"I'll let you know."
Chapter Six
A small gathering of people crowded onto the first floor of the restaurant and surrounded Eduardo, Diana, Bianca and him.
"Ready?" Rey asked and at the nod of the three partners, he smiled and handed sledgehammers to Diana and Bianca. "Ladies first."
Bianca met Rey's gaze and she shook her head. "I think Eduardo and Diana need to do this together."
Rey nodded, appreciating her selflessness in letting the husband and wife celebrate this special moment. He took the sledgehammer from her, handed it to Eduardo, and motioned to the others who were circling around.
"Get the bottles and cameras ready, folks."
Eduardo muscled the tool up onto his shoulder, but Diana struggled with the weight of her sledgehammer. "I can't do this by myself. Eduardo come help me," she said as Eduardo handed his sledgehammer back to him.
“Whatever you want, my love," Eduardo teased and stepped behind his wife, encircled her in his arms as they wrapped their hands around the handle of the tool and raised it.
"Ready?" Eduardo asked Diana, and then quickly glanced around at everyone else who was waiting to capture the moment for posterity's sake. When the group egged him on and waved their cameras and smartphones in the air, Eduardo leaned close to his wife and whispered something in her ear.
Diana laughed heartily, kissed him and shouted, "Let's do this!"
A moment later, their combined swing brought the sledgehammer against the wall, breaking through brittle sheetrock and rousing a chorus of loud cheers from the crowd.
Rey noticed the struggle the couple was having yanking the tool from the hole they had just made and he grasped the handle and easily pulled it out with one hand. He turned and passed the tool to Bianca.
"Think you need help, Princess?"
Bianca thought about how the other couple had been spooned together to swing and quickly answered. "No, Rey. I think I can handle this one, but don't think you're going to get off so easy."
Rey leaned on the handle of the second sledgehammer and as he snuck a peek at the crowd. He noticed the interested gazes of his sister, Daisy, and of Bianca's brother and his wife. He opted for some discretion, biting back any comment bound to raise speculation.
"Whatever you say, Bianca."
Bianca stepped aside, made room for him to join her before the wall to which her friends had just taken the hammer.
"Since you're the head honcho on this project, and since it was your great idea to take down this poor wall we are about to demolish, I think you should join me."
Rey was a little unnerved by all the attention, but realized the honor Bianca was bestowing.
"Thanks." He raised the sledgehammer and motioned for her to do the same.
"On three," she said and when he nodded, she began the countdown.
On three, they both swung with all their might.
The sledgehammers smacked into the wall with resounding thuds, but then he heard Bianca's muttered curse as the sting of the contact traveled up the handle and into her hands. He yanked his hammer out of the wall and grasped hers before it could drop and hurt her.
"You okay?" he questioned, leaning close.
She rubbed the palms of her hands together and looked up at him. "Stings like heck. How do you do it?"
He held out his hands, displaying his work-hardened palms, but was unprepared for her to reach out and run her hands across the surface of his. Heat raced up his arms from the contact and he pulled away quickly.
To take the attention of the crowd away from them, he quickly rattled off jobs for each of the attendees to do.
Bianca dropped back, warmth traveling to her face as she realized she had nearly made a fool of herself in front of her friends and family. She grasped her hands behind her back and focused on the laces of her sneakers as Rey issued instructions to his crew and those who had gathered to help with the initial demolition and clean-up.
As people scattered to do their chores, she somehow managed the courage to look up at Rey and found him studying her intently. "What would be a good time to have some food ready for everyone?"
He took a step closer and grinned, displaying that wicked dimple. "Princess, the food is your domain. Whenever you want it to be ready, let me know and I'll schedule shifts so that we lose as little time as possible."
Bianca nodded. "I'll let you know. Thanks for letting us provide some of the muscle."
"I'm always ready to please a client, Bianca," he teased and warmth spread to her cheeks again at the double meaning behind his words.
"Rey," she warned, but it lacked any sting and he seemed to know it. He grasped her shoulders and turned her around in the direction of the kitchen. With a swat to her backside, he got her moving.
Like a mother duck leading its little ducklings to the water, Bianca gathered together the women in the group and headed them toward the kitchen.
At the doorway, she lifted the heavy plastic sheeting that had been hung there to avoid the spread of the dirt from the work into the kitchen area. She held the sheeting out of the way as her, niece, sister-in-law Maya, and Maya's mother passed through.
Rey's sister Daisy and their mother came next, and finally Diana. Making sure to tuck the plastic back into place, she paused to observe the kitchen, still unable to believe that her lifelong dream of having her own restaurant was finally coming true.
The kitchen smelled of the lemon-scented cleaner they had used to scrub down the one large stove, floors, and the countertops. The women bustled about as they readied the food for Rey's crew and the volunteers who were helping with the initial demolition. She glanced beside her and noticed that Diana had paused by the door as well and was smiling broadly.
She met her friend's gaze and grinned back, grabbed her hand, and led her over to the stove, where they directed everyone on what was to be done.
"Maya, you are going to take it easy," Bianca said, gently guiding her nearly five-month pregnant sister-in-law to a stool by the large center work area. She ran her hand across the swell of Maya's belly and the other woman held her hand there.
A flutter registered beneath the palm of her hand.
"Was that -- "
"Your new little niece or nephew. He or she is getting quite active," Maya said and held out her hand to her mother who came over and joined Bianca.
"It's so hard to believe I'm going to be a grandmother soon," Maya's mother said, a teary look in her eyes.
"And I'm going to have a little brother or sister," Alex's daughter, Samantha, chimed in, wrapping her arms around Maya's leg.
"Right, Aunt Bianca?" Samantha asked, peering up at Bianca.
Bianca knelt and held out her arms to the little girl, who left her stepmom and flew into her arms. "Yep, Samantha. Are you ready to help your auntie make lunch for everyone?"
The five-year-old smiled and hugged her hard, nearly unbalancing her. "Yes. What do I do?"
"You can help your grandmother make some fruit salad," Maya's mom said.
Samantha smiled and followed her step-grandmother to the marble pastry chef's counter at the far end of the main work table.
Bianca watched them go and turned her attention to Maya and Daisy, who waited for instructions. "I know you two can handle making the sandwiches and putting out the salads while Diana and I take care of the rest, right?"
"Definitely, Bianca. We'll be sure to make plenty 'cause I know how hungry my brother and his crew can get," Daisy said as she turned to the worktable and pulled out one of the long loaves of Cuban bread that had been delivered that morning from the local bakery.
"Not to mention Brad," Maya chimed in, referring to Daisy's newlywed husband.
"Brad definitely looks like he could pack a lot in," Bianca replied as she walked over to one of the refrigerators and hauled out the meats and cheeses they had bought the night before.
"Yep. Just like Rey, Brad can work up a hunger, trust me," Daisy confirmed. "Big men with big appetites,
" she said offhandedly.
Bianca wouldn't offer a comment, afraid that if she did, it would open up a whole line of conversation she preferred to avoid. "Well, let's be thankful for all these men who are willing to help us out in exchange for a little grub."
Her partner, Diana, came over at that moment and draped an arm around Bianca's shoulder. "Speaking of men. Where's David?"
Bianca flushed as the head of every woman in the kitchen turned her way, with the exception of Samantha who was too busy playing with a handful of watermelon for the fruit salad.
She glanced down and murmured, "David's working this weekend. He does that sometimes. To catch up on the foreign markets, he says."
"It's a shame he couldn't make it. It would have been nice to get to know him better," Diana said and Bianca appreciated the break her friend was giving her after having brought up a touchy subject. Like Eduardo, Diana didn't like David much, but the last thing she wanted was for her friends and family to get the wrong impression.
"Yes, it is. Maybe he'll be able to make it next time," Bianca replied and looped her arm through her friend's. "Ready to make some soup and chips?"
Diana nodded and the two women walked around to the side of the worktable closest to the stove to prepare their contributions to the food. They had thought that the men would need more than just the sandwiches to fill them after a morning of hard work, and so they had planned to make a cold gazpacho soup in deference to the summer heat. As a side dish to the sandwiches, in addition to the cold potato and macaroni salads they had made the day before, they were frying up a batch of chips from a variety of tropical tubers and vegetables. The soup and chips would also give them the opportunity to try out some of their recipes on the crew.
While Diana prepped the plum tomatoes for the gazpacho, Bianca got ready to make the chips. She peeled the skins off the plantains, yuca, malanga, and yams. Taking a break from the peeling, she got a large pot of oil heating on the stove, then returned to the worktable to start slicing the vegetables and tubers with a mandolin. Over and over she ran the pieces across the razor sharp edge, and slowly a large pile of chips grew beneath the mandolin.
When Bianca had a reasonable amount beneath the slicer, she returned to the stove to check on the oil. Seeing that it was just right, she grabbed a wire fry basket, filled it with the slices, and set the basket down in the oil to fry, giving it a shake to separate the various slices.
She returned to the worktable and noted that Diana was making good progress on the gazpacho. The tomatoes were pureed and Diana was started to blend them together with the various other spices and liquids.
"Looks good," she said and patted her friend on the back.
"I'll need you to taste for me later," Diana replied.
Bianca nodded and returned to slicing and frying. Little by little a nice mound of finished chips began to grow on a plate by the kitchen stove.
It was about two hours later that Rey stuck his head in to check their progress.
Bianca walked over and wrinkled her nose at the state he was in. Plaster dust covered his clothes and all of the skin exposed by his tank top. Safety glasses and a paper face mask dangled around his neck from an elastic band and his hair was littered with bits of debris from the demolition.
"Rey, you are a mess," she said and ran her hand through the mane of his dark hair to remove the rubble.
He grinned and laid a hand on her shoulder. "A very hungry mess. Do you think we can start getting some grub soon? I set up some sawhorses and boards outside in the parking lot to act as tables."
"Do you want to get cleaned up in here?" she asked, gesturing to the one sink and then running her hand across his bare arm to wipe off the light coating of powder on his skin. His muscles were hard beneath her fingers. His skin hot from his exertions. Looking up, his gaze told her he was not unaffected by her touch and she abruptly pulled her hand away.
"I don't want to mess up the kitchen," he replied and ran a finger along her cheek, then tapped her nose playfully, grinning. "There's a hose outside we can use to wash most of the grit off. I'll send the guys to get cleaned up whenever you say."
"Half an hour," she replied.
He nodded and walked back out through the plastic sheeting into the restaurant.
She smiled and turned to face the women in the kitchen. They were all studying her intently and it was really uncomfortable.
"Ready to set up lunch?" she asked and walked to the back door of the kitchen which led out to the parking lot. She didn't wait for an answer as she went out the door, but lingered out of sight, worried that they'd be talking about her.
Daisy immediately started the discussion she'd been expecting. "Am I the only one who noticed?"
"Rey and Bianca. Like in maybe there was something more going on?" Maya quickly jumped in.
"Yeah, not quite fireworks. More like some smoke signals," Diana added. "But definitely more than what I've seen when she's with David."
Maya laughed harshly and said, "Well, I'm glad. David's a jerk."
Ouch, Bianca thought, but stayed out of sight.
"You think so, too?" Diana asked, her tone almost thankful. "I was worried that maybe Eduardo and I were misjudging him."
"No, you aren't. I mean, I guess he's not all that bad. But he's not what Bianca needs," Maya explained.
"And you think Rey is?" Daisy questioned, clearly worried about her brother.
"Think Rey is what?" Bianca asked as she decided it was time to return and end the talk.
"Ready for lunch," Daisy offered as all the women guiltily returned to work, but Samantha suddenly chimed in with, "Uncle Rey is really nice. He always plays with me and gives me piggyback rides. He's really strong and really cute."
There was a moment of dead silence and then everyone started chuckling.
Maya walked over, picked up her daughter, and placed her on her hip. "Jellybean, you are too young to be noticing things like that. Now how about some lunch?"
"I want to try the chips," Sammie piped up.
Bianca took Sammie from her sister-in-law to relieve the load on Maya's already burdened back. She balanced her niece on her hip much as Maya had done.
"You can have some chips with a piece of the sandwich and maybe some soup," Bianca said and the little girl smiled.
"Thank you, Aunt Bianca," Samantha said and bestowed a loud smoochy kiss that had become a routine with them on Bianca's cheek. Bianca reciprocated, burying her head against Samantha's neck and planting a sloppy raspberry of a kiss against her soft fragrant skin.
Sammie giggled and squirmed, trying to get away.
"Auntie," Sam protested, but it was clear she was enjoying Bianca's attention.
"Let's go, munchkin. Let's put out the food." She let Sammie slip down to the floor and gently grasped her hand. With her free hand, she snatched up a pile of paper tablecloths to place on the makeshift tables Rey had set up outside.
Maya followed her, and when they got into the parking lot, they quickly laid out the tablecloths. Diana and the other women followed soon after, bringing out the sandwiches, salads, and other foods as well as the plastic cups, napkins, cutlery, and paper plates.
The first wave of workers came out through the front door of the restaurant about ten minutes later, followed by Alex and Brad. While the workers hurried to the tables and the food, Brad and Alex walked to the back of Brad's Navigator. Brad popped open the back and together with Alex, they pulled out a large tub filled with ice and soda and lugged it over. Then they returned to the back of the car, pulled out another similar tub, and likewise placed it next to the food area.
The two men embraced their wives, walked with them away from the crowd of workers, and sat down beneath the shade of a large tree on the edge of the parking lot. She smiled at the way her brother cuddled his wife and daughter and shared the plate of food Maya had prepared. The love between them was all too clear, as was the passion between Daisy and her newlywed husband, Brad. The sizzle carried all the
way across the parking lot as the couple kissed and exchanged a tight embrace before eating.
Both couples had that something extra Eduardo had hinted at, and as the first shift of workers finished eating and the next group emerged, Bianca saw the same loving and passion between Diana and Eduardo, who were in the second shift.
She had little time to think about it for long as she struggled to keep the tables full of food and other necessities and clear of the debris from those who had eaten. It seemed like forever until a third and final shift came out, but still no Rey. There was a moment of disappointment which she throttled back, telling herself she shouldn't be so eager to see him. Until he emerged through the front door a second later, pulling off his work gloves and tank top, and stopping at the hose to wash off the dirt and dust.
She did busywork at the table, straightening out the plates and napkins to avoid glancing over as he rinsed off his chest and arms, but it was a lost cause.
He was even more beautiful then she had imagined, with a broad muscled chest that was smooth and perfect, except for an angry looking ridge of a scar along his left side.
Bianca winced as she thought about how he had gotten it and the pain it must have caused. It was at that moment that he looked over and their gazes met and held. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him as he shook out his shirt and then used it to towel down his face, arms, and chest. He strolled over to her, bare-chested, and stopped when he was barely a foot away.
"It was nice of all of you to provide food for the crew today. Most people don't," he said and motioned to his guys as they walked past and started grabbing pieces of sandwich, chips, and salads, and cups of the gazpacho Diana had made.
"We thought it would be nice to get this project started off on the right foot," she answered and turned slightly, grabbed a plate and placed some food on there for him.
He reached past her to snag a handful of chips, and his chest brushed against the bare skin of her shoulder. She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes, telling herself it was the heat of the sun making her burn and not the fire from his skin.
Rey closed his hand around the chips, struggling not to crush them as the shock of her smooth skin against his chest registered. The fragrance of her wafted to him from her nearness and he sucked in a breath. Feeling almost lightheaded from the sudden blast of desire, he reached out to steady himself and found his hand at her waist, beneath the hem of her shirt.
Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set Page 6