you workin’ at Smithie’s.”

“Eddie,” I said, putting down my toast, “You don’t have much to say about it.”

His eyes started changing.

Uh-oh.

I leaned back, took a huge breath and then said it, straight out, “I’m breaking up with you.” His eyes finished changing, quick as a flash.

“I’m sorry?” he asked quietly

“I’m breaking up with you,” I repeated.

Not only had his eyes changed but his body wasn’t laid-back anymore. He was stil in the same position but he was back to alert and aware, very alert and aware.

“I…” I started, swal owed, then started again, “I want to thank you for al you’ve done for me, I have cookies in my car…”

“I don’t want your f**kin’ cookies.”

Hmm.

Not good.

Eddie liked my cookies. I made the peanut butter and Hershey’s square ones for him especial y.

“Eddie…”

“What the f**k are you afraid of?” he asked.

I blinked. “Pardon?”

He stared at me a beat then said, “You’re f**kin’

unbelievably clueless.”

I straightened in my chair. “That’s not nice.”

“This is good,” he said.

“What’s good?”

“Us.”

I did a head jerk.

He was right. It was good. That was the point.

I stood up. “I think I should go.”

I started to walk to the bedroom, rethinking stealing his shirt. He was a little harder to break up with than Oscar, or Luis and Luis had asked me to marry him. At that juncture, I didn’t think Eddie would appreciate me stealing his clothes.

I got about three steps before my arm was grabbed and Eddie swung me around.

I started talking immediately, I didn’t want to hear what he had to say.

“I’m going to go, I’l cal Lottie, she can pick me up.”

“You’re not goin’ anywhere, we’re gonna talk this shit out.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“You f**kin’ better believe there is.”

“Eddie, please. Don’t.”

“Chiquita, you’re a pain in the ass, but you aren’t boring, you aren’t normal and you aren’t average. That’s the point. It would be cute that you don’t realize how f**kin’ pretty you are, except you get yourself kissed and end up with your head in other guy’s laps. You bein’ shy is sweet, but the attitude is better…”

“The attitude was al about Slick and Vince and now that they’re gone…”

“The attitude was latent, Slick and Vince and likely Indy and Al y brought it out.”

“Real y, I don’t think…”

His arms came around me and he pul ed me, hard, up against his body and his head tilted down to mine as I looked up.

“Eddie…”

“You aren’t breakin’ up with me and you aren’t leavin’.

We’re gonna finish our toast and coffee and then I’m takin’

you into the bedroom and f**kin’ you so hard that idiot brain of yours won’t think of anything but me movin’ inside you. Then after that, we’re gonna have a normal, average day doing some normal, average shit before some other crisis blows us back into pandemonium.”

“There won’t be another crisis,” I said.

“There’s always another crisis.”