Hotter Than The Caribbean (Building Love Book 2)

by Stacy Hoff

  Luis reached Margaretta’s desk the same moment Raul approached. Margaretta smiled at both of them. Her friendly gesture was returned by neither. The men focused exclusively on each other.

  “You called this meeting, Luis,” Raul spat. “What is this about? You wouldn’t tell me over the phone. I am done with your games. Tell me now.”

  “Raul, I will explain to you and Papá at the same time.” Luis turned his attention to Margaretta. “May we go in?”

  Margaretta nodded. “Yes. Your father knows both of you are here to see him. I told him the original appointment cancelled and I put the two of you in this slot instead.”

  “Crafty,” Luis said, the admiration in his voice clear. “How’d he react?”

  “Not well. I told him five minutes ago. If I gave him any more notice he would have had time to call it off. He threatened to fire me. My orders were no visitors except his wife and new clients. But I’m not worried. He’s threatened to fire me many times during the past thirty years. If he hasn’t done it yet, he’s not about to do it now. Besides, this is more important.” She shooed them in like a mother hen.

  Luis felt a pang in his stomach thinking about his own mother. It was a silly, fruitless hope to believe any family bonding could possibly happen after this meeting.

  As soon as they walked in, their father rose from his chair. “What is the meaning of this?”

  “I have no idea, Papá,” Raul rushed to say. He scurried over to the old man’s desk, as far away from Luis as possible. “Luis demanded this meeting. I don’t know why.”

  Luis strode over to one of the two guest chairs and sat down. Then he gestured to Raul to do the same. “We might as well sit.”

  The old man wore a frown similar to Raul’s. They glanced at each other and took their seats at a slow pace, annoyance flashing across their faces.

  “I wanted to let both of you know something,” Luis said. “I am bowing out of this little competition.” He paused to let his words sink in. Whether they did, he wasn’t sure. Their foreheads became even more wrinkled than before. Luis tried again. “I am no longer willing to be judged. Not by either of you. Not by anyone. A family should not be run like an episode of Survivor where the goal is to vote each other off, with one winner taking all. I have been trying my whole life to prove to both of you that I am worthy. If I am not worthy of your affection, I am at least worthy of your respect. If I haven’t accomplished this in the almost thirty years I’ve been alive, I will never be able to prove this to you.”

  The absurd thought crossed his mind that he was in the reverse situation of Margaretta. She had almost thirty years to prove she was not worthy. Once upon a time Luis would have envied Margaretta’s position. Now, he simply didn’t care.

  “Raul, did you know Francine Nash came to see me?” Luis asked.

  “Yes, she told me,” Raul snapped. “She said you made a pass at her. How dare you?”

  Luis couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled forth. “She did, did she? Well, then I guess you have a choice to make as to which one of us you’ll believe. I will not try to persuade you anymore. Those days are done. Here are the facts. Francine has been hitting on me for some time. When she came to my office yesterday it was to make yet another pass at me. I’ve got to admit she almost succeeded. Almost. I stopped her before things got too far.”

  Raul’s face looked red enough to volcanically explode. “How nice of you, Luis. What a gentleman you must think you are. Did it ever dawn of you, mi hermano, that maybe I was interested in Francine? How dare you touch her? Or portray her as some kind of slut?”

  “I never called her that, Raul. I never knew you were interested in her, either. How could I? We never talk about anything personal. In fact, we barely talk at all.”

  “What is the point of all this?” their father demanded.

  Luis held up his hand. “I can explain faster without all these interruptions. Are you both going to listen?” After silence set in for a few moments, Luis began again. “Francine said some crazy things to me, which was one of the reasons I stopped my . . . activities with her. Rather than accuse you, Raul, as you always do to me, I wanted to ask you about what she said.”

  “Which is what?” Raul replied stiffly. He sat with his arms folded across his chest, wearing the same frown Luis had hated back when they were children. Raul may be better dressed now, better educated, and taller, but he hadn’t grown any. Maybe one day that would change.

  Luis breathed deeply before speaking. “She said you fired the first interior design firm to make Papá dependent on you. Then you and Francine schemed to get Merritt Designs off the job so Papá would give you his business.”

  “She said what?” Raul yelled. “Outrageous!”

  Their father’s stern voice cut off whatever further tirade Raul was planning. “Is any of this true, Raul?”

  Raul shifted in his seat, unfolding and re-folding his arms. “No.”

  “The answer does not matter to me,” Luis interjected. “I am tired of all this family misery and intrigue. I will no longer surround myself with these lies, and the scheming. Instead, it is time for apologies and forgiveness. Raul, if you did this, I forgive you for trying to make me look bad to Papá. I apologize to you for having to suffer the embarrassment of having a bastard half-brother. I am sure the situation is hard on you and your mother. But I will never apologize for being born. The circumstances of my birth are not my fault. If you do not want to embrace me as your brother, I will accept that. I will have peace knowing I did the best I could between us.”

  The men stared at Luis with their mouths agape. It was almost comical. Or it would have been, if the situation were the slightest bit funny.

  “As for you, Papá,” Luis continued, “I forgive you, too. How you treated Mama and me was shameful. If you were embarrassed over the situation, that is your fault. You are the one who caused this pain.”

  “That is not true,” his father boomed. “I loved your mother. Do you know the hell my life has been? Having to treat the only good relationship I’ve ever had like a mistake?”

  Luis felt his jaw drop. What did he say?

  “How can you say that?” Raul cried out. “What about my Mama?”

  “Luisa is owed the level of respect I afforded her. I thrust aside the woman I loved to restore dignity to my wife. I paid my price. I suffered for it. I even saw you, Luis, despite my wife demanding I reject you.” The old man’s voice broke into choking sobs. “I am an old, sick man. I look back on my life and know I should have done things differently. I didn’t know how back then. I tried to make things better. Instead I made things worse. I lost the love of my life. I lost the affection of my wife. I have two sons who hate each other. My relationship with all of you is damaged. Forever.”

  “No, Papá,” Luis said quietly. “Not forever. I forgive you. We all need to be set free from the past.”

  The old man got up and scooted around the desk with surprising speed. Luis watched as his father, for the first time in his life, willingly embraced him in a hug. “Luis, my son. I am sorry for the mess I caused. I owe you so much. Please, I want you to run the family business.”

  “Papá! That is not fair,” Raul bellowed.

  Their father waved him off with a hand while keeping his embrace. “You can both have my business. I will have the lawyers split everything down the middle.”

  “But—” Raul protested.

  “Raul,” their father said in a firm voice, “I have indulged you and your mother to no end in my vain attempt to right a wrong. I failed to see the other side of the equation. It is time Luis gets his share. He has earned this. He will get half.”

  When the old man’s arms released, Luis gave his father the kiss he had always been reluctant to bestow. “Thank you, Papá. I thank you for the words. It is kind of you to want to gi
ve me half of your company.” He paused for a moment and breathed deeply before saying the rest. “I do not want it.”

  “But—” his father started to protest.

  Luis cut him off. “It is time I live my life doing what pleases me. I will run my own company even better than before. This time around, the only person who I will try to prove my worth to is myself.”

  With those words, Luis turned around and walked out of his father’s office, never looking back to see the expression on their faces. He gave a quick hug to Margaretta, picked up the carry-on bag he left by her desk, and told Pedro to drive him to San Juan’s airport without regard to speed limits.

  The weather had cleared considerably, along with his mood. All flights leaving for New York had resumed. The sooner he reached Mel, the better.

  Chapter 24

  Mel stood in the Greenwich Village bodega staring at her phone, feeling like an idiot. Closing her eyes, she once again focused on positive thoughts. I can do this. I will be okay. Despite the pep talk, her mood was heavy, weighing down her spirit. Disheartened, she dropped her phone back into her bag.

  Before Mel could close her purse’s zipper, vibrations tickled her fingers. The text from Denny she had been waiting for arrived. ‘Yes, we ARE sisters, Mellie.’ A smile spread over Mel’s face, even broader with Denny’s follow-up message, ‘I love you. I’m sorry for what I said. Mom and Dad will come around. What’s important is that you’re happy.’

  Mel typed back, ‘Love you, too, Sis.’

  The vibrations started up again. This time the response from Denny read, ‘Where are you? You need to come home. Apologies in person are much better.’

  Mel scratched her head at the ambiguous message. Where exactly did Denny want to meet? ‘Which home?’ Mel typed. ‘Mom and Dad’s house? Your apartment? Mine?’ Mel pressed the ‘send’ button harder on her phone. No response came. Wherever her sister was, the cell phone reception must be lousy.

  Mel resumed walking toward her apartment. Although her sister’s message made no sense, she’d heed the advice and go home. After all, that was her initial destination anyway. Tired or not, she was sprinting the rest of the way. She may have lost the love of her life, but at least she knew she still had her sister.

  ~ ~ ~

  Luis leaned against the doorway of the SoHo brownstone building matching the address he was given. Ringing the buzzer for her apartment had been fruitless. Nobody answered, nor opened a window to look down. Either Mel was not home or she psychically knew of his presence and was avoiding him.

  He grinned. He knew he was connected to Mel, but not that much. At least not yet. He softly laughed to himself, lifting his face skyward to enjoy the feel of the morning sun. Maybe today was a good omen for a bright future with her. He could hope. He was sweating for more reasons than the warmth of the sun’s rays.

  His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a woman who looked like Mel. The body size, height, and weight seemed right. The hair, however, was completely different. Instead of long and dirty-blond, hers was short and punky. He could swear several spiky wisps were tinted blue. The eyeglasses, however, were still red.

  The woman he was staring at slowed down to look at him. A few steps more and each were perfectly in sight.

  “Luis? Is that really you?”

  He laughed. “Who else could it be? There hasn’t been enough time for you to get another suitor. Let alone have him waiting desperately by your door.”

  Mere feet away from him, she stopped.

  He didn’t blame her cautious approach. Once upon a time, he had also been cautious. Until he learned to put himself out there, and take a risk.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, blinking through her glasses. She stared at him as if he would disappear if she took her eyes away.

  “Waiting for you. It seems I have been all my life.”

  She stiffened. “Interesting. Were you waiting to fire me all of your life, too?”

  He could see her tense up and bite her lower lip in that way she always did. “Is that what the message said?” he asked quietly.

  “You don’t know what you texted me? Have you gone crazy?”

  “Mel, listen to me. I didn’t send you that text. Someone took my phone without my permission. I had no idea.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “I don’t believe you.”

  “It’s true. Francine Nash wanted you to leave. I’ve already handled the situation with her. I flew all the way to New York to handle the situation with you.” Waiting for Mel to speak was making him sweat even worse than before. “Your haircut is very cute, by the way. Guess you’ve decided to go the artist’s route after all.”

  She waved her hand in the air, physically dismissing his comment. “You flew to New York to find me? How did you know where I live?”

  “Denny told me.”

  Her arm reached up to drag a hand through her spiky hair. “I must be living the artist’s life. This is surreal.”

  He laughed again. “What’s surreal for you is reality to me. I am in love with you, Melanie Merritt.”

  Her jaw dropped open. “You’re what?”

  He let out the sigh of an impatient lover. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to blurt that out. I should have started from the beginning. Let me back up and do this again in slow-motion. I didn’t send you that text. I would never do anything to hurt you. When you left Puerto Rico I felt that, once again, someone who I deeply cared about rejected me. When Francine confessed what she had done, I told Denny I needed to fly out to see you.” He opened his arms out wide. “Here I am. I love you. I am yours.”

  Mel gave a shriek of joy. She rushed forward, practically bouncing into his arms. “I love you, too, Luis. I will always be yours.” Her arms wrapped tightly around him, her head tucked under his chin.

  More than a hold on his body, she had a hold on his heart. “Mel, my love,” Luis murmured, “I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”

  She looked up at him with a smile brighter than all the neon in Times Square. “¡Sí!”

  Epilogue

  The wedding at the Condado Beach Resort was better than Mel could have dreamed. A white tent draped in twinkle lights stood on the sand overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Like everything else she selected, the twinkle lights had meaning. They were a tribute to the restaurant where she and her new husband, Luis, had first dined. Kayak paddles framed the entrance in memory of their trip to Bio Bay. On the inside of the tent, Mel had strewn dried starfish, conch shells, and coral, a nod to the bio-dome cocktail table now gracing the resort’s lobby. Tostones were served as appetizers, another reminder of their first dinner together. More importantly, the dish symbolized their reward for trying new things. Because life, like love, was all about taking a chance.

  The little tent looked as good as the resort’s grand lobby. Not seeing the hotel regularly made her feel more melancholy than she would have guessed. Luis had voluntarily given up his operation of the resort to Raul. Luis was now truly free to take on his own challenges. In turn, his father and Raul were finally ready to accept him. His father’s wife had grown to accept Luis, too, even if she didn’t fully embrace him. After three decades of drama, she finally agreed it was time to end the pain. Raul, as a peace offering to his brother, asked Merritt Designs, Inc., to finish the lobby work using Mel’s revised plans. The Merritts were pleased to comply.

  The wedding ceremony, although perfect, was not the highlight. Nor was the beautiful setting, or the dry warm weather. It wasn’t Luis’s stunning appearance in his white suit, which set off his sun-kissed, golden skin or the gentle breeze that tousled his black hair in a sexy, beachy way. It wasn’t even the fact she felt beautiful in the white, calf-length, strapless lace dress she wore.

  The best things about the wedding were the people witnessing their wedd
ing vows. Her parents, Denny, Jorge, and Raul attended. The amazing surprise was Luis’s mother. Although suffering from severe dementia, her body was mobile enough to be wheeled to the beach, and then helped to the shoreline. His mother lifted her face to the sun and smiled in joy while taking off her shoes and rubbing her feet in the sand. For the first time in ages Luis heard his mother laugh. For a few precious moments she sounded like her old self. Wild, carefree, and full of love.

  “Luis?” his mother said suddenly.

  Luis rushed to his mother and carefully hugged her. “Mama? You know me?” When she hugged him back tightly, Luis said he could cry with joy.

  Then Luis caught his father’s expression. The old man’s face had lit up too, with a smile wider than Condado Beach. His father walked over to join them. “Mi amor,” he said softly, “it is wonderful to see you again.”

  His mother didn’t answer, once again lost in her own world while an aide helped settle her comfortably in a beach chair. It was clear she would not remember the ceremony. But Luis said he would always remember the expression on his father’s face when he saw his love again. Luis finally knew what his parents had together, over thirty years ago, had been solid and real.

  It was time for all the suffering to stop, and the healing to begin. For once, their family members seemed to know this. It was safe to assume things would stay this way. Never again would Mel or Luis need to lobby for their family’s love.

  When the justice of the peace pronounced them man and wife, Luis swept Mel into his arms and kissed her with a mixture of love, desire, and longing neither of them had known before. Luis was Mel’s family now, too. Someone who accepted her, right from the beginning. Appreciating everything from her unique personal style to her need for artistic expression.