The Dalmatian Dilemma

by Cheryl Harper

  He could also sense that she thought holding his arm was a mistake.

  But it wasn’t. Reyna holding him, making jokes with him here on the quiet street, was perfection.

  Sean put his hand over hers to stop her retreat. “I can’t wait.” He would stand there, like that, just the two of them, for as long as she would.

  She huffed out a breath. “You know I don’t love a stage, but...” She waved a hand. “Sometimes, you have to take a shot. We’d flown a rescue op, but it turned into recovery. The team we’d been sent to provide cover for had been ambushed. All we could do was bring their bodies home. My whole team was there, and the bar was silent. Tense. So the bartender, this funny guy who had a different cowboy hat for every day, jumped up on the bar and demanded I sing.” She dipped her head. “You’ll never guess.”

  How simple her story was, a description of a terrible day that had stayed with her and her crew. He understood the dangers of war. How many other people would see how that could change a person?

  But tonight, she was choosing the part of the memory she wanted to keep. There was wickedness in her stare that washed straight through him. Any man who could find a woman who looked up at him like that was destined for adventure.

  “I can’t stand it. Tell me,” he said, surprised at how husky his voice was.

  “Dolly Parton. ‘Nine to Five.’” She wagged her eyebrows. “If you ever need to lighten the mood, that’s a winner. As soon as the music starts, your audience is in. Lay on the drawl and it doesn’t matter how bad your voice is.” The faint breeze stirred her hair, tossing one strand over her eyes, and she shook her head to brush it away.

  Her teasing eyes, how her hair moved in the breeze, the weight of her hands on his skin and the faintest scent of roses in the air created a moment he’d remember.

  She said, “Life goes on and everyone has to sing along.”

  That was the only thing that put Sean’s feet back in motion.

  “I would bet all the money in my wallet that Mimi’s DJ will have that song in his repertoire. If this party starts to drag, you’re up.” He tangled his fingers through hers and started walking again.

  “I never sing alone. Be prepared to duet,” she answered in a singsong.

  “Lucky for us both and everyone at the party that I can carry a tune.” His hand on hers. The quiet street. The flirty edge between them in that instant.

  The resemblance to a good date was growing stronger.

  They turned down Mimi’s block and Reyna gasped. He’d been the one sweating in the midday sun to get the decorations up, but tonight, he had to admit, it was beautiful. He’d assembled a small stage where Mimi was holding court at the end of the street.

  And leading up to that stage, strands of white lights draped posts and fences and mailboxes and one car that had been left on the street for too long. The antenna was a sparkling arrow pointing to the sky.

  “Is that a disco ball?” Reyna asked. She held out her hand and watched sparkles of light dance across her palm until she laughed out loud. “Excuse me. Are those disco balls?” She drew out the s to make sure he understood her question.

  “Mimi enjoys country music, but she’s more of a dancing queen. I hope you like or can at least endure disco for the evening.” Sean shoved his hands in his pockets. This was a lot. “I told you. I could have warned you, but you would have doubted whether I was telling the truth. Disco is alive and well in Coconut Grove tonight.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like this.” Reyna’s eyes were huge as she swiveled one direction and then the other. “I love it.” Then she pointed. “Mimi is waving us over.”

  Sean would have asked her how she knew it was Mimi, but the tiara perched on top of his grandmother’s white curls was the best clue.

  “Let’s go introduce you. Then we’ll find you a beer. It’ll all make more sense after that.” Sean waved at the cousins and neighbors and various family members sitting or dancing or standing along the street. His cousin Manny Jr. waved a pair of tongs from his spot at the grill.

  Mimi was swaying along to the music. “My grandson. You made it!” She held out both hands, so Sean leaned forward to kiss her cheek. He didn’t let go of Reyna, and Mimi’s stare locked onto their hands like a homing device. “And you brought me a new friend. How did you know exactly what I wanted for my seventieth birthday?”

  When Reyna met his stare over his grandmother’s tiny frame, he mouthed, “Eightieth,” and then held a finger up to his lips. Mimi’s real age was the worst-kept secret in the world, but she enjoyed the game.

  “This is Reyna. She’s my boss.” Sean realized as soon as he said it that it was a mistake. Reyna straightened and pulled her hand away at the reminder of what they were to each other.

  Mimi immediately hugged Reyna tightly. “So beautiful. And what a hero. Sean has told me all about your service and what you’re doing at Concord Court.”

  Sean pulled his ear and studied the crowd. Had it been a mistake to tell Mimi so much about his job? She was an expert interrogator, so it couldn’t be avoided.

  “Happy birthday, Mrs...” Reyna shook her head. “I only remember Mimi. I’m sorry.”

  Mimi rolled her eyes. “That’s all I remember, too. Call me Mimi. Everyone does. I’m your grandmother, too. Unless you have a grandmother who is mean. I don’t wish to fight unless I can win.”

  Sean watched Reyna relax again. The twinkle in his grandmother’s eyes had melted away some of her concerns.

  “No grandmother, although my father is something else.” Reyna wrinkled her nose.

  “And what does he signify?” Mimi speculated. “Nothing, that’s what. We’re family now. Him, I will fight.”

  Reyna’s smile, surrounded by glittering, sparkling lights, knocked him off his game.

  He’d known that smile would be memorable. It was rare. That made it more valuable.

  “Get her some food.” Mimi snapped her fingers in front of his face. Had she been forced to repeat herself? “Then we dance. Do you know how to hustle, Reyna?” A sly grin curved her lips. “Sean knows how to hustle.” She wagged her eyebrows and then straightened her tiara.

  He and Reyna watched her descend from her stage. Then he noticed Reyna had covered her cheeks with both hands.

  “Do you wish I’d taken you back home?” Sean bent his head so she could hear him.

  Her eyes met his—a kiss would be so easy. But she said, “No, I was wondering if Mimi would adopt Brisa, too. My sister would love her. I love her.”

  Sean made a mental note to ask someone smart why finding out that a woman loved the same person he loved more than life automatically made her the most beautiful person in the world.

  Because Reyna was. Her eyes sparkled. Her red dress flowed around those legs that always amazed him. And there was no doubt that her love for Mimi was genuine and born between one heartbeat and the next.

  “Thank you.” This smile was subdued, but Sean read emotion in it.

  He’d thought she was stoic.

  Instead, what Reyna felt, she felt deeply.

  “You’re welcome. Come meet Manny. We’ll get some food. You’re going to need it. The hustle is only the beginning.”

  Sean watched her skip down the steps he’d built. The whole place had required a ton of sweat and many curse words when no one was nearby.

  But this was his thing, the thing he could do. He could build things.

  And tonight, two women he admired were enjoying it.

  Tomorrow he’d get his head on straight. No one fell in love under the glitter of a disco ball.

  CHAPTER TEN

  REYNA SETTLED BEHIND her desk the next Saturday morning with purpose. Brisa watched her closely from across the desk, and it was important to Reyna to show her sister she had things under control. They had spent the week going over the ins and outs of Concord Court
. They’d argued about the proper way to set up agreements with consignment shops and local vendors who might help with Brisa’s Back to Business program. Whether or not Reyna liked the title (she didn’t), she had to admit that Brisa had made impressive headway on developing her own program.

  When Jason Ward, the new coordinator of their job counseling program, had come into the office on Friday to discuss ways of working in a short presentation on business casual attire to his group meetings, Reyna had decided to make her escape. Her opinion hadn’t been requested anyway.

  That hadn’t stopped her from giving it freely to Brisa before, but space was a good idea. Sean had taken to standing in his doorway whenever they started talking, like a bouncer in a bar prepared to break up a fight if it got out of hand.

  And since she hadn’t figured out how to settle back into their normal relationship after he’d spun her in circles under a glittery disco ball and introduced her to his adorable grandmother, her mouth was bone-dry from the anticipation of coming up with clever conversation when he appeared.

  It was like the early days, when his good looks had stopped her cold when he showed up unexpectedly.

  Enough was enough. Reyna wanted to be her regular self again. He had the day off today. This was the perfect opportunity to focus on work.

  Easy. It was the usual to-do list.

  Brisa had spent some time making herself at home behind Reyna’s desk. Some of her things had been rearranged, but it was easy enough to return them to the proper spot. Reyna moved her stapler up by the phone.

  Number one on her list of things she wasn’t going to do: stutter, blush or trip the next time Sean crossed the lobby. At her age, it should have been impossible to be flustered by a man.

  Number two: she was definitely not going to waste time worrying about why she hadn’t gotten a call about the applications she’d submitted to join Sawgrass or any other station. It had only been three days. Haunting her email inbox was not helping with her anxiety over finding a job, even if it had paid off when the results of her physical aptitude test arrived.

  Firing off applications the same day had seemed proactive.

  “Thank you for offering to work my Saturday, Reyna. I appreciate it,” Brisa said, her legs crossed and her hands tightly knotted on top of her knee.

  Reyna slumped in her chair. “Of course, Brisa. Now that I have no classes and no new job, I have all the time in the world.” Her little sister deserved some flexibility, too. “The best thing about having both of us on staff is this flexibility. Running Concord Court requires different things on different days. It happens.” She added an airy wave of her hand to show how unconcerned she was to be working on Saturday.

  “Good. Good.” Brisa nodded.

  Reyna watched her little sister bite her lip, a sure tell that there was a comment coming.

  “So...” Reyna drawled. “Is that it? Bills won’t pay themselves.” She moved her mouse to wake up the computer.

  “I took care of that yesterday while you were giving the tour to that sailor’s family.” Brisa smiled sweetly. “And I contacted everyone we have referrals on. If you’ll check your calendar, you’ll see the appointments next week. I’ll be happy to take care of those in addition to the guy who is coming in to show me his suit and tie options. He has an important interview. Dream job. Just wants a boost of confidence.” Her sister wagged her eyebrows in an “I told you so.”

  Reyna frowned as she pulled up the calendar. There, in a staggered line, were four different appointments.

  “I know you haven’t had a chance to look over the details of the referrals, but—” Brisa uncrossed her legs “—you aren’t going to reject them without a meeting, so I moved ahead.”

  Reyna studied her sister’s face. Brisa was right. In the time she’d been running Concord Court, she had never rejected a referral outright, even if her concerns about the requirements of the vet were beyond the Court. Evicting Charlie had been hard, but so far, he’d been their only problem. Everyone else was moving forward with the rules of the place. Until that became an issue, she’d prefer to let the vets have a shot.

  But she’d never told her sister that. How had Brisa picked up on it?

  “Well.” Reyna wasn’t sure what to say. With all that done, what would she work on today and tomorrow?

  “I know you want to give everyone a chance, sis. I do, too. That is one policy we agree on.” Brisa’s bright smile suggested she understood Reyna’s problem. “I know this takes some adjustment for you. It’s almost like you could take a day off today and the whole place would continue to stand.” Brisa rested comfortably in her chair. If she had any nerves about being in charge, they didn’t show.

  “I could, or you could. Have you had a day off since you started?” Reyna asked. She knew the answer. This was a stalling tactic and not a great one.

  “I have. Monday. As we agreed in the beginning.” Brisa covered her heart with a hand. “Some of us understand the value of rest.”

  Rolling her eyes was childish, but Reyna did it anyway. Her little sister could bring that out in her sometimes. “I like to work. This is a nice place. Sue me.”

  “As long as you aren’t changing your mind about my role here. Go sit by the pool. It’s nice out there, too. Work on your tan.” She pointed at the door. “Since you need to be thinking about getting a date, you could go shopping or get your hair done or...” She snapped up straight in her chair. “A manicure. That’s it. Go do that.” Brisa nodded firmly.

  “I am not thinking about getting a date, not to keep Dad off my back, so there’s no need for any of that.” Reyna frowned at the way the memory of dancing with Sean and her chatting with his grandmother popped into her head. It hadn’t been a date.

  Besides, she’d rather do almost anything other than get a manicure. Was that required for dating now?

  “Fine. Don’t listen to your brilliant little sister,” Brisa said and slumped back in her chair. “I wish you’d do something for yourself.”

  “You mean, other than sneaking around to take classes for a career that I want and making other people cover this awesome job my father created for me?” Reyna asked. “That’s enough for a long time.”

  Brisa sighed. “Experiencing guilt because you’re crushing classes for a career in public service again. With a sister like you, is it any wonder I have issues?”

  Reyna pointed at her sister. “You have issues, all right, but I take almost no responsibility for those. Being a Montero is my burden, too.”

  They were quiet for a long minute. Neither of them had to make a list of what those issues were. Reyna hoped that Brisa understood that the need to measure up to someone else came from Luis Montero, not her.

  “Have you gotten calls from any of the applications you put in?” Brisa asked, then shook her head. “Sorry. Of course you haven’t—it hasn’t been long enough—and now I’ve reminded you that no one has snapped you up within the first twenty-four hours of passing the physical aptitude test and so you are destined for the trash heap.” The corner of her mouth quirked. “Am I right?”

  Reyna cleared her throat. “Maybe.”

  When Brisa groaned out loud, Reyna bent forward to press her forehead against the desk. It was silly to feel that way. She knew it. Things took time in the real world.

  If only the memory of Marv the dummy’s head thudding on concrete didn’t pop up every time she reminded herself of that.

  Brisa tapped her on the back of the head. “Hey. Sit up. No Montero shows weakness like this.” She’d tried to copy her father’s delivery. It was pretty effective.

  Reyna collapsed back in her chair. “You’re pretty good at that.”

  “I know.” Brisa sniffed as if it was beneath her to acknowledge the little people. “Take a day off. Go do something fun. If that’s re-grouting the bathroom for you, go do it.”

  “I don’t do
home improvement. You know that. Do you remember the time we decided to paint your bedroom with stars without asking permission?”

  Her sister’s grimace was confirmation she did remember it. “How long were we in the doghouse?”

  “Three weeks—one week for every coat of white paint it took to cover up the neon pink stars. Dad was mad about property values and the decorator was horrified. You were usually so good at crying your way out of punishments.” Reyna had never been able to tell her little sister no when she’d blinked up through tears. Their father was only marginally better.

  “While you resorted to logic.” The disgust in Brisa’s tone made Reyna grin. “The two of us are hard to beat.”

  They both laughed. It was nice to remember some of their rebellions against Luis Montero.

  “We make a pretty solid team when we work together,” Brisa said.

  “Thank you for helping me get around Luis this time, BB.” Reyna hoped her sister understood that she knew well what Brisa was risking.

  “Thank you for finally coming home. I’ve missed my partner in crime, Rey.” Brisa straightened her shoulders. “And that’s why I order you to get out of this office. This new world is about work-life balance, not 24/7 service.”

  Reyna fiddled with the edge of the stack of papers she’d had lined up on her desk since about two seconds after getting her test results. “I’ve been thinking about mailing out more résumés and copies of my certificate.” She looked at her sister. “But if I do this in Montero fashion, I should get in my car and hand-deliver them, shouldn’t I? No one tells a Montero no to their face.”

  “If they do, they don’t live to tell the tale,” Brisa said fiercely before breaking down in giggles. For a period of time, they’d imagined their father was a mobster. Too much television had convinced them there was no way he could be rich off “investments.” They’d spent a full summer like teenage sleuths, searching for clues, and never turned up anything but old copies of the Wall Street Journal and spreadsheets. So many spreadsheets.