by Unknown
Clarice gave her a thumbs-up. Jake just stared at her, his gaze searching. She appreciated that he watched over her. He didn’t have to worry. Despite a few lapses with Rafael, she had no intention of letting her emotions get in the way of what was best for Fontaine.
FOUR
Nathalyia felt good the next morning. She’d had a restful night and was more in control of her emotions. Her self-assurance probably showed in the wide smile on her face, the jubilant way she greeted the staff, the little bounce in her steps. She wasn’t going to fool herself. She was looking forward to seeing Rafael, but it wasn’t going any further than that. What woman wouldn’t be flattered by the attention of an attractive, self-assured man?
“Good morning, Jake, Clarice,” she greeted as she stopped at the bar. The staff was still coming in. The faint sounds of the kitchen staff making preparations could be heard, but the bar area was empty.
“Morning.” Clarice grinned. “Don’t you look happy and even more gorgeous than usual. Would a certain hot police officer have anything to do with it?”
Nathalyia felt her face heat. “It’s just such a beautiful day.”
“Are you expecting anyone for lunch?” Clarice persisted.
Jake stopped polishing the bar. “Don’t be nosy, Clarice.” Clarice frowned at him. “She has to eat, doesn’t she?”
“Before this goes any further—I am not expecting a guest for lunch.” Nathalyia told them.
“You’re not seeing him again?” Clarice asked, clearly disappointed.
“That’s none of your business,” Jake told her, his hands on his hips to emphasize his annoyance.
Clarice waved his words aside. “Nathalyia knows it’s concern, not nosiness.”
She did. Although they didn’t socialize outside the restaurant, she liked the honest, outspoken Clarice. So did Jake, but he’d deny it until his last breath. He’d resigned himself to always being alone.
“Rafael is coming later tonight for his tour and dessert,” Nathalyia told them. If he hadn’t had her so flustered, she would have insisted the tour be earlier. She thought of his comment about kissing on the second date and barely kept from blushing again.
“That’s more like it,” Clarice said, giving Jake a friendly pat on the back before moving off.
“Go on and say it,” Nathalyia said to Jake. His strong face was set in forbidding lines.
“You’re a grown woman.” Jake opened the Sub-Zero refrigerator, pulled out her bottled water, opened it, and handed it to her.
She took a sip. “That fact has never stopped you before.”
“This is different, and we both know it.” He tossed a white cotton dish towel over his shoulder.
“Yes.” Her hands closed around the bottle. “He admires how I handle the restaurant. He doesn’t freak when I mention Martin, which I do a lot. In fact, he praised him.”
“Men can be devious,” Jake pointed out.
She smiled at him. “There are also wonderful men, like you and Martin.”
“He was one of the best.” Jake glanced at a picture of a group of men in fishing gear on a boat that hung on the wall. “He saved my sanity.”
“He saved me.” She smiled. “If he were here, he’d tell us to stop being sappy and get on with life. He hated people who spent time bemoaning life instead of living it.”
“Is that what you’re going to do?” he asked, watching her.
“I admit a part of me would like to know him better, but as I said, I don’t have time for a man.” She tipped the bottle to him and continued to her office.
Clarice came to stand beside Jake. “Did you change her mind? She wasn’t smiling when she left.”
“I don’t know.” Jake watched Nathalyia all the way to her office before turning to Clarice. “This is your fault.”
“Yes, it is, isn’t it.”
He glared at her. She smiled. “Don’t give me that look. I left you alone so you could get it off your chest, but she’s lonely and I like Rafael.”
“We know your taste in men,” he said gruffy.
The smile slid from her face. “Yes, we do.” She turned away. He caught her before she had gone two steps. “Let go of me. I’m two seconds away from tearing into you and if I do that, I’ll be fired.”
His fingers flexed on her arm, but he didn’t free her. “You know I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
“You mean like I’m a brainless sl—”
His large hand covered her mouth. She bit him. “Ouch!” Shaking his hand, he staggered backward.
She eyed him. “Your hands are as tough as leather. It’s a wonder I didn’t lose a tooth, so stop pretending I hurt you so I’d feel better.”
“I don’t want you mad at me,” he said, letting his hand fall to his side.
She didn’t want to be mad at him either. He was the first man she’d spent time with that she trusted, liked, even depended on in some ways. “Those pictures still need hanging at my place.”
“You know I don’t like hanging pictures. I tried it here and the wall had to be repaired,” he reminded her.
“Noted, so you’d better be careful. The walls are thin at my new apartment, but it’s closer to work and larger than my last one. We don’t have to be here until ten in the morning. I’ll expect you at eight.” She walked off and Jake watched her go. How could a woman know him so well and not have a clue that he loved her?
If Rafael answered one question about his lunch date with Nathalyia, he answered fifty. It seemed the entire station had heard about the date. He didn’t really mind. If his team members hadn’t pitched in to help him, he might have struck out again. He still might.
It wasn’t a pleasant thought. There was no telling how long it would have taken to get past her defenses. She was a cautious woman in some ways, and totally captivating. He could easily lose himself in her dark, sexy eyes.
He pulled his cell phone from its case on his belt and considered calling her. It was almost three and he was getting off in a couple of hours. He could swing by the restaurant and grab a bite to eat. Maybe they could go for another walk and he could work on getting her to let him follow her home after the tour of Fontaine.
He readily admitted to himself that he wanted his mouth on hers, wanted the freedom to let his hands roam over her incredible body. He blew out a breath. She was rightly cautious, but definitely interested. He was willing to let Nathalyia set the pace and learn he could be trusted. He smiled. Well, up to a point.
“You’re the talk of the station. Again.”
“That’s our little brother.”
Rafael looked up to see Alec and Sam. Both of his brothers had their arms crossed, indulgent smiles on their faces. Rafael placed the cell phone on his desk. “What can I say? Women like me.”
Alec, two years older, with dark, piercing eyes and a muscular build, sat on the edge of Rafael’s desk. “Modest, but I hear you had to work hard to get this one to go out with you.”
“You heard right,” Diaz commented from the next desk over. “If it hadn’t been for me, he never would have known about the raffle, let alone won it.”
“We all pitched in to help,” Gibbs pointed out. “I just don’t see why she chose Dunlap over me.”
“Look in the mirror,” Henderson commented, then burst out laughing.
“Sit and spin,” Gibbs pointed out, then went back to filing cases.
“Boys. Boys.” Cannon’s sigh was long-suffering. “You can’t imagine what it’s like to work with testosterone-driven men all day. I can’t imagine why my girlfriends envy me.”
“You know you love it, Cannon,” Barron drawled in his Texan accent. “It took you three tries to be accepted into the unit.”
“Same as you,” Cannon replied sweetly.
Rafael chuckled. “As you can tell, I need a break after being with them all day.”
Sam nodded. He was second in command at the station. At sixty-two, his hair remained jet-black, his broad shoulders square. His voice cou
ld lull or flay the hide off an insubordinate officer or a hardened criminal. “It’s about time women stopped falling over themselves for you.”
“Shows she’s cautious and selective,” Alec said. “A woman worth having is worth fighting for.”
“Whoa!” Rafael put up both hands. “Put on the brakes. I just met her.”
Sam walked closer and pitched his voice low so only Rafael and Alec could hear him. “You went to see her instead of going home last night.”
“That’s what I get for calling Helen.” Rafael hadn’t wanted Sam’s wife, who mothered all of the Dunlap men, to worry. Without fail, she always called him after he had to negotiate. She was his rock as much as his brothers were.
When he’d lost three people in a hostage situation last year, they’d talked for hours on the phone. She’d been the same attentive way six months ago when a suicidal woman had taken Rafael over the roof of an office building with her. His safety harness had saved them, but they’d been badly bruised from bumping against the concrete wall. The woman had quickly changed her mind about dying, and frantically clung to him.
Alec clasped Rafael’s shoulder. “You knew she’d worry. Celeste called me to check on you as well. She said to tell you she’s sending you a batch of cookies.”
Celeste, Alec’s fiancée, was gorgeous and a fabulous cook. “You really lucked out, Alec.”
“Don’t I know it.” His eyes grew serious. “You made our future possible.”
Rafael knew he referred to the hostage incident. “Your going in made the difference.”
“You both did.” Sam pointed to the cell phone on Rafael’s desk. “You were about to make a phone call.”
Rafael almost squirmed. “I was thinking about calling Nathalyia.”
“An unusual and beautiful name,” Alec said. “I’ve been to Fontaine and know it fits the woman.”
“You’ve seen her?” Rafael asked. “What did you think of her?” he asked before he could stop himself. He didn’t discuss the women he dated with his brothers, or anyone else for that matter.
The odd look on his brothers’ faces said they were aware of his deviation. “She was very friendly the times Helen and I went there,” Sam answered.
“You’ve been there, too?” Rafael asked.
“It’s a popular restaurant.” Alec stood. “Just think. You could have met her months ago if you weren’t so set on not eating at restaurants that don’t have valet parking.”
“But I would have been on a date so it wouldn’t have come to anything,” Rafael felt compelled to point out.
“You never know.” Sam slapped him on the back. “By the way, I’m proud of the way you handled the standoff with the hostage yesterday. You made the right call.”
“Thanks.” Even as an adult, Rafael enjoyed receiving praise from his brothers, especially Sam.
“We’ll see you for Sunday dinner,” Sam said. “You can bring a date if you want.”
Rafael’s brows drew together. “I’ve never brought a date to dinner with just the family.”
“As far as I know, you’ve never called one from work either,” Alec pointed out as he stood to his feet and leaned over. “Don’t look so stricken. It happens to the best of us.”
Waving, Sam and Alec left the office. Rafael stared after them and then put the phone away. He and Nathalyia were just having fun. Nothing more.
Rafael knew something was wrong the moment Clarice met him at the door and seated him in one of the back booths and slid in on the other side. “Is Nathalyia all right?”
“One of Nathalyia’s children with sickle cell had a crisis. The little girl wanted Nathalyia, so she took off.”
Rafael came to his feet, pulling his car keys from his pocket. “Which hospital? Maybe I can help.”
Clarice stood and gently touched his arm. “She didn’t tell me.”
“Can you call her?” he asked.
“Only if it’s an emergency,” Clarice told him. “Nathalyia left instructions for me to take you on the tour and give you the option of taking the dessert tonight or stopping by tomorrow after eleven.”
He didn’t like the idea that she might need him and he wasn’t there. She hadn’t given him a choice. “Do you think she’ll come back by closing time?”
“She’ll be at the hospital as long as Carmen or the family needs her,” Clarice told him. “Her children are the one thing that takes priority over Fontaine.”
It didn’t surprise him. “She’s a fantastic woman.”
“On that we agree.” Clarice held out her pad. “Give me your number and I’ll call you if she comes back tonight.”
Rafael quickly scribbled down his cell and home phone numbers. “Thank you, but I think I’ll wait for a little while.”
“Anything else besides the usual iced tea?” When he hesitated, she smiled. “If you’re thinking of a dessert, I’ll put it on your bill. Fontaine will still owe you a dessert.”
He took his seat. “The bread pudding. Nathalyia said she came up with the recipe.”
“She did, and it’s delicious.” She grinned. “You probably can tell I like desserts.”
“I can tell you’re a good friend.”
She stared at him. “I’m glad I was right about you. I’ll be back in a jiff with your order.”
Rafael checked his watch and leaned back against the booth. Dealing with a family with a critically ill child was heart-wrenching. He’d already guessed that Nathalyia had a soft spot for children. He wished he was there to offer her support, to help the family in any way he could. All he could do was wait.
Nathalyia pulled into her parking space at Fontaine with a flourish. Despite its size, her husband’s Rolls-Royce handled as well as her Volvo. Getting out, she hurried to the back door. The restaurant was due to close in ten minutes.
Punching in the code, she entered and went to the office to put away her handbag. She glanced at the pile of invoices she’d been working on when she received the frantic call from Carmen’s mother, and kept walking. She wanted to make her last round of the night.
She turned in to the bar and came to a complete stop. Her heart did a crazy dance.
“Nathalyia.” Rafael slid out of the booth and came to her. “How is the little girl?”
“Sleeping,” she said, staring at him. “You’re still here?”
“I wanted to make sure you were all right, but I can see by your expression that you are,” he told her.
“Yes, I—”
“Boss. It’s almost closing time,” Jake called.
Nathalyia looked beyond Rafael to Jake’s hard face. He was reminding her of her responsibility to Fontaine. “Excuse me, I need to make final rounds.”
“Sure. I’ll wait.”
“You don’t—”
Rafael took his seat and picked up his glass of tea. “You’d better get going.”
She didn’t have time to argue with him. She moved to the next table, and the next. Twenty minutes later she showed the last couple to the door. Tonight had been their first date. She thanked them for selecting Fontaine and gave each a $10 coupon to use on their next visit. Smiling at each other, they promised to return.
Nathalyia watched the couple walk away. The man’s hand moved from the woman’s shoulder to her waist as he opened the outer door. She smiled up at him.
Nathalyia hoped it worked out for them. Anything important carried risks. She thought of Rafael. It was difficult not to. Besides his heart-stopping good looks, he was a caring, thoughtful man.
Clarice approached with her usual smile. “I’m glad to hear that Carmen is resting.”
Nathalyia didn’t have to ask how she knew. Clarice had an easy way with men. She was also a risk taker. Nathalyia was neither. “Did you take him on the tour?”
“Nope.” She grinned. “Seems he didn’t want a substitute. He knows exactly what he wants.” She elbowed Nathalyia. “Give him a chance.”
“Clarice,” Jake called.
Clarice rolled her
eyes. “The master calls,” she said loud enough for Jake and the other bartenders to hear. They laughed as she rounded the bar. Jake’s expression remained stoic.
Nathalyia started for the booth Rafael sat in. She’d never met a man as persistent as he was or one who made her restless, made her body want.
He stood. “I ordered you a water and strawberry lemonade. Clarice didn’t think you were hungry.”
Add thoughtful to the list. “Thank you.” Nathalyia sat near the edge of the booth’s seat. She had a feeling that if she scooted in farther, Rafael would slide in beside her. She was having enough trouble resisting him without his hard, muscled body pressed next to hers.
“Drink up and then tell me about Carmen, if you feel like it,” he said, pushing the drinks closer to her.
Nathalyia sipped her strawberry lemonade. “She’s beautiful. She has an iron will that both parents agree comes from her late maternal grandmother. When the episode began, she was angry because she hadn’t had a crisis in seventy-eight days, and if it was a bad one it would keep her from the carnival. She wanted me to promise her that, no matter what, she could go.”
She looked up. Tears glistened in her eyes. “I told her whenever she felt better, the first thing I’d do was take her to the carnival. Thank God the crisis wasn’t major. The pain can be—” She bit her lip.
Rafael got up and nudged her over with his body. When he was seated, he curved his arm across her shoulders and gave her his handkerchief. “She’s sleeping, Nathalyia, and probably dreaming of all the wonderful things she’ll do at the carnival.”
She dabbed her eyes. “I told her about the rides, the food. She’ll have a wheelchair so she won’t get tired Friday night, and plenty of water to keep hydrated. Before I left I talked with her parents about a trip to Disney World next summer for the entire family. Her eighteen-year-old sister is a college freshman and takes care of Carmen while their parents work at night. They’re a good family.”
“You’re a good woman.” He pressed his lips against her temple. “Drink.”