He slipped his keys into his pocket and headed over to the restaurant and right away spotted his parents in a table by the window.
“Mother. Father,” he said as he nodded at both of them. “It’s nice to see you here.”
“And you,” his mother said briskly. She looked uncomfortable, and as she’d been very up front about not wanting to be here, it didn’t surprise him. “Have you been enjoying your time?”
She didn’t seem to sincerely want to know, but he told her anyway. He didn’t think his parents had much they wanted to say, so he just started in. He talked about Cassie, how she’d injured her leg, how they’d fixed the lights at her house, about the beautiful brickwork, everything. And when he got to the part about the vaquita and their trip out on the ocean—well, he held nothing back. He told them how much it meant to him, and how beautiful this land was. How beautiful Cassie was, and how he felt about her.
He finally stopped, and his mother had set her fork down and he hadn’t even noticed. She was staring at him, her face blank.
He’d been laughing, animatedly sharing his time with them, and he glanced at his father, who was watching his mother with concern.
“Mother, are you all right?”
She cleared her throat and dabbed at the corners of her mouth with her napkin, although he hadn’t noticed her eat anything.
“Yes, I’m fine. And if you’re going to ask about the vaquita sanctuary, you can hold your breath. That beach is off limits, and if they need to find another one, so be it.”
“Mother, it’s no detriment to us to donate. In fact, Raul says it would be a great marketing angle, that we’re helping the environment and the vaquita.”
He sat taller as his mother gave him a withering stare and stood slowly. “I don’t care what Raul says, and I won’t have you question my judgment. My decision is final.”
Alex held his breath as she threw her napkin on the table and stalked out toward the casitas. He and his father both stared after her for a while, and Alex finally turned to him with a million questions. His father shook his head slowly before saying, “Well, I guess that’s final.”
“Father, I don’t understand,” Alex said. “I’ve never known Mother to behave so irrationally. This doesn’t make sense. It’s a beach, a plot of land, some water. And it means very much to someone I care about. Why would she object?”
His father ran his hand through his silver hair and leaned back in his chair. “You might want to order some dessert. This story might take a while to tell.”
Alex did just that, and settled in as his father began to tell him what had happened in their family so many years ago.
When he’d finished, Alex had torn up another entire napkin and his heart ached.
“So you see why she won’t change her mind?”
“I do, but I don’t agree with it. But I’ve already tried, and I won’t try again.”
He shook his father’s hand and thanked him, although it hadn’t made him feel any better. And it wouldn’t make Cassie feel any better either, but he knew he had to go tell her and apologize. Even if she never wanted to speak to him ever again, he owed her that.
Chapter 21
Cassie sat outside under the stars, the flames of the bonfire shooting up into the night. Devastated, she’d spent the afternoon walking along the beach, her mind replaying the events of the day in a loop. She’d been shocked at Alex’s cold response to her plea, and that woman—what a piece of work. She’d never met anyone so cold. How they could not understand how important the sanctuary was what boggled her mind.
Now, in the quiet of the night, she just felt exhausted. Taylor had come home with her, and, making sure Cassie would be all right, had gone back to Rancho Del Sol to see Raul. Cassie had insisted she go—hadn’t wanted to ruin Taylor’s time. At least one of us should have fun, she thought, and she knew Taylor really wanted to have a word or two with Raul. He’d lied, too, and Taylor wanted to call him out on it.
She poked a stick at the glowing logs in front of her. As the embers floated higher from the fire pit, she noticed movement on the other side, near the house.
She looked over to see Alex striding toward her, his broad shoulders casting a shadow on the sand in the moonlight. Sitting beside her, he reached for her hand. She jumped from her chair, circling to the other side of the fire.
“I don’t understand, Alex. Why didn’t you tell me who you were? What you were planning? That you were what was standing in the way of the vaquita? I thought we had a connection, and you understood what I stand for.” She rammed the stick she was holding into the ground and sat in the sand, waiting for his response.
Alex’s face glowed in the firelight. He stared at the flames as his hands worked over the piece of wood in his hands. “I have made a huge mistake, Cassie. I came here to apologize.” Dropping the stick, his head sunk heavily into his hands.
Cassie felt her fury quicken, heated by the flames of the fire and the sight of him, so forlorn. “You should have told me from the beginning. Why did you let me go on about the vaquita, let me show them to you? You don’t deserve it.” She grabbed the stick back out of the ground and rearranged the logs in the fire pit, again sending embers toward the sky.
“If you could just calm down for a moment, I will tell you everything.” He stood to his full height, squaring his shoulders, his jaw stronger. Circling the fire pit, he stood close enough to her to reach slowly for the stick she was holding. “I’d prefer if you were unarmed when I do,” he said, a slow smile growing. “Will you give me that chance?”
Cassie dropped her eyes to the fire, her hand releasing the stick into his. She felt the warmth of his touch as he took it, her heart softening. “I want to hear everything, Alex. Why did you lie to me?”
Taking a deep breath, Alex sat back down in his chair by the fire. He leaned back, stretching out his legs toward its warmth. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all of this sooner. I have spent my life being groomed for the position I hold now as CEO for Costa Azul International. My family has been in construction for generations, and I am the only son of my parents, and the only grandson of my grandfather.” His hands seemed to have nowhere to rest as he folded his arms across his chest.
“They sent me to the best schools in the United States and spent summers apprenticing under my father. This project here in Rancho Del Sol was to be my debut as CEO of the hotel division of the larger family company, Costa Azul International.”
Cassie’s eyes grew wide as she made the connection. “Costa Azul International is a huge company, worth millions,” she said. “That’s your family’s company? I thought you just worked for them.”
“Yes, it is my family’s company, and we have broad holdings,” he said, with a wry smile. “My grandfather started with oil and mineral rights and bought all the available property he could decades ago, waiting for the right time to develop it.”
“I had no idea,” Cassie said, her chin rested on her folded knees. She stared at the fire as she ran back through her memory of this company. The crushing knowledge of the size of her opponent brought heated tears once again.
“My grandfather was fundamentally a kind man, Cassie, but a product of his generation. He wants what’s best for his country, for the people of Mexico—and for his family. This particular piece of property, though, is special. It’s the only reason emotion is so high surrounding it. I am forbidden to deviate from the plan. It is sacred.”
“If he owns half of Mexico, what’s so special about this property?” Cassie asked, her brows furrowed now. Her tears had slowed, and her curiosity was getting the best of her.
“This is the part I only found out about tonight. I did not understand why my mother felt so strongly about this piece of property. Many years ago, when I was small, the family suffered a major rift. My mother was not an only child. She had a beloved brother, Pablo, and they were running the business together, with my father and grandfather. It was a group effort, and plans began to develop
the property here, in the Baja. It’s a beautiful spot, as you know, and my grandfather wanted to help the local economy and provide access to its beauty for all people.”
Cassie leaned forward, as Alex’s voice had grown soft and low. She waited, as he stared at the flames dancing, the piece of sulphur she had placed in it dripping purple and green.
“Surveying began here, and my Uncle Pablo was in charge of the initial process. He moved to Rancho Del Sol to begin the resort.”
“I had no idea anything had been started before. What happened? Why isn’t there a 5-star resort there now?” she asked. She began to pace as questions flooded her mind. She had never heard this before, and she thought she knew everything about her local area.
Alex stood also, shoving his hands in his pockets as his voice grew stronger. “My uncle met a woman here. My grandfather is a kind man, as I said, but very traditional in the ways of our culture. The woman was not educated, and their union was forbidden.”
“What difference does it make? They were in love,” Cassie said softly.
Shaking his head, Alex said, “It meant everything at that time, and I don’t think it’s as different in your country, Cassie. People don’t understand the depth of our traditions. Things are changing slowly, now, but my grandfather would not allow his son to do what he perceived would be throwing his life away.”
Her heart fluttered at the pain in Alex’s eyes. “Did he ever marry?”
His hands clenching, Alex said, “Pablo defied my grandfather, marrying his love anyway, there on the beach in Rancho Del Sol, before there was a resort of any kind. My grandfather cut him off from the family, both contact and money, and we have never heard from him again.” He stood taller now, his amber eyes glowing in the light of the flame.
“Alex, I’m so sorry,” Cassie said as she grabbed Alex’s hand. “You’ve heard nothing about him at all, in all these years?”
“My parents heard some stories, but not many. My Uncle Pablo was a master craftsman as well as an expert businessman. They heard he built churches, and later houses, of the ladrillo brick as in this house,” he said, gesturing toward Taylor’s house behind them. The beautiful arches, with their whale-tail artistry, danced by the light of the fire. “I would be proud of whatever he did.”
“He never came back? You never found him at all?” she said, heartache cracking her voice as she spoke.
“My mother was bereft. He was her little brother, and they were very close. She tried to find him once, but my grandfather found out, threatening to banish her and her family from the business as well. From that time forward, we were not allowed to speak of him in my grandfather’s presence, and my mother’s heart was frozen.” He lifted Cassie’s hand to his cheek, his touch warming her to her core.
“All I’ve done my whole life is work, and try to make my family proud, Cassie. I’ve never been passionate about anything that was my own. It wasn’t until I saw you on the beach and had the pleasure of meeting you that I had ever felt drawn to anyone in that way. When I was honored by you sharing your passion for the vaquita, something bigger than any company, that my heart began to beat again.”
Alex held Cassie’s hand to his lips, gently brushing her palm with his kiss. “By the time I realized you were the person that the company had denied the water rights for the sanctuary, I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. I hoped you felt the same way about me, and I didn’t want to risk losing you.”
She pulled back her hand as if it had touched a flame. “I don’t understand. If you’re the CEO, why can’t you decide about the sanctuary?”
Alex turned and walked toward the cliff. He gazed intently at the beach below and then turned his gaze up toward the stars. “I spoke with my mother earlier. I tried again to persuade her. She knows Pablo was married on that beach, and that’s the last place she’s ever heard from him. She is intent on leaving it untouched, as a memorial to him. She is immovable on this issue and refuses to speak further of it. She was the one who sent the denial before I’d even seen it.”
Cassie gasped, the vision of the cold woman on the dais in front of her. “Your mother?”
“Yes. She believes she is doing the honorable thing on behalf of her beloved, lost brother. I have not been able to deter her, and I have tried.” Turning toward Cassie, he brushed away a wisp of hair blowing in the warm night breeze. “She controls the board, and this afternoon they voted against the sanctuary. I’m so sorry.”
Cassie gasped and stepped back, away from him. Alex grabbed her waist, bringing her toward him with one swift pull. Their eyes met, and she looked up at him. He looked as sad as she felt, and she threw her arms around his neck, grabbing tightly.
“I’m so sorry,” he said again, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“I don’t know what to do, Alex,” she whispered, her warm tears wetting his shirt.
Alex enveloped her in his embrace, rocking her softly. She felt his chin resting on the top of her head as he reached under hers, tilting her face toward the moonlight, toward him. He stood still, his eyes searching hers. Slowly, she stood on her tiptoes, pulling his head toward hers.
His eyes flashed as he leaned into her, his warm lips soft on hers. His arms tightened around her waist as the kiss deepened. Her head spun as she gave her heart to him in a way she never thought she could, to anyone.
He pulled away from her abruptly, his hands still on her waist, making sure she was steady. He stared for a moment at the shadows of the flames flickering on the side of the house. “Whale tails. Master craftsman.”
“What are you talking about?” Cassie asked him as she glanced back at the house. It really was beautiful.
Taking a step back, he took her hand. With a slight bow, he said, “I promise I will make it right, Cassie. For you, for the vaquita—and for me.”
He brought her hand to his lips once more, lingering for a moment. “Buenos noches, Senorita. We will announce the decision tomorrow at another press conference. At noon. Can I hope to see you there?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Alex.” She watched him walk to his Jeep in the moonlight, the coals of the bonfire now turning to ash. She looked out over the water, wondering what he could possibly be able to do now.
Chapter 22
Cassie and Taylor scored a front-row seat after they pushed their way through the throng of reporters standing outside the door. Taylor pulled Cassie through them once again as they heard shouts of, “Any statement, Miss Lewis?” from at least twenty different directions. The commotion left them breathless and they took their seats.
“That was bizarre,” Cassie said, turning her head to the back of the room where the photographers covered the doorway. “I feel like Beyoncé or something.”
“Well, you don’t look like Beyoncé,” Taylor said, grinning.
Cassie was grateful to Taylor for the levity, as her heart had been heavy all night. She’d slept fitfully, and morning hadn’t come soon enough. The butterflies in her stomach hadn’t subsided with daylight, and the program she held in her hands was twisted beyond recognition.
“So, what do you think he’s going to do?” Taylor asked, leaning back in her seat and eyeing the dais at the front of the room. It sat empty, with ten minutes until the press conference was scheduled to begin. “Did he actually have a plan last night when he left?”
Cassie had filled Taylor in on Alex’s confession earlier that morning. She leaned forward, her hand on Taylor’s knee. “I don’t know. I have absolutely no idea.” She glanced around the room, recognizing many sympathetic faces from the ceremony yesterday, their presence gratifying.
“Do you believe he can fix this?” Taylor said, her eyes full of questions.
“I have absolutely no doubt he will, and I can’t quite explain why,” Cassie said as her heart warmed with the memory of his touch. His sincerity had moved her, and she utterly believed he would make this right.
“Sounds like you have a lot of faith in him,” Taylor said. �
��And that you’re quite smitten again.”
“Smitten?” Cassie hadn’t heard that word in a long time—particularly in reference to herself. But she had to admit her greatest hope was that he could save her, save the vaquita and would somehow be the man she’d thought he was all a long.
As they waited for the press conference to begin, the room began to fill even more. It hadn’t been planned very long, and Cassie noticed the staff scrambling for more chairs. There wouldn’t have been time for people to get her from very far away, and her hand covered her mouth as she turned around.
“Taylor, look,” she said quietly.
Taylor turned around and gasped. “Oh, my gosh. It’s everybody from Playa Luna. Jimmy, Miguel, Mrs. Dayton. Wow. And all your dad’s fishing buddies.”
Jimmy gave them a thumb’s up, and Taylor smiled at Whiskers wagging his tail and looking in the window.
The door behind the dais opened, and the sound of digital camera flashes became almost deafening. Taylor grabbed Cassie’s hand as they watched the Board of Directors walk in and take their seats on the platform, its purple velvet cloth in front stamping them with regality. Alex’s mother, comfortable in this arena, sat down coolly, turning her gaze directly to Cassie. She smiled slightly, nodding, and turned toward her son as he entered the room.
They both leaned forward as Alex followed the group in a few steps behind. His Armani suit had “business” written all over it, and she had to look twice at him to remember his face as it was last night in the firelight. Searching, she tried to read his expression. Her heart sunk as she realized he wasn’t smiling.
The group took their seats, and Alex walked to the podium, blinking as the photographers took picture after picture. “Ladies and gentleman, thank you for joining us today. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank those of you who sent messages regarding the vaquita sanctuary. We received all opinions and weighed before coming to a decision.”
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