When he turned back to look at her, he saw that she was watching the bartender, too. He couldn’t tell if she looked disappointed or resigned.
“I thought I was doing you a favor by rescuing you from that one,” he said.
“Thank you, but just because I missed the bus in Horseback Hollow doesn’t mean I need you to keep rescuing me.”
He nodded.
“No, you don’t. You’re a strong, smart, capable woman.”
He almost added beautiful to the list, but he bit back the word before it escaped.
“Thank you for that.” She sighed and looked a little defeated. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m in a mood and I don’t mean to take it out on you. The family meeting didn’t go very well. Why don’t we start over?” She took a deep breath and extended her hand. “Hi, Joaquin. I’m glad to see you.”
This was a different disposition for her. She was usually so happy and full of good spirits that her kindness and effervescence were contagious. But no one was perfect. She was allowed an off night.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She looked at him for a long, silent moment filled by the loud salsa music playing in the background. He thought she was going to decline.
“Actually, yes, I would. I think that would help.”
A four-top in the corner was just opening up. “Why don’t we go grab that table over there?”
As soon as they sat, a server approached and Joaquin ordered a beer.
“Would you like anything else?” he asked Zoe.
She toasted him with her large glass. “Thanks, I think I’m all set for tonight—and possibly into next week. This drink is huge. There’s no way I’ll be able to finish it. So, please, help yourself.”
“Why don’t you bring us an order of chips and salsa?” Joaquin said to the server. Then he turned back to Zoe. “It might come in handy to soak up some of that alcohol.”
As she pushed the drink aside, Joaquin felt an irrational satisfaction that he would be the one sharing Zoe’s beverage, not the bartender.
After the server walked away, Joaquin said, “What’s going on with your family?”
Her pretty eyes darkened a shade and she lowered her lids as she traced a crack in the Formica tabletop.
“I don’t understand why Ben is so determined to prove that our father is lying about his identity. Now he’s alleging Dad has illegitimate children scattered all over the place. Can’t he see how humiliating this is for our mother? Though I don’t think she’s aware of this allegation. It seems like Ben is determined to tear our family apart. He keeps trying to dig up a past for our dad. When he doesn’t find anything, he invents something. Ben just needs to hop off.
“But let’s say by some fluke my dad is this Jerome Fortune person. He obviously doesn’t want anyone to know. He has asked Ben time and again to stop. Why does Ben keep digging? What difference does would it make if our father actually did have a past that he isn’t proud of? What good is it going to do if Ben uncovers buried skeletons and drags them out for everyone to see? What difference is that going to make except to hurt everyone involved?”
Joaquin wore his best poker face. He knew that Ben was on a mission to prove a Fortune connection, but he hadn’t realized until this very moment how closely Zoe’s family issues overlapped with his own. It gave him pause.
“I don’t know Ben very well, but I can’t imagine he’s purposely trying to tear apart your family.”
Zoe looked at him as if he’d spit in her drink.
“So, you’re saying he’s right to do this, even though my dad has asked him to stop?”
Joaquin shook his head. “I’m not saying anyone is right or wrong. What I was getting at is that I think it’s natural to want to know your roots and where you came from.”
“Well, he is tearing us apart. Or at least he’s headed in that direction.”
When there were issues—tough issues—that needed to be discussed, someone was bound to get hurt. But it didn’t do anyone any good to ignore it.
“Before it gets any later,” Zoe said, “we better start the interview. Since that’s why we came here in the first place.”
Good idea. Since they seemed to have opposite opinions about a similar family issue, it was bound to cause hurt feelings. As if to second the motion to change subjects, the server approached the table with his beer.
Since Zoe didn’t want anything else, he paid for his drink rather than run a tab. Once that was taken care of, he said, “What’s the first question?”
She pulled a small tablet out of her purse. As she typed, pink nails clicking on the built-in keyboard, her earlier tension seemed to ease.
“What do you like best about working at Robinson Tech?”
“The project I’m working on is interesting. I love the creative freedom I have at Robinson.”
She glanced up at him and nodded before recording his answer.
“Favorite color?”
“How is that work-related?”
“Favorite color,” she repeated. “I didn’t promise that this was strictly about the professional you. That’s boring, Joaquin. We have to spice it up with a little bit of personality. So, favorite color?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Blue.”
“Really?” Zoe said as she tap-tapped away, typing up his answer. “I had you pegged for a green man, but blue works. Favorite food?”
“There’s not much I don’t like. Everything from steak to sushi to all ethnic cuisines. I love good food. It’s something I’m passionate about.”
She propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin on the heel of her hand. “I think it’s very sexy when a man is adventurous.”
He laughed. “Are you going to put that in your article?”
“Maybe. How would you describe your perfect day?”
It had been so long since he’d had a perfect day that he had to think about it for a minute.
“Spending it with someone special. Maybe exploring new places, or if there was a somewhere we both liked, we could go there.”
He remembered days spent on the beach and in a boat out on the ocean in Florida. He remembered the cruel way Selena had let him know their relationship was over. Funny, it was a fading memory now. He had been humiliated at the time, cut to the quick, but the pain was gone. He hadn’t realized it until now.
“I haven’t made it to the Driskill Hotel yet,” he said. “I hear it’s a quite a place.”
Zoe reached out and put a hand on his arm. “Oh, my gosh. It’s one of my favorite places in Austin. Maybe we could meet there for drinks some time?”
“Yeah.”
And there it was again, that energy that coursed between them. If he wasn’t careful, he might mistake it for chemistry. Aw, hell, who was he kidding? This was chemistry and it was undeniable. Admitting it was the best safeguard against crossing that line. That damn line. It kept tempting him closer and closer.
“What are you most grateful for?” she asked.
He was grateful she’d changed the subject. “That’s easy—my family.”
“See, you do know that family is most important over everything. Everything.”
The episode with Selena had underscored that. A lot of women had come and gone in his life, but his family was the one constant.
“Have you ever been married?” she asked.
“I agreed to answer five questions. That’s number six.”
She closed the tablet’s cover and slid it into her purse. “That one is for me. Not for the newsletter.”
He took a swig of his beer, debating whether he wanted to talk about this or not. But one look at Zoe’s pretty face and he was putty.
“I was engaged once.”
“Was?” Zoe asked.
Joaquin nodded.
“What was her name?”
“Selena Marks.”
Zoe’s eyes widened. “As in Marks Telecom in Miami? That’s where you worked, right?”
“How did you know that?” he asked.
“I have my ways. Does your broken engagement have anything to do with why you won’t date people you work with?”
For all of her fun-loving ways, she was pretty astute. He drained the last of his beer and set the bottle on the table.
“It has everything to do with that. On that note, I think it’s time to call it a night. Do you want me to give you a ride home?”
“No, of course not. I have my car here.”
“Are you okay to drive?”
“I’ve had maybe three sips. I’m a lightweight. It was way too strong for me. So, I’m fine to drive.”
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll walk you out to your car.”
They navigated their way to the front of the cantina and he held the door for her.
When they got to her car, a sporty little red BMW convertible, she turned to him, her voice soft and little shaky. “I don’t know what happened that caused your engagement to end, but I hate that it caused you so much pain. And I’m sorry that it may be keeping you from potentially good relationships.”
A moment passed between them. She looked vulnerable and angelic standing there backlit by the glow of the streetlight. She was right. He had been letting Selena keep him from moving forward, but tonight Zoe had helped him see that he’d moved further ahead than he’d realized.
“May I be perfectly honest with you?” he asked.
“Of course. I’d expect nothing less from you.”
He nodded. “The thing is, I like working at Robinson. I didn’t realize just how much until I realized that this project is almost finished and I’m not ready to go.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you saying you want a permanent position?”
“I have a meeting with Gerald later this week and I was going to talk to him about it.”
“I have an idea,” she said. “What are you doing Thursday night?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“My dad is hosting a dinner for a handful of high-level employees. You should come.”
Joaquin laughed. “You are something else. I cannot crash your father’s party. He didn’t invite me. Thanks, but I’ll talk to him when we meet at the office.”
“He’s going to invite you. So, be prepared to clear your calendar on Thursday night.”
Joaquin shook his head. It was more of a head-clearing gesture than a negative response to her promised invitation.
“Just like that, your father is going to invite me? Because you said so.”
She shrugged and nodded, making a face as if he’d just asked the dumbest question ever.
Joaquin couldn’t help but smile at her self-assurance. It was one of the things he loved about her. She wasn’t arrogant or mean; there wasn’t a cruel bone in her body. She simply knew what was what and she wasn’t afraid to own it.
“You always get what you want, don’t you?”
She cocked her head to the side. “You say that like it’s a bad thing, Mr. Mendoza.”
“No, actually, it’s not. I was thinking that you’re pretty amazing.”
“Really? You think so?”
It took everything he had not to lean in and taste those lips again. But he knew better and he pulled himself back from the edge.
“You’re a good friend, a good daughter, and you’re great at what you do. I’d say all that adds up to amazing.”
“I’m a good friend, huh?”
He tried to ignore the way the disappointment in her eyes belied the smile curving up the edges of those tempting lips. “Well, Joaquin, you keeping me in the friend zone proves I don’t get everything I want. You need to know I won’t give up on you.”
God, she was killing him.
“You also need to know that people have told me that I’m passionate and persistent.” She let the words hang between them. “So I’m not letting you friend-zone me, Joaquin.”
He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
“Good night, Zoe.”
“Seriously? Is that the best you can do?”
“Were you expecting something else?”
“Joaquin, that was like getting a kiss from my brother.”
“Since your sister is married to my brother, doesn’t that make us related in some way?”
She put her hands on her hips. “No, it does not. You’re a hot Latino from Miami. I expected more from you than a kiss on the forehead. You have no game.”
Joaquin laughed. “You think I just made a move on you? That shows just how innocent you are. Because when I make a move on a woman, she knows it.”
Chapter Eight
As an independent contractor who’d only had a minimal amount of one-on-one time with Gerald Robinson, Joaquin had mixed emotions when the big boss stopped by his office on Tuesday to invite him to the Thursday-night dinner party.
He knew Gerald wouldn’t have done it if not for Zoe’s prompting. But on the other hand, despite how much Gerald loved his daughter, Joaquin was certain the man wouldn’t have been goaded into inviting anyone to something like this simply for his daughter’s amusement.
There was a time for pride and then there was a time when someone didn’t refuse a bona fide invitation that could change his career. Robinson Tech was the premier technology company. It was the wave of the future. It was the only place for anyone interested in designing cutting-edge software.
When Thursday night rolled around and Joaquin arrived at the Robinson estate with its stone walls and iron gates, he felt like a fish out of water the minute he started up the long, winding driveway. When the house, a Mediterranean number that looked like a castle, came into view in, it knocked him back into his seat. He’d led a perfectly comfortable life in Miami. He’d never wanted for anything, but he had never been exposed to quite this level of wealth.
Not even with Selena.
Not that it mattered. The last thing he was looking for was to get tangled up with another spoiled little rich girl. But giving credit where credit was due, the more he got to know Zoe, the more he realized she wasn’t spoiled. Even though she usually got what she wanted, she was pretty damn down to earth. It sounded like a contradiction, but it wasn’t. It was the truth. She was fresh and fun and bubbly, and everyone would be better off if they borrowed a page from her outlook on life. Even when she was down, as she had been the other night, she didn’t wallow and she kept other people’s best interests at heart.
As Joaquin got closer, he saw a couple of guys standing out in front of the house. Of course there would be valets. He had a feeling everything would be first-class tonight.
After he got out of the car and handed over the keys, he started to tip the guy, but the kid held up his hand.
“Thanks, but Mr. Robinson has taken care of us. Have a nice evening, sir.”
Sir? The guy wasn’t that much younger than he was. Then again, he was probably closer to Zoe’s age than Joaquin, and it was probably just a show of respect for anyone fortunate enough to be invited to the Robinson estate.
The guy jumped into the car and carefully drove away, leaving Joaquin to contemplate the huge wooden front doors. He wondered if Zoe was somewhere inside. Then he realized he didn’t even know if she lived here or if she had a place of her own. From the looks of this house, she could have an entire wing and it would be more space than most middle-class houses.
Joaquin ignored the knot in his gut. He squared his shoulders and rang the bell. A middle-aged man in a black suit answered, greeting him formally.
“Good evening, sir.” Ha! Sir. There it was again. “Mr. Robins
on would like everyone to gather in the living room for cocktails before dinner.”
Joaquin followed the directions the butler gave him—down the polished wooden hallway, first door on the left—and joined a handful of men and women, none of whom he recognized. Robinson Tech was a huge business and Joaquin mostly kept to himself, keeping his head down, focusing on his work. They were all mixing and mingling and seemed to know each other. It wasn’t any wonder that he was the stranger here, since he hadn’t made much of an effort to get to know his coworkers socially.
His gaze took in the room from its hardwood floors covered with Persian rugs to its high, arched ceilings. The fine antique furniture and artwork, which looked like an art lover’s dream, gave the place an air of old-world elegance that he’d only encountered in the finest hotels and the couple of mansion museums he’d toured over the years.
But one important element was missing: Zoe hadn’t arrived yet. Earlier today she’d stopped by his office and said she’d see him tonight. He hoped something else hadn’t come up. Until now, he hadn’t realized how much he missed her. But as quickly as the thought registered, he shook it off. Tonight was about business, not about exploring odd feelings he didn’t know how to process.
He needed a beer. That’s what was wrong. He found his way to the open bar and ordered his drink, which the bartender poured from a tap into a frosted pilsner glass. When Joaquin turned around, Zoe was just walking into the room. She looked like something from his dreams in a short black dress and strappy sandals. She wore bright red lipstick and had swept her hair back from her face into a fancy ponytail. Somehow she always managed to look as though she’d just stepped out of the salon. The rush of emotion that hit him nearly knocked him to the floor.
Her face lit up when she saw him. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she crossed the room. It hit him that this beautiful woman, who could have any man she chose, wanted to spend time with him. With him. He’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he wanted spend time with her, too. He’d spent so much time denying it, all for the sake of not dating the boss’s daughter—but why?
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