Nor did she have a plan for approaching her sister, she realized when they finally stood in front of Sophie’s bedroom door. Zoe and Rachel looked at Olivia, as if they were waiting for her to do something. So she did what she did best and took charge. She gestured to Zoe, indicating that she should knock on the door and be the one to speak to Sophie first.
At first, Zoe shook her head, but through a series of pantomimes Olivia was able to impart that it was only logical for Zoe to be the one to knock because she was the only one who knew Sophie was here. With a resigned shrug Zoe acquiesced and gave the door a tentative rap.
“Sophie?” she said. “Are you in there? It’s me, Zoe. I just wanted to check on you. See how you are.”
When she didn’t answer, Olivia tried the door. It was locked. Olivia motioned for Zoe to knock again. This time Zoe didn’t argue.
“Come on, Soph. Open up. Please? You can’t hide in here forever. Besides, it’s getting kind of difficult to explain your absence to the guests. You’re gonna have to make up your mind about what you want to do. You owe Mason that much.”
Olivia gave Zoe the signal to tone it down a little bit. She appreciated what her sister was trying to do, but she was still holding out hope that the soft touch might work.
As if reading Olivia’s mind, Zoe changed her tactic. “Besides, if you don’t open the door I’m not going to tell you the gossip. And it’s juicy. It involves Alejandro Mendoza. You’re definitely going to want to hear this.”
Sophie almost caught Olivia giving Zoe the thumbs-up. Because the tidbit about Alejandro seemed to be the magic words that made Sophie open the door for Zoe.
Of course, when she saw Rachel and Olivia standing there too, she tried to shut the door again, but the three of them were quicker than Sophie and managed to muscle their way in before she could lock them out.
Before Sophie could say anything, her sisters grabbed her in a four-way group hug as they cooed their concern and happiness about finally seeing her again.
“We were so worried about you,” Rachel said.
“How are you doing?” Olivia asked.
“Have you changed your mind about the wedding?” Zoe asked. “Are you getting married?”
All Sophie could say was “I don’t know. I don’t know what I believe anymore.”
Olivia noticed that Sophie didn’t utter one word of protest about Zoe’s sharing the secret of her whereabouts. That confirmed what Olivia had suspected—that Sophie had told Zoe because she knew Zoe wouldn’t be able to keep the secret.
Zoe was the loose lips, Rachel was the vault and Olivia was the problem solver.
“You said there was gossip?” Sophie asked. “About Alejandro Mendoza?”
Olivia felt relief—her sister seemed to be playing right into their hands. Good thing, too, because Olivia didn’t know how they would have steered her in that direction if she hadn’t brought it up herself.
Olivia said a silent prayer that Zoe would pick up on her cue and proceed in a way that didn’t look staged.
“Oh, that’s not important,” Olivia feigned. “We are here to talk to you, to see what we can do to make you feel better about everything.”
Olivia held her breath.
“The best thing you could do for me right now is to talk about something other than the wedding. Because if you keep badgering me about it, you can’t stay.” Sophie walked over to the door and put her hand on the knob as if she were demonstrating how she would show them out.
“Then you’re saying we can stay if we don’t talk about the wedding?” Rachel asked.
Sophie eyed her sisters as if she were weighing the pros and cons.
“Olivia and Alejandro hooked up last night.” Zoe spat the words so perfectly Olivia had to remind herself to look suitably offended. After all, if this had been a true hookup, she wouldn’t have wanted anyone—even her sisters—gossiping about it.
The ploy seemed to be working, because Sophie’s jaw dropped and her eyes were huge.
“Zoe,” Olivia admonished, “you promised you wouldn’t say anything.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Well, you two made such a spectacle of yourselves last night that if Sophie didn’t hear it from Zoe she would certainly hear about it from someone else.”
Olivia stood there silently, channeling her best humiliated/indignant expression.
“This is nobody’s business but mine and Alejandro’s,” Olivia said. “So just stop, okay?”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” said Sophie. Her eyes sparkled as she took the bait—hook, line and sinker. She grabbed Olivia’s arm and tugged her toward the couch by the window. “You are not leaving until you tell me everything.”
She looked at Zoe and Rachel. “This happened last night? At the welcome barbecue? And I missed it?”
Zoe and Rachel nodded, a little too enthusiastically.
“Yep. You missed it,” Zoe said. “If you would’ve been there last night you would’ve had a front-row seat.”
No. If she’d been there last night nothing would’ve happened. There would’ve been no need.
Olivia’s mind replayed last night’s kiss. The details were so vivid she could virtually feel Alejandro’s lips on hers. Never in her life had she been at odds with herself like she was over this. Every womanly cell in her body couldn’t wait for her to kiss him again, but every ounce of common sense in her brain reminded her to rein it in. Because if the plan worked like it seemed to be working, she was going to be kissing Alejandro a lot more. It was fine if she enjoyed it. In fact, it was probably for the best if she did since they’d be spending so much time together. However, it was in her own best interest to not get carried away.
“Olivia! Oh, my gosh,” Sophie squealed. “He’s gorgeous, and I knew he was interested in you because of the way he was looking at you Saturday night. Did I call it or what?” She looked at Zoe and Rachel. “I called it. Didn’t I call it?”
Sophie clapped her hands gleefully, looking like she’d just opened the front door and found the prize patrol of a sweepstakes holding a big check made out to her.
“You called it, Soph,” Rachel conceded.
Olivia crossed her arms and let her body fall back against the couch with a petulant harrumph.
Sophie angled herself toward Olivia. “Tell me everything. Start from the beginning and tell me every juicy detail. Come on, Liv. Spill it.”
Olivia looked down and shook her head. “I’m glad you all think this is entertaining, but I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Wait, what?” Rachel asked. “Alejandro is gorgeous and we would all like to live vicariously through you for just a few minutes. I mean, it was just a hookup. What’s the harm in sharing?”
Perfect.
Olivia took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip, doing her best to look sincerely offended.
“I’m not sure it was just a hookup,” she said. “So you all just hop off, okay?”
“Are you saying you care about him?” Zoe asked.
Olivia gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Yeah, I think I do.”
Sophie was watching, rapt. Olivia decided she needed to kick it up a level.
“I didn’t think it was possible. Really, I didn’t think it would ever happen to me. I thought I was immune.” She placed both of her hands over her heart. “But for the first time in my life, I think I’m in love. Truly, madly, deeply in love.” One at a time, she looked each of her sisters in the eye, ending with Sophie. That’s when she delivered the knockout punch. “I’m in love with Alejandro Mendoza and he feels the same way.”
Sophie sat there looking stunned. When she didn’t speak, Olivia feared that she’d been a little too melodramatic. Maybe the truly, madly, deeply bit was a little over-the-top. Ugh, it probably was. It was the title of her favorite Alan Rickman movie,
and the name of that corny Savage Garden song, which had to be one of the sappiest love songs ever. Okay, so she’d secretly loved it ever since the time she and her sisters had gotten up and sang it at karaoke night at Señor Iguana’s.
The fib had come to her in a rush, but that might have been the reason Sophie was just sitting there staring at her. Olivia said a silent prayer hoping she hadn’t blown it.
Chapter Five
Alejandro was able to arrange a wine tasting for Wednesday afternoon at Hummingbird Ridge Vineyard. It was short notice, but he was psyched when Olivia was able to herd and organize a group of fourteen who were interested in going. It was his wedding gift to the brides and grooms.
Alejandro had left the outing to the discretion of the wedding party, and the final group ended up being comprised of family—Mendozas and Fortune Robinsons. It was great, in theory. The problem was Olivia’s “we’re in love” plan seemed to be working, as Sophie seemed to have miraculously recovered from her “flu” and had happily agreed to join them. That meant they had to put on a convincing performance for Sophie’s benefit in front of key members of the family—Mason, Dana and Kieran; their fathers, Gerald Robinson and Orlando Mendoza; Orlando’s fiancée, Josephine Fortune; and their siblings, Rachel and Matteo; Zoe and Joaquin; and Cisco and his wife Delaney. Rachel and Zoe were in on the ruse, but his brothers and Delaney weren’t and they believed they were witnessing a romance unfolding right before their eyes.
As they had waited to board the small chartered bus that would take them to the winery, Dana’s friend Monica had flirted with him. But then Olivia had walked up and draped her arms around his neck and greeted him with a kiss that made his eyeballs roll back into his head. After that, Monica had kept her distance.
Normally, he would have been enticed by the challenge of a beautiful woman’s reserve—especially one who had shown interest in him. After all, it was the thrill of the chase, and it was one of his favorite games. But not only did Monica virtually disappear, his attention kept drifting back to Olivia, who was seated beside him on the bus.
He admired the way her long dark hair was swept back from her face, accentuating dark, soulful eyes, high cheekbones and full lips that begged him to kiss them again. His eyes followed the graceful slope of her neck to the place where her blouse ended in a vee at her breastbone and just a hint of cleavage winked at him. She looked sleek and polished in her snug-fitting beige pants and black tank.
She leaned in toward him. “Thanks for doing this.” Her voice was quiet and husky and made him think of sex, even though he wasn’t sure if she was expressing gratitude for the wine tasting trip or for going along with the ruse to draw her sister out of her prewedding funk.
“My pleasure.” He watched her intently, realizing that in its own way this game of subterfuge was at once erotic and frustrating as hell. The two of them acted like they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, like they were merely tolerating the others until they could finally sneak off to finish what they’d started.
Every single person here, with the exception of Rachel and Zoe, thought Olivia and he were sleeping together. The thought made his groin tighten even though the exact opposite was true. They were like the old back-lot Hollywood sets that looked real from the outside, but behind the scenes it was just prefabricated plywood braces and empty promises.
Even though he really could’ve used a cooldown, he put his hand on the back of her neck and caressed it. The gesture made her look up at him and when she did, he lowered his mouth to hers and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.
“Get a room, you two.” Sophie laughed. Olivia had strategically chosen the seats in front of Sophie and Mason to give her sister a front-row seat for the show.
They ended the kiss and feigned embarrassment as Sophie leaned forward and braced her forearms on the seatback.
“So, my big sister isn’t immune to love after all.” Her voice floated between them on a note of wonder. “You know, Alejandro, I called this relationship even before the two of you realized you were perfect for each other.”
“Yes, you did, Sophie,” Olivia said to her sister. She placed her hand on his leg and traced slow circles and she continued to gaze at Alejandro, as if she was so deeply in love she couldn’t bear to look away. “You nailed it. You did.”
Alejandro smiled. “What do you mean you called it?”
“That night at the Driskill bar,” Sophie explained, “I said to Olivia that the two of you were perfect for each other. Not just because you’re the last single Mendoza brother and she’s the last single Fortune Robinson sister, but because you’re perfect together. You’re made for each other.”
“We are perfect for each other,” Alejandro echoed as he gazed at Olivia.
“Well, it’s true,” Sophie said. “You are the only person in the world that could make my sister believe in love. You’re like King Arthur of Camelot, the only one who could pull Excalibur out of the stone.”
He raised an eyebrow at Olivia. Had she really never been in love? What was it that would cause her to take such a hardline stance? What would make her close herself off? Granted, love was a risky endeavor. The heart was uncertain by nature. He’d learned that firsthand after he’d lost Anna.
“See, Olivia? I told you that there was someone for you. I told you that Alejandro was your man.”
“Yes, you did, Sophie.”
Something flickered in Olivia’s gaze. She blinked and looked away. But it felt more like she was pulling away. Maybe she was performing the same reality check Alejandro himself was right now. Despite the hot kissing, tender touching and cozy embracing, it was all for show. Every bit of it. He needed to remind himself of that now and again. Hell, if he knew what was good for him, he would write a stern reminder on a figurative sign and nail it to the forefront of his mind. Because he could already see it would be very tempting to lose himself in this game.
Olivia scooted away from him and turned around in her seat to talk to her sister.
“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.” Her voice was low. “You had us all worried for a while.”
Alejandro didn’t turn around. Instead, he sat facing forward and he caught his father, who was seated at the front of the bus, slanting a glance over his shoulder in Alejandro’s direction. When the older man realized Alejandro had caught him looking, he pretended to be shifting so that he could more easily drop his arm around Josephine’s shoulder. But Alejandro hadn’t missed the curious look in his dad’s eyes.
He pondered the vague conundrum of what he was going to say to his father and Josephine once they had a chance to corner him. Orlando was bound to be full of questions, and rightfully so. He was his father, after all. A father who wanted nothing more than for all of his children to be as happy as he was.
There was a long stretch of time after Alejandro’s mother, Luz, died when he thought his father might never be happy again. Orlando had been so deeply in love with Luz that Alejandro and his siblings had feared that he might will himself into an early grave. That was so unlike the man who had always been so full of life.
When Luz died five years ago, Orlando had been bereft. Alejandro and his siblings had convinced him that he needed a change of scenery, that he needed to leave a lifetime of memories and the hustle and bustle of Miami for the more laidback pace of Horseback Hollow, Texas. That was when he met Josephine Fortune. Since then, Orlando had been like a new man.
Alejandro hated to lie to his dad. They’d always had a great relationship, but he’d promised Olivia he wouldn’t tell anyone what they were up to. They couldn’t risk anyone slipping up and tipping off Sophie. The more people who knew about the ruse, the greater the chance of someone spilling the beans.
Orlando was nothing if not understanding. As soon as the week was over and Sophie was happily off on her honeymoon, he would level with his dad. Orlando wo
uld understand.
Gerald Robinson, however, might be another matter.
Olivia’s father sat in the front seat across the aisle from Orlando and Josephine. He’d arrived only moments before the bus left so Alejandro hadn’t had an opportunity to introduce himself again. They’d met at his brothers’ weddings, but it had only been in passing.
Alejandro ignored the dread that reminded him that Gerald Robinson would probably wonder about this sudden relationship. Any father with a daughter like Olivia would be protective.
He’d done a fair amount of research on Gerald Robinson the mogul, the genius businessman. The guy was formidable. He had a reputation for ruthlessly eliminating competition and systematically taking down his opponents.
Alejandro blinked away a sudden vision of Gerald enlisting his henchmen to teach him a lesson about messing with his daughter. But then he dismissed the thought because he wasn’t messing with Olivia. He was helping her. Actually, he clarified to himself, he was messing around with Olivia to help Sophie.
This could get complicated in ways that he hadn’t even thought of before he’d agreed to this farce.
Alejandro’s hand instinctively found the tattoo on his forearm. He covered it with his palm, as if touching Anna’s name might provide answers. The tattoo was his touchstone, anchoring him in the past and grounding him in the present all at once. It was a reminder that he’d been fortunate enough to know true love once. Not everyone was lucky like that. Olivia didn’t even believe in love. He didn’t know if it was because she’d been hurt so badly that it had cauterized her heart.
He glanced at her as she and her sister had their heads together, whispering and laughing, making happy sounds that had him convinced that their Saturday-night fight, the one that had nearly turned Sophie into a runaway bride, was not only a thing of the past—it was erased from the annals of their sister history.
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