Turning to the back of the room, Cassie glimpsed Diego standing there, his hands in front of him holding his hat. He smiled at Alex, his expression guarded, as he moved a few steps closer. He was almost unrecognizable to her without his blue jeans, cotton shirt and fishing hat. The hat he held today was that of a Latin gentleman, and the expensive suit he wore made him look like an entirely different man. If she had run into him outside, she wouldn’t have known who he was.
She looked back to the dais where Alex’s mother was whispering with the woman on her right. She suddenly turned to Alex as the murmurs in the audience grew louder, capturing her attention. She had stopped listening when Alex began to speak of the vaquita, and now, she peered toward the back of the room, shielding her eyes against the bright stage lights the photographers had set up.
“Before I announce the decision of the Board of Directors regarding the water and shore rights for the vaquita sanctuary, I’d like to introduce someone to you. Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honor I present to you my uncle, Pablo Vasquez.”
Taylor’s fingernails bit into Cassie’s hand and they both gasped as Senora Vasquez jumped to her feet and immediately crashed toward the floor. Alex jumped to his left just in time to catch her before she hit the ground, laying her gently on the carpet. “Water, please,” he shouted, as he loosened the pearls around his mother’s neck and threw them aside. His uncle and his father arrived at the same time with water, their eyes meeting as they rushed to help the woman they both loved.
Twenty-Three
“Clear the room,” Alex commanded, gesturing to the assistants in the back. “Raul—” Alex looked around for Raul, but realized he was likely already on his way in search of a first aid kit, as usual.
As they shepherded people out the back door with efficiency, an assistant motioned for Cassie and Taylor to exit with the others.
“They stay here,” Alex said, turning back to his mother’s side.
Alex wetted a napkin in a glass of water and brushed it lightly across his mother’s forehead. Senora Vasquez’s eyes fluttered, opening wide as her brother bent over her. Her hand reached toward his face, her palm resting on his check. Tears spilled as she drank in his smile. “Pablo, I never thought I’d see you again. I’d given up all hope.”
Alex sat back as Diego—Pablo—gently rubbed his thumb of his sister’s cheek.
“I didn’t think so either. It wasn’t until I saw Alex, here, that my heart allowed me to hope again.”
“Pablo, what happened? Why did you leave us?”
“Nina, Father kept us apart in more ways than you know. Even after my wife and son were killed, he wouldn’t let me return and inflict shame on the family.”
Sitting up, she never let her eyes leave her brother. “Oh, Pablo, you lost Maria? And you had a son?” she wailed, grasping him in a tight hug.
Pablo explained his wife and their young son had been killed in a boating accident. Bereft, he had spent several years building churches and homes in the Baja, lovingly crafting the fire brick structures dotting the landscape.
“It was the way I chose to mourn, Nina. I had to create beauty, as Maria created beauty for me.” He held her hand tightly, brushing back her black hair with affection. “I tried to contact you, but father intercepted.”
“What? Why would he do that if Maria was gone?” she asked, her knuckles white around Pablo’s hand.
“He decided I could come back if I agreed to work again for the company. He insisted it was the only way I could erase the shame. Maria and I had such a quiet life, and to me, her memory was not shameful. I declined, and he forbade me from contact with you and your family.” Pablo stood as Nina lowered her eyes and shook her head.
Pablo turned his kind eyes on his brother-in-law, taking him in a warm embrace. Turning to Alex, he said, “And this young man’s courage is what brought me here today.” He wrapped his arms around Alex, smiling widely. Alex returned the embrace, his eyes bright. “And now that father can no longer stand in our way, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Alex nodded. “I couldn’t help but replay the story in my mind, of Uncle Pablo’s decision to leave the family and marry Maria. I had heard he had built beautiful homes, and when I saw Cassie’s house in Playa Luna, I wondered if it had been built by Pablo. Then, after spending the day with him on the water, I wondered if he might be the person we’d lost. I wasn’t sure, but took a chance. And now that you’re together, the resemblance to Mother is unmistakable.” Alex said, taking a seat by his mother.
“He found me last night, at my home. He shared with me your plans not to allow property to be set aside designated for the vaquita sanctuary in an attempt to preserve the beach where we married, in my honor and that of my beloved Maria. I came today to tell you the highest honor to my wife and son would be allowing the sanctuary. If the vaquita survive, that would be something she would have been very proud of.”
Cassie’s head spun, the shock of seeing Diego as Pablo still rippling through her mind. Alex took her hand, giving it a squeeze. As Cassie squeezed back, Taylor patted Alex on the shoulder. “Way to go, Detective Vasquez,” she said, her blue eyes twinkling.
Senora Vasquez stood, leaning on her husband’s arm, and crossed the dais. She reached out her hand to Cassie, smiling. “Miss Lewis, it appears you have your sanctuary after all. Would you consider naming it after Pablo and Maria? That would make me very happy.”
“It would be an honor, Senora,” Cassie said, with a slight nod of her head. “I can’t think of anything more wonderful.”
Pablo again embraced his sister, his brother-in-law and all the family members on the dais. Alex turned to Cassie, his eyes gentle.
“Ahem,” she heard behind her. She turned, and Senora Vasquez motioned to assistants at the back of the room. “Please usher the public back in. We have a vote to take. And I’d like it to be public.” With a nod to Cassie, she resumed her seat as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Costa Azul International.
Cassie held her breath as she stood at the back of the room with her friends from Playa Luna who’d been invited back in. Even the volunteer firefighters had come out, in uniform, and they all hugged her as the board re-assembled on the dais.
A hush fell over the room as Alex stood and stepped over to the podium. “Directors, you are presented with the choice to vote aye or nay on the proposal to donate the previously discussed coastal land and tidewater rights to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography for research and shelter for the vaquita dolphin.”
Cassie cleared her throat and caught Alex’s eye.
“Porpoise. Excuse me, the vaquita porpoise.”
Everyone in the back of the room laughed—they’d all received the porpoise versus dolphin lecture before. As Alex continued to speak, Cassie couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He was so assured, so happy, and she couldn’t think of a better champion for her—or for the vaquita.
She held her breath again as he called the names of the members and she leaned against Taylor as each member said, in turn, “Aye.”
It was unanimous and the room burst into applause. Alex raised his fists in the air and as his mother stared at him with wide eyes, he crossed the dais and kissed her on the cheek, whispering something in her ear. His mother closed her eyes and nodded, standing to give her son a big hug. She turned and smiled in Cassie’s direction, nodding at her as well.
“Wow, Cassie, you did it,” Taylor whispered as she wrapped her friend in a big hug.
“It wasn’t me, it was him,” she whispered back. Taylor nodded and looked over toward Alex, who was making a bee-line for Cassie.
“Guess there’s more to him than it appeared,” Taylor said. She turned to the back of the room, the crowd of friends and neighbors still high-fiving each other.
Cassie nodded slowly, not able to take her eyes off of Alex.
“Come on, everybody, let’s wait outside and decide where we’re going to celebrate,” Taylor said as she winked at Cass
ie and herded all their friends and neighbors out the back door.
“Cassie, I—”
She raised her finger and put it on his lips. “Sh,” she said as she pulled him out a side door and into a hallway decorated with palm trees. She reached her arms around his neck and kissed him, gently but deeply. As she pulled away, her tears spilled and she looked at him with gratitude. He tugged under her chin, tilting her face to his. Her eyes filled with gratitude, she reached up to kiss him once again, the warmth of his lips reaching deep into her heart.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” she whispered.
“You just did. Perfectly,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her again.
“You saved me, Alex. Me and the vaquita.”
“If I did, it was for purely selfish reasons. I love you, Cassie. There was no way I was going to lose you. Or let history repeat itself.”
Her eyes widened, and she pulled him closer. He rubbed his thumb against her cheek and she closed her eyes. It felt as if she’d always known him, that he would always be there for her.
She stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “I love you, too.”
Cassie tightened her grip on Alex’s hand. It was all a miracle—a home for the vaquita and a home for her heart. She’d never in a million years thought she’d be this lucky—or happy.
Twenty-Four
Alex looked out over the crowd still remaining at the press conference. There was a hum of activity still and his mother hadn’t let go of his uncle’s arm since she’d come to.
“That was a great thing you did in there, Alex. Not just for me, but for them,” Cassie said, pointing to the dais.
“Once I had my hunch, I did what I could. Tracked Jimmy down to find Diego—Uncle Pablo—and it was easy from there.”
Alex described how he’d gone to Pablo’s house to ask him if there were any truth to his suspicion and after Pablo had confirmed the story he’d heard from his mother, they’d taken some time to catch up and make a plan.
“Why so dramatic?” Cassie asked. “You could have just brought Pablo to your mother now that your grandfather isn’t around to object.”
“We ended up talking almost all night, and by then it was time for the news conference. If there had been time I would have—but my mother is a very stubborn woman. I wanted to help with the sanctuary also, in addition to re-uniting a brother and sister.”
Cassie nodded and squeezed his hand. “Well, it turned out perfectly,” she said, standing on her toes to kiss him again. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of that, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.
“Ahem.” Alex's parents and uncle came up behind them and they stepped apart a bit, but Alex kept her hand in his, holding on tightly. He glanced quickly at her and saw her eyes widen as she took a step back. He realized his mother could be difficult and cold, and clearly she’d had a huge impact on Cassie.
“Mother,” Alex said, nodding at her as well as his father and uncle.
“That was quite a spectacle,” his mother said as she fingered her pearls and eyed Cassie. “Did you know about this?”
“No, no, I was as surprised as you were,” Cassie replied with a shake of her head. “Alex and Diego—Pablo—did this all on their own.” She lifted her chin and took a step forward. “But I’m glad they did.”
Alex swelled with pride at Cassie’s courage. His mother could be quite formidable, but Cassie was a fighter through and through, and he loved that about her.
Pablo wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulder, and her face softened in an instant. She tilted her head to rest it on his shoulder, her eyes closed for a moment.
“So am I.”
She turned started to head toward the restaurant, and Alex reached out to tap her on her shoulder.
“Mother, I think maybe an apology is in order, don’t you?”
She turned, her eyebrows rising before she nodded in Cassie’s direction. “Of course.”
She took a step toward Cassie and extended her hand. “Please excuse my stubbornness. I thought I was doing the right thing, the honorable thing, for Pablo and Maria after what my father put us through. I couldn’t bear that beach where I’d last seen him to be turned into anything—even something so honorable as what you were proposing. I was blinded by history and pain, and I never meant for you—or the dolphin—to suffer.”
Cassie opened her mouth and started to say, “They’re not—” but Alex tightened his grip on Cassie’s hand and she looked up at him, nodded and smiled in agreement that this might not be the best time to have that discussion with his mother. He was impressed that Cassie was getting an apology, and that would have to do for now. He’d make it up to her later.
“Actually, Senora Vasquez, having the sanctuary be part of the resort is a stroke of genius from a business sense,” Raul said as he walked into the hallway, Taylor behind him. “If we turn the resort into more of an adventure site, with kayaking and focus on things that people want to learn more about the Sea of Cortez—and the vaquita—than spend time golfing or playing tennis, we could make this into a world-wide destination. For people who care about the environment, the wildlife.”
Alex eyed his mother as she listened to Raul, knowing that her heart and her mind were elsewhere and she was anxious to spend time with her brother, so her response didn’t surprise him at all. It was perfect timing.
She waved her hand in Raul’s direction. “You’ve been talking about that for over a year, and it appears that you’ll get your wish after all. Why don’t the two of you work it out and we can talk about it later. I’m open to anything you want to do, and I’d also like to preserve this property as much as possible. So that it works for everyone, new and old. New visitors and old-time residents alike.” She turned to her brother and rested her palm on his cheek.
Turning back to her son, she smiled and nodded again toward Cassie. “Do you think that you could re-evaluate in, say, two weeks? We could have a second ground-breaking with drawings available. I understand it’s not enough time for complete re-tooling, but just to unveil an idea?”
Alex turned to Raul, who nodded rapidly. “It appears that we can.”
“Good,” she said, taking her brother’s hand. “We can plan a fiesta, then, and invite all the residents. And that’ll give me some time for a little vacation.”
Turning to Pablo, she said quietly, “We have some lost time to make up for.” She then turned to Cassie. “And some new people to get to know.”
Twenty-Five
Cassie looked up, her hand shading her eyes as the Costa Azul International jet circled overhead and landed on the landing strip on the other side of the resort property. She’d grown accustomed to its intermittent presence in the past two weeks, although she wasn’t sure she’d ever completely get used to the intrusion in her quiet little world.
As it disappeared behind the dunes, she turned back to the scene of the fiesta they’d worked on. Well, Costa Azul staff had worked on it mostly, as Alex and Raul—and Taylor by phone or Skype—had feverishly drawn up new plans for an utterly transformed resort. During the day, Cassie had done her version of feverish preparations, readying the team who was to prepare—and help manage—the vaquita sanctuary.
Tables with colorful cloths lined the outside of the existing rancho restaurant, which would be transformed into something completely different by the time the resort opened in a year. Opening that soon was a bit optimistic, but by what she’d seen from Alex, Raul, Taylor and the resort team, if anybody could pull it off, they could.
As people from all over the south campos began to arrive—many bringing dishes they’d prepared of tacos, tamales, elotes and grilled fish—Cassie felt Alex behind her, and his arms wrapped around her waist.
“Where have you been?” Cassie asked as she turned to him, realizing he was out of breath.
“I had a small thing to attend to. It’s all sorted out now.” He glanced at the tables and frowned. “This wasn’t supp
osed to be a potluck. It was a gift and a celebration from us,” he said. They both watched people arrive, set down their dishes next to the caterers and eagerly go to see the new plans—for both the resort and the vaquita sanctuary—that were set up on easels under colorful tarps. The sea sparkled in the distance and Cassie couldn’t remember a time when so many people she’d known since she was a child had come together with such excitement and anticipation.
“We don’t even get this many people out for the annual Fireman’s Fiesta.”
“Is that a fundraiser?” he asked, stepping up beside her and taking her hand.
“Yes, we do it ever year,” she said as she waved at Colin, who proudly wore his fireman’s uniform. “The locals and Americans banded together years ago, and Colin was the lead organizer. They’ve gotten fire trucks donated from both countries and have saved multiple homes.”
Alex sounded surprised when he said, “There are many fires here?”
Cassie nodded. “Mostly from runaway fireworks on New Year’s Eve or Easter. Taylor’s brother loved fireworks but as far as I can tell, never started a fire.”
“Ah,” he said as he pulled her back toward the restaurant, glancing anxiously toward the parking lot.
“No, I didn’t.”
Cassie spun at the familiar voice, and let out a laugh as Taylor’s brother, Kyle, hugged her and lifted her toes out of the sand.
“Kyle, what are you doing here?” she said, out of breath from the bear hug she’d just gotten.”
“Well, I got a break from my residency when I heard there was going to be a celebration and we didn’t want to miss it.”
“We?” Cassie said, her breath hitching as he turned around and pointed behind him.
Cassie’s eyes welled up at the sight of her mother. She rushed toward her and flung her arms around her neck.
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