by Sera Taíno
Andreas nodded almost absently, as if her question was part of a bigger conversation he had been having with himself. “He’s proving himself to be a better CEO than I have been. Certainly, he is the better man.”
Val turned her entire focus on Andreas. Something about him had changed since they’d last spoken. He did not seem nearly as intimidating as he had been at the fundraiser. “That’s an opinion we can both agree on.”
Andreas nodded, taking that in, as well. “I owe you an apology, Ms. Navarro.”
She was quaking inside, not in fear, but because in her fury, she had never, in a million years, expected Andreas Wagner to ever apologize to her. She waited for him to continue.
“Your property was intended to be one of our acquisitions, so your contract to buy threw those plans in disarray. But that is hardly an excuse for what I did. It was an egregious abuse of power and for that, I am sorry.”
Val huffed at his words. “I really wish you hadn’t done that. But it all worked out in the end.”
“So you accept my apology.”
She wanted to slip away, get back to her family, and analyze what just happened. “I do. Thank you.”
But Andreas evidently wasn’t done with her.
“Don’t let what I did influence your opinion of Philip. He had nothing to do with my actions.”
Val’s vision blurred and she blinked the moisture away before she started bawling in front of Philip’s father. “I won’t.”
“I mean it, not just because he’s my son. He’s good and deserves to be judged on his own merits.”
“He does.” She surprised both Andreas and herself by stepping in to give him a quick hug, which he reciprocated awkwardly. When she stepped back, she said, “I’ll see you soon.”
His skin flushed a light pink. “I hope so.”
In a daze, Val stumbled out of the building. Nati, Rafi and her father were waiting outside for her. She blinked into the bright sun, heat burning her inside and out.
Papi studied her. “¿Estás bien, mija?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she breathed. “I’m going to walk home.”
Rafi fanned himself. “It’s hot as hell out here.”
“I know. But I need to think.”
Nati sidled close to Val. “You can think on the train, too. And it’s air-conditioned.”
Rafi came up on her other side as if she were going to bolt into traffic. “Are you going to wait for him to come out?”
Val should have known she couldn’t put anything over on them. “It’s nothing I can fix here. Just get Papi home safely.”
Papi chuckled. “You kids treat me like I’m a hundred years old. Mira, mijita, you don’t have to pretend with us. We know you have Philip on your mind. Go do what you have to do. I’ll keep your nosy brother and sister busy.”
“We are not nosy, Papi,” Rafi said in exasperation. “We are concerned.”
Nati scoffed. “No, Rafi, you’re concerned. I really am just nosy.”
Val pulled Nati and Rafi in for a hug. “I love you guys. Now please, get out of my face so I can think, okay?”
Nati and Rafi each left a kiss on her cheek before they crossed with Papi to the subway entrance. Val had a terrible time leaving the steps of City Hall in the hopes she might meet Philip on the way out. She had no idea how long his meeting would last, and anyway, her feelings were a changing kaleidoscope of color and intensity and she needed to get them in order before she spoke to him again.
As Val covered the blocks between City Hall and her restaurant, the fog in her brain began to clear. She had doubted Philip’s intentions ever since he’d told her he was a Wagner. And she had never relented in her mistrust, even after they’d been intimate. It was true that his family’s company had been an endless thorn in her side, but it was also true that he was not his company.
He’d done so much to prove his trustworthiness to her, but she’d been too blind to see that, holding on to her fear of betrayal. She had to fix that as soon as she could get him alone.
Rafi was right. It was hot as hell and the humidity was quickly turning to gathering clouds, which opened up and spilled the moment she stepped inside the empty restaurant. She flung her bag on the seat beside her as she slid into the booth and pulled out her phone. The brisk air-conditioning cooled her skin and her thoughts.
Val tried to tap out a message, to put into words the conclusion she’d reached during her walk, but thought better of it. She wanted to see him. Talk to him face-to-face, not message him like a twelve-year-old. She decided to call Philip instead and arrange to meet with him. Before the second ring, she heard a chime come from behind her, a sound that brought her out of her booth and onto her feet.
The Philip who stood in a rain-drenched suit at the entrance of Navarro’s had to be a product of her overheated imagination.
“That was fast,” she blurted out.
“Not really. I tried to get out of there before you left, but they wouldn’t stop talking.”
Val frowned in confusion, which he noticed instantly. “Oh,” he said. “You mean the phone call. I... Okay...”
“I dialed and you appeared.” She rushed to the kitchen, scooping up whatever towels she could find before returning to offer them to him. “Here, you’re dripping.”
He took them, glancing down at his clothes. “Your floor. I’m so—”
“To hell with the floor.”
Philip looked up, patting his face dry. “Yeah. To hell with the floor.”
Val twisted her hands together, pressing down the longing that had been festering all this time. “I don’t like the way we left things back there. It’s wrong, after everything, to behave as if we barely know each other. I wanted to apologize for that.”
He stepped forward, one towel fluttering onto the puddle at his feet. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Yes, yes I do. When you... When we...” She waved her hands in the air, trying to encompass what had happened between them in one gesture. “In our last conversation, you were right. I wasn’t seeing you as you were. I’ve been judging you as if you were somehow your company, and I wasn’t taking the measure of you as a person.”
“I didn’t make things easy for you by lying the way I did.”
“Maybe. Obviously, I have issues trusting people. I can blame Luke or I can blame your initial lie, but I’m the one choosing to allow those things to shape my behavior and the way I see you. That’s on me.”
“You have a right to protect yourself. I don’t think my father’s actions helped things.”
“No, but those were your father’s actions. Not yours. You’ve always had my back.” She stepped close to him. The water had stopped dripping from his hair and his nose. “It’s why you wouldn’t kiss me on our first date. It’s why you threw yourself into writing the agreement. It’s why you invited me to the fundraiser. You’ve been trying to do right by me since the beginning. I’ve been too caught up to see it.”
He stepped closer to her until his face was a mere inch from hers. “How can I not, Val? I love you. I will always do right by you.”
Val gave a small gasp before winding her arms around his neck, pressing her warm, dry body against his chill, wet one. “And I love you, too.”
His eyes flickered in the dim interior, illuminated by the light that sliced through the windows and across the floor, the rain and wind giving way to a sky as blue as his eyes and as bright as hope. His lips caressed hers, soft and warm and so, so gentle, she wanted to sob from the sweetness of it. His arms were around her and he lifted her off the floor as he kissed her and kissed her and she held on, trusting that he wouldn’t let her go.
Epilogue
One year later
Nati had a thing for hummingbirds, an obsession that was born ever since their mother first told them the story of Alida and Taroo, two youn
g people from rival tribes who fell in love. Alida’s father discovered their affair and arranged for her to marry a man she didn’t love. She prayed to the gods for release, and in response, they turned her into a red flower, the maga flower of Puerto Rico that Val loved so much. Taroo, who did not know why Alida disappeared, waited for her at their rendezvous point in the forest, hoping she would return. After many nights, the moon took pity on him and told him of Alida’s fate. He begged the gods to help him find her and, moved by compassion, they turned him into a hummingbird, destined to alight on every red flower in search of his love.
For Nati’s graduation party, Val had scoured the internet to find hummingbird-themed place settings and decorations. Failing to find what she wanted, Philip had spoken to Étienne, who got in touch with a colleague who had a friend who had a connection with a party planner somewhere in Southern California. They ended up sending her a box of linen table settings, woven streamers and painted banners with the most delicately designed hummingbirds she’d ever seen. The cost must have been prohibitive, but Val never found out, because Philip hadn’t allowed her to get anywhere near an invoice.
“Un regalo, mi amor.”
“And I have no choice but to accept this gift, do I?”
“Nope. It’s what boyfriends do for their girlfriends. They give them things.”
Val’s shoulders slumped in mock defeat. She was getting better at accepting Philip’s extravagances, but only just. “Only because it’s for Nati.”
He bedazzled her again with his smile before hauling the oversize box into a corner until it could be transported to Aguardiente in time for the festivities.
Val made to go into their kitchen to make a quick dinner, but Philip caught her hand and led her to the middle of the living room.
“What do you have in mind?”
He shrugged, his face a mockery of innocence. Val knew better than to trust him. She especially didn’t trust him when he set his phone on the docking station, and the opening of “Vivir lo Nuestro,” the salsa ballad they’d been working on in advance of the party, streamed into the room. It had been a struggle, but Philip had dramatically improved his dancing in the year they’d been practicing together.
He took her left hand in his right one, assuming the perfect lead position. “Baila conmigo.” His words caressed her ear like a sea breeze.
She stepped into his ready embrace and followed as he went through the seven basic salsa steps. With the gentle pressure of his hand on her hip, he spun her into a nearly flawless turn. Val laughed when he pulled her out of it and they resumed their rhythm.
“I have something for you.”
“Philip...no more gifts.”
“Shh...” He paused to pull something from his pocket.
When he held out the small red box crowned with the telltale Cartier gold embellishment on the lid, Val quipped, “They do say you’re rich.” But her voice was shaking.
“I need to live up to that reputation.” Soon after the City Hall meeting a year earlier, Andreas had formalized Philip’s promotion from head of project design to COO and made his number two status official, paving the way to inherit the company. Val would always be a little sore about the difficulties Andreas had caused her and her family, but their relationship was slowly warming up. She had a far better rapport with Philip’s mother, who more than made up her husband’s shortcomings.
Philip lifted the lid and showed her what rested inside—a single, classic, rather large solitaire diamond set in a white gold mount.
“Dios mío, Philip. The diamond is as big as your knuckle.”
His fingers trembled as he took the ring from its cushion. Val blinked away tears to admire its simple design. He knew by now exactly what she liked.
“I thought of planning an event around giving it to you, but I was afraid if I took you to the Eiffel Tower and proposed there, you might take off your shoe and accuse me of being extravagant.”
“Propose?” Val was starting to get lightheaded and had to remind herself that fainting would be a terrible thing to do in such a moment.
He held the ring between them. “Val, would you do me the honor of marrying me? Stay by my side for the rest of our lives?”
As if there could be any doubts about her answer.
She held out her hand and let him slide the ring over her finger. “Sí.”
Ring in place, he captured her hand and kissed it. “I promise to make it good for you.”
“You always make it good. Right now. This life we live. Every minute I spend with you.” She twined her arms around his neck, leaving small kisses along his jaw and cheeks. He nuzzled into her, reminding her of a giant, blond puppy. “I love you. Don’t doubt how happy you make me.”
“You, too, mi corazón,” He turned to press his lips into her palm. “Te amo tanto.”
She pulled him down for a soft kiss. The tender strains of a new ballad tinkled around them like starlight as they slow-danced, two people who had the rest of their lives to harmonize their rhythm.
* * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from Last-Chance Marriage Rescue by Catherine Mann.
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Last-Chance Marriage Rescue
by Catherine Mann
Prologue
Kacie Archer swirled the lasso over her head, eyeing the blasted target.
Her twin sister, Kelsey.
Her perfect sister.
Except today Kelsey was being sneaky for once, using the computer in their dad’s barn office when it was strictly off-limits. A total shocker since she never broke the rules. She’d always one-upped Kacie since the day she was born first. Kelsey even skipped ahead to the fifth grade this year, while Kacie was still struggling not to fall behind in the fourth. The only thing she did well? Rope and ride.
Things she wouldn’t get to do anymore once they lost their family’s dairy farm. Who knew when and where they would move?
This year might be her last chance to win the fall festival roping competition. And win in a higher age division.
Her version of skipping a grade.
She kicked through the bit of scattered straw on the pine floor and wondered how many more times she would get to hang out in her dad’s barn office. She picked through memories of time spent in the office. Under the desk playing with Waffles when he was a kitten. Watching through a hole in the door as her dad delivered a calf. Wearing her uncle’s favorite Stetson as a reward for doing her math homework. Uncle Tyler had always said he was cowboy at heart, not a dairy farmer.
Focus. Practice. Kacie finessed the rope snaking in lazy circles with just the right speed to keep it aloft, timing her motions in sync with the click, click, clicking of the milking machines beyond the office door. She took in the years of photos of the dairy farm covering the planked walls and willed away the urge to cry. Being angry at Kelsey was easier.
Kacie launched the lasso at Kelsey. The rippling loop soared like a dream in flight, just waiting to land, to grab hold and contain the target. Closer, closer, closer still it rippled.
And missed.
The rope smacked the old wood desk, startling the snoozing tabby cat into motion, which toppled a tin can full of pens. Waffles dodged markers and highlighters as they flew onto the computer keyboard.
Her twin shot to her feet, blue eyes flashing as pens rolled off onto the planked floor. “Hey, be careful. I’ve been working on this flyer for two hours.” She grabbed the can and knelt in the middle of the mess. “I need to finish before Mom and Dad come back here.”
“Why? Because you’re scared you’ll get in troubl
e for using the computer for some dumb school project without permission?” Kacie reeled in the rope.
“Of course I’m afraid of them finding out what I’m doing.” She reached deep under the desk, her blond braids swinging forward. “You should be, too, since you’ve been sitting around watching me when you’re still grounded for putting your backpack over that kid’s head on the bus. Now finish cleaning up so I can get back to work.”
“Do it yourself.” Kacie adjusted the slipknot on her lasso, huffing a hank of hair off her sweaty forehead. “There’s no way I’m helping you with anything after how you ratted me out.”
“Not even if what I’m doing is to save our family?” She placed the can in its exact same spot on the desk, between a lamp and a paperweight made of horseshoes—a Father’s Day gift Kelsey had made in art class.
“Last time I checked,” Kacie said, “you weren’t some magic genie able to give out miracles.”
“Well, duh.” Kelsey started typing again. “But I was looking around on the internet and found this place called the Top Dog Dude Ranch. It’s in Moonlight Ridge, Tennessee. Doesn’t that sound dreamy?”
Kacie grunted, using one foot to corral some highlighters into a pile.
Kelsey continued, “They do more than getaways for couples. They advertise family vacations. I think if we get them away from all the stress here, Mom and Dad will remember they love each other.”
Fat chance of that.
“I thought you were the smart one. Those places cost a lot of money.” She jammed the markers she’d gathered back into the can, then slithered her rope along the floor to lure Waffles from the windowsill.
“That’s why I’ve been working on a fundraiser. We’re going to wash dogs. It’ll be a secret, though. No spoiling the surprise.” Kelsey turned the computer monitor toward Kacie, the screen filled with a picture of the two of them bathing their family dogs, their mom and dad smiling as they watched.