by Stacy Hoff
“He did come around, I hope.”
“Yes, after he sought permission from his wife. He thought it best to come clean.” He paused, not sure how to continue. “He discussed it with Raul, too. My brother was already working at my dad’s company.”
“What was Raul’s opinion about what to do with your mom?”
“I have no idea. I only know they spoke.” He felt his lips twist uncomfortably. “I was angry Raul became involved.”
“Why? Maybe Raul was on your side.”
Luis’ hand raked through a thick lock of hair. “I don’t think so. It’s always been him and his mother against me and mine.” Luis breathed deeply before continuing. “When I was a child, I wished Raul would act like my big brother. Each time I got to see him, I hoped and I prayed. My chances to win Raul’s affection were limited. Our father would take the three of us out to dinner only a few times a year. Raul would ignore me each time. As soon as dinner was over, Raul would leave with our father. I was put into another limo to be driven home. I wondered if my father couldn’t bear to see the run-down ranch my mother and I lived in, or maybe he didn’t want Raul to see our poverty, making it easier for Raul to believe Papá was a good guy. Despite the whole oops, Dad got his young secretary pregnant thing.”
Mel frowned. “Was it helpful or hurtful for you to see them?” She placed a gentle hand on his arm.
His skin flinched in surprise and then warmed from the sensation. “I’m not sure. A bit of both, I guess.”
“None of this is your fault you know,” she said softly. “You can’t help the circumstances of how you were born.”
Without asking permission, he took off her eyeglasses. Large, round, blue eyes stared back at him. The water of Bio Bay swam before him. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. Comforting.
“How do you get along with you father now?” she asked, their eyes still locked.
“I still seek his approval. I don’t know why. And I don’t know what it is about you that makes me admit that.”
“Are you jealous of Raul? Jealous because your father accepts him? Because you feel that’s unfair?”
He glared at her for a split-second. Until he remembered she was not trying to hurt him. Lord, I’ve got to lower my defense shields. He closed his eyes and sighed. “Maybe.”
“I understand. I’m jealous of my sibling, too,” Mel confessed in a quiet voice. “It kills me that Denny is the favored child. I’ve tried hard to please my parents. No matter what I do, it’s never good enough.” The look of anguish on her face no doubt mirrored his own. “Why do we both try so hard to be accepted?”
Why indeed? It was impossible to provide the answer when he’d been unwilling to pose the question, even to himself. “Most of the time I don’t dwell on this. I have my own career. I’m barely on the island. When I am in Puerto Rico, I usually don’t see my father or Raul. These emotions are stirred up now because my father dragged me into his project.” Luis swallowed hard. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her about the competition his father set up. He opted for an easier revelation. “Deep down, I do know that I’ve accomplished more than Raul with no help from my father, and no ready-made connections. But it’d still be nice if they told me such.”
“What work does Raul do for your father?”
“He concentrates mostly on managing the business, although he’s got his own side ventures, too. Raul has invested in everything from clothing boutiques to art galleries. I never wanted to do anything other than build resorts.”
“Amazing that your father had two such highly successful sons. He may act terribly, but he provided you both with some mighty powerful DNA.”
A smile stretched across his face. “You always manage to put me in a good mood.”
“You make me feel better, too.” She let out a hard exhale. “I’ve finally found someone to understand me. We’ve spent our whole lives lobbying for their love.” She gave a shy smile. “How ironic an actual lobby brought us together.”
“For what it’s worth, Mel, I have faith in you. You are beautiful. Smart. Bursting with creative energy. I’m sorry if your parents don’t see that in you. Fortunately, I do.”
Her smile beamed brightly. “Thank you. I have faith in you, too. You’re handsome and brilliant. You have a kind heart. You act gruff to protect yourself; keeping people at bay to avoid getting hurt again. We have a lot in common, Luis. Although I may not act tough like you, I’m equally walled off. You’ve climbed over my walls.”
“You saw through my charade.”
They locked hands. Sitting together, united and silent. Until the phone in Mel’s purse rang loudly, blaring the familiar song from Sister Sledge.
“Crap,” Mel muttered. “Denny’s on her way.”
Chapter 20
Mel slowed down her rapid, New York style of speaking to give Alonso a better chance to understand her. The temptation to rush through everything with the architect was terrible. There was only an hour to pull this off before Denny arrived at the resort.
Alonso contemplated Mel’s new plans with an expression she couldn’t quite interpret. Was he impressed? Upset? Confused? She had gotten up at dawn to make more changes to the plans. Maybe these new, Bio Bay inspired changes were too much? “Alonso, your silence is killing me. What is it?”
His eyes shifted from the plans to her. “Forgive me. I am not used to seeing this kind of design work. The features you’ve added are . . .”
Mel felt her stomach flop. “Yes?”
He let out a slow smile. “Wonderful. I love the mosaic glass weaving throughout the beige ceramic tiles. The blue-green squares pick up the color of the sea. The ceramic color is reminiscent of sand. It reminds me of Bio Bay, especially with the glass chandelier you’ve envisioned. The long, flowing strips of the chandelier’s glass are like seaweed bobbing and weaving in the water.”
“Exactly. Bio Bay was my inspiration.”
“Really? You’ve been busy during your time here. With all the work you’ve done, how did you find time to travel?”
“Let’s just say I managed. I always do my best to please the owner.” She tied to clamp down on her grin. You have no idea.
“I’m sure Señor Serrano will be pleased with your ideas. I certainly am.”
Mel felt flush with pride. “Thank you, Alonso. It means a lot to hear you say that. I wanted to incorporate into the design some of the island’s unique features. Remind people why they came here and keep them excited to explore more of Puerto Rico.”
“Budget is still a concern, of course. The cost of hiring a glass artisan to create and install this will be high.”
Her stomach flopped once again. But she had been prepared for this. “Since I arrived at the resort I began thinking about changing the lighting. A local art dealer I spoke to knew of a guy who designs beautiful glass and mosaic pieces. The artist is very interested in doing commercial projects. He’s willing to do the lobby at a price close to our original budget. He’s available to get started immediately and the mosaic tiles we need are in stock.”
“What about the quality of his work?”
“The artist will give the resort a five-year warranty in writing. Any repair work during that time will be on him.” Alonso’s silence made her confidence waiver. “I know large-scale contractors are the typical choice for a project this size, but if we use a local artist the press will love it. We can look good by touting the work of a Puerto Rican artist and drawing people into the resort at the same time.”
Mel stepped closer to Alonso and the oversized plans, which were spread out on a table. “Let me tell you more about my ideas.” She pointed to a few areas. “Here are the places for artwork to be hung.” Grabbing her smart pad, she clicked on several pictures. “See these? These paintings were also done locally. It’s a different artist, although one who is equally talented. These
oil paintings will pick up the pattern of the mosaic. If you look at my proposed layout, all of this will be integrated on the main wall by the reception area with this.” The image of the largest painting yet appeared on her smart pad.
After a suspenseful moment, Mel garnered her courage. “If you step back, you can see it all blends together. These colors work cohesively, fooling the eye to view the separate parts as one whole image. Enhancing each piece by association instead of clashing or looking busy.”
“Yes,” Alonso slowly agreed. “These work well together. Are the paintings within budget, too?”
Mel turned the page in the folder and handed him the pricing sheet. “The cost is a wash. I eliminated some of the chair rails and wainscoting from the budget. The chair rails extended too far out from the bar and café area anyway. Then I deleted these little sections,” she pointed to an area near the elevators. “Plus, I changed out some of the fabric for the furniture with another, more cost effective selection. Presto, we’re close to our original budget.”
Alonso nodded. “Very good. Tell me about the changes to the flooring.”
“I swapped out the Brazilian Cherry for Ash. It brightens up the whole space and matches the natural wood outside.” She chuckled. “I actually peeled off a piece of palm bark to match the color’s exact shade. It’s all part of my plan to bring the outdoors indoors.”
“I see you’ve worked hard on this concept. The patio furniture is now wood instead of metal.”
“Yes, and I transformed the tops of the three-foot walls enclosing the patio area into planters. People should see island flowers everywhere. They were definitely needed.”
“You switched out the overhead fan blades to look like palm fronds, too. These new ones will work well.”
Mel tapped on her tablet quickly. “Here’s one of my favorite changes. A real draw-you-in piece. The main lounge area had a glass and steel cocktail table. It was nice, if unremarkable. I thought bringing in the outdoors should include ocean life, too. The base of this table is a bio-dome. It’s a self-sustaining habitat of seaweed and brine shrimp. The bio-dome is a two-foot spherical vase. I can get glass made to fit around so it will have a tabletop. I lightened the floor color even more in this area. This way the focus will be on the bio-dome.”
She handed him another tear sheet. “I switched the oversized black leather seating around the cocktail table to a sea-blue microfiber that’s durable and stain resistant. It’ll be more comfortable to sit on in the humid climate, and more appealing to women and children.”
“These design changes will obviously need to be approved. Though I must say, I like them. What’s the lead time for all the raw pieces, fabrics and materials?”
One more printout was handed to him. “A short delay. Not too bad. The table is the biggest problem. I’m going to try to get my hands on a bio-dome that is already fabricated. There is an aquarist who I’m speaking with. I think our timeframe is still doable, if this is the direction you want to go in.”
“I can present this to Señor Serrano. The decision is up to him.”
Mel let out a grin as wide as Condado Beach. “Lu . . . Mr. Serrano told me he trusts me. I’m glad, because my sister will be here soon and, to be honest, she trusts me a lot less. The rest of my family is…umm…let’s say more conservative than me.”
“I know.”
Mel cocked her head to one side, quizzically.
Alonso let out an uncomfortable cough. “I’m sorry. I mean no offense. I hired your family’s firm for their reputation of being on time and staying on budget. Those areas were the biggest concern for me. After the last firm walked off the job I needed a firm I felt confident would deliver.”
Mel arched a single eyebrow. “To recap what you’re saying, Merritt Designs, Inc., is good at follow-through even if we don’t light the world on fire, creatively-speaking.” Sounds about right to me.
Alonso tugged at his collar. “Well . . .”
“Never mind the past. How do you feel about going more edgy now?” she prompted.
“I’m excited. Your ideas are good. In my opinion, it will make for a much more unique setting. I’ll let you know what Señor Serrano has to say as soon as I hear back from him.” Alonso paused a moment. “Other approval may be needed as well. How do you think your family will feel about these changes?”
Just then, Denny walked through the empty lobby to join them.
~ ~ ~
Denny sat down on the bed in Mel’s hotel room, leaving Mel to sit in the guest chair. Denny looked as beautiful as ever, even with an air cast on her leg. What marred Denny’s appearance was something else–the same expression of disbelief Mel hated since kindergarten.
“You did what?” Denny repeated, her incredulous voice high pitched.
“They’re only small tweaks,” Mel protested. She bristled at the sound of her defensive tone. “I may be the youngest person in the family but I’m no longer a little kid, Denny. I’m tired of having my ideas dismissed.”
“That’s interesting,” Denny said, crossing her arms against her chest. “You want to be treated like an adult. You’re not acting like one. Only a child goes ahead and disobeys their parents.”
“Nice, Denny. You really go for the jugular, don’t you?”
“You’re your own worst enemy, Mel. Not me.”
Forgetting she had tied her hair up in a bun, Mel raked a hand through her hair in frustration. Her hair was no doubt in a crazy shape. Curious, her eye darted to the room’s mirror. It was too far away to see her reflection. Not wanting to risk angering Denny by getting up to check, she pulled the elastic band off. Long, dirty-blond tendrils hung loose around her face, hiding her ashen expression. I can either fight with my sister or try to make her understand.
Mel took a deep breath and tried again. “Look, Denny, I get that you are the older sister. The only daughter our parents listen to. Despite how all of you perceive me, I am no longer the family’s baby. I am not the firm’s lackey, either. If the family wants me to be a designer I have to be able to act like one.”
“Not on this project!” Denny burst out. “Not with such an important client, and not when we have a hard deadline. How about giving Mom and Dad a heads-up? Or giving me one, for that matter? You can’t simply go off on your own direction.” Bright-pink color flooded Denny’s cheeks. Soon her face would match the resort’s hibiscus plants. “You always insist on dancing to your own drummer. Forget what the rest of us are trying to accomplish. Damn it, Melanie, sometimes you act so selfish.”
A surge of anger rose in Mel. “Selfish? I don’t even want to be a designer. Or work for the family in any capacity. I’m sacrificing my own dream to make the rest of you happy. Yet you guys put me down.”
“Your dream to be a starving artist? I don’t think living off our hard-earned money should be your ambition.”
“Who said anything of the kind, Denny? I don’t need—or even want—anything from you.”
“We’re supposed to sit around and watch you become homeless? We’re tired of having to always bail you out.”
“Always?” Mel folded her arms across her chest, a mirror of the sister she was fighting with. “How so?”
Denny pointed to Mel’s left thigh. “How about your time in college? You woke up from a night of hard drinking. You were left with no money, and a big ol’ tattoo on your leg. You called me up first, remember? Crying about how Mom and Dad were going to kill you. You always screw up. Then you beg me to intervene on your behalf. Then you get jealous when Mom and Dad view me as the responsible daughter.”
“I made one mistake years ago. You can’t hold this against me forever.”
“What about your navel piercing?” Denny prompted. “You did that last year.”
“Irrelevant. I don’t wear the bellybutton ring anymore.”
“Lots of people have double ear piercings. The blue hair was temporary dye. Besides, I can do what I want while I’m on vacation. Hardly anyone knew about it.”
“You posted it on Facebook.”
“Oooooh, a social media admission. On my private page. Better stop me. Otherwise, what’s next? A picture of me wearing leopard print yoga pants? Mismatched socks? The horror! What will my small group of friends think?”
“Are you done yet?” Denny’s voice was brittle.
“Nope. Not till you understand it’s my body. I can do what I want.”
Denny shook her head. “You don’t care we’re embarrassed by the crazy stuff you do.”
“Your personal embarrassment is not the issue. Let’s stick to the professional. I’d like to know how my crazy stuff cost the firm money.”
“The point is that it could cost the firm money. Our clients our conservative. Your outlandish actions can scare them off. Mom and Dad need every bit of business they can get. Why risk it? Do you really need blue hair to express yourself? Give me a break.”
“What do you guys want from me, Denny? I dress very conservatively when I’m dealing with clients. Natural hair color. No double earrings. Professionally tailored suits. I have the length of my skirts and dresses cover my tattoo. My private life should not be such a problem.”
“It’s the reason why you do these crazy things that we find a problem. You’re always dying to play the rebel. Give a zinger to Mom and Dad. Admit it.”
“Admit what? I’m a different person than you? With different tastes? Guilty as charged.”
“Act innocent all you want. You do try to piss them off. Remember last year’s family vacation in the Hamptons? You strutted around the country club’s pool with your rhinestone navel novelty sticking out. You could have covered yourself up. But noooo, you had to break out the bikinis. This was on top of the blue hair stunt. I thought our parents were going to die on the spot.”