Save the Last Dance

by Jami Davenport

  “So what is your point?”

  “You’ve won back their respect, Rico. No one talks about that night four years ago anymore.”

  Rico shrugged. He guessed that was good. Really good.

  “Did you ever think that you need to balance your life with a little personal joy? Loving what you do hasn’t filled the void, has it? You thought it would, but it hasn’t. That’s why you’re so edgy and restless.” Angel paused to point at the picture of Mariah he’d left sitting on the nightstand. “You need a woman. You need to get a life, so the rest of us can have one, too.”

  “Angel, I’m one step ahead of you. For once, you’re right.”

  “I’m right?” Angel choked on her words. “Okay, whoever you are, what did you do with my brother?”

  Rico laughed. “I am going to get a life. Work isn’t enough. I need more.” He took a deep breath, savoring his next words. “I’ve made a decision, a life-altering decision.” He had her attention now. Her ears pricked up, and she practically salivated. He waited an appropriate amount of time to build a little drama then he socked it to her. “I want a family. I want kids.”

  Angel stared at him with an open mouth. He’d finally managed to say something to render her speechless. He mentally patted himself on the back. Chalk one up for the males of the world. “Babysitting Susie got me thinking. I’m good with kids, love kids. Now is the best time for me to have them. I’m still young enough to enjoy them, do things with them. It’s perfect.”

  “Don’t you need a woman for that? Unless you know something I don’t.”

  “I already have a woman in mind.”

  “Oh, and she’ll just go along with this crazy idea of yours?” His sister cast a quick glance at Mariah’s picture.

  “Yeah, she will. I think. I have something she needs desperately, and she has something I need.”

  “She has a womb, but what do you have for her?” Angel raised her eyebrows.

  “You mean besides being irresistible, charming, and sexy? Oh, yeah, and don’t forget hot in bed.”

  “What else, Rico?” Angel rolled her eyes, pretending to gag.

  “Money. I can scrape together enough to save the one thing she holds dear above all else.”

  * * *

  Rico rubbed his eyes with his fists. He was so tired he saw double.

  Once he’d made up his mind, Rico set the wheels in motion. Not that he knew for certain exactly where those wheels might carry him. For two weeks, Rico plotted his moves. He hired a private investigator to find out the details of Mariah’s debt and to fill him in on the last six months of her life. Other than that one date with Matt the football player, she didn’t appear to be dating. Which suited him just fine.

  He was crazy with loneliness and crazy with wanting a family. There were no ulterior motives to his little plan. He missed Mariah because they were good friends. He enjoyed her company and her body. Most relationships didn’t have that much going for them. Love was way too overrated anyway. From his way of thinking, it was better to enter into a business-type agreement without emotions clouding the issues. The tough part would be convincing Mariah of the same thing. Logically, it made perfect sense to him; hopefully, it would to her.

  The door to his corner office opened, and he glanced up from the computer screen filled with hundreds of unread emails.

  Oh, no, not two Eduardos. That was too much for any man to deal with. He blinked, bringing his bleary eyes into focus. The two Eduardos merged into one. Thank God. He watched his father with suspicion, glancing at his watch to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. Ed never worked past 5 P.M.

  “Ed, it’s after 9 P.M. What’s the deal? Why aren’t you at the club with your latest babe?”

  “You know, Rico, I wish you wouldn’t call me that.” Ed poured himself a double scotch on the rocks from the small bar then paced the floor.

  “Call you what?”

  “Ed. Whatever happened to Dad or Papa?”

  “I didn’t know you cared.”

  “That’s a low blow, son, and completely uncalled for. Are you ever going to forgive me for all my transgressions? After all, I’m only human. I make mistakes.”

  “Yeah, right, more than your share,” Rico muttered under his breath.

  Ed ignored Rico’s unveiled insult. “We need to talk. I should have had this talk with you years ago.”

  Rico threw back his head and laughed. “If you’re going to talk to me about sex, I think we can skip that conversation.” Ed’s pacing made him nervous. “Look, sit down, will you?”

  Ed sat down. “Angel talked to me.”

  Rico rolled his eyes. Angel and Ed were tag-teaming him. Great, just great. Time for a relationship lecture from the man with the revolving-door marriages.

  “I don’t like this idea of yours. Marry for love, not for kids. And make sure she marries you for love, not your money.”

  “Now, coming from you, that’s advice I’ll take to heart.”

  “Don’t speak to me in that tone of voice. I am your father.”

  Rico bit his tongue to keep the next smart remark lodged inside his tired brain.

  “I married every one of those women for love, Rico.”

  “And you divorced every one of them for—what? ’Cause you fell out of love and into love with the next bimbo? That’s not love, Ed. That’s lust. Pure and simple. I’ve seen love. I’ve seen what it does to people. It’s bullshit. Overrated.”

  Eduardo’s eyes narrowed. “Rico, why are you getting so defensive. Did I hit a sore spot?”

  “If that’s all you came here to say then I’ve got work to do.”

  “No, I’m not done.” Ed hesitated. “I’m the one who did this to you. I know I don’t make good choices when it comes to women. You know, your mother was the best thing that ever happened to me. Obviously, I screwed that up. I sincerely hoped you hadn’t taken after me in the relationship department.”

  “I haven’t.”

  “No, you’ve done the opposite to avoid the same fate as your father. The results are the same. Neither of us can maintain a real relationship.”

  Rico bristled. He didn’t like being compared to his father, even by his father. With jerky movements, he hauled himself out of his chair and poured himself a stiff drink.

  “You and Ramon. What have I done?” Ed heaved a big, theatrical sigh. “You avoid meaningful relationships, and Ramon goes after anything that’s blond and wears a skirt.”

  “Yeah? Sounds like Ramon’s his father’s son.”

  “I suppose so. I had more of a hand in raising him than I did you. That’s for sure. Maybe you were the lucky one.”

  “Maybe I was.”

  “Rico, this scheme of yours is ludicrous. I don’t know this woman, Maria?”

  “Mariah.”

  “Yeah, okay, Mariah, but I can’t believe you would want a woman who’d actually have your children for money.”

  “Why not? You have.”

  “That’s not true. At least, I didn’t go into it with such cold-blooded logic. I really thought I loved them, and they loved me.”

  “Well, Mariah’s different. She does love me. She’ll be devoted to me because that’s the kind of woman she is. Honorable.”

  “Oh, so she loves you, but you don’t love her? You’re not making sense, son. Listen to yourself.”

  Rico didn’t like it when his father actually made a valid point. He hooked a leg over the edge of his desk and regarded Ed with disdain. “She’ll do it. I can persuade her.”

  “You’re awfully sure of yourself. Do you plan on being faithful to her? Sounds like you assume she’ll be faithful to you.”

  “She wouldn’t want anyone else but me.”

  “And you? Would you want anyone else?”

  Rico squirmed. It sucked when his father actually decided to be insightful. No, he didn’t want anyone else, but that was none of Ed’s business. “If she expects that of me, I wouldn’t hurt her.”

  Ed shook his head, and R
ico got the distinct impression that he’d disappointed his father once again. “Angel tells me that you plan to escort her to the party next week?”

  Mariah had to be with him when Ramon debuted Discovery at Delgado’s charity gala, the biggest celebrity event of the year. He needed her there more than he’d admit to anyone, especially his father.

  “Why her? Why not some other woman?”

  “I don’t want any other woman. I want her.”

  A calculating expression crossed Ed’s face. Rico braced himself. He’d just given the man ammunition for his next argument. Like father, like daughter.

  “Really? There’s more to this, isn’t there? Why don’t you just tell the woman you love her and can’t live without her?”

  “You’re a romantic,” Rico scoffed.

  “Maybe.” Ed rose to his feet, and Rico breathed a sigh of relief. His father crossed the room, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. “I can’t wait to meet the woman that has my son so tied up in knots that he’d come up with such an outrageous scheme just to see her again. She must be some woman.” Ed slid through the door and closed it behind him.

  “She is,” Rico whispered to the silent walls of his office.

  * * *

  Mariah wrote a check for the last bill from the now-due stack and subtracted the amount from her checkbook. She had $23.43 left in checking. Even worse, her savings account existed only in her recent memories. Property taxes were due next month. The taxes on this place were more than she made in a year.

  She still needed to buy hay and grain for the horses. Sueño would be reduced to standing on a Friday Harbor street corner, grain bucket in his mouth, sporting a sign, “will work for hay.” In spite of her situation, she laughed out loud.

  Mariah stepped outside into the frosty night air. Winter in the San Juans could be beautiful, but she was having a hard time seeing that beauty tonight. Instead, her stomach churned like a washing machine on the heavy-duty wash cycle.

  She was running out of time. She’d gone to every bank in the area, checked out the Internet, nothing. No one would finance that amount of money. Even if she could find a financial institution willing to take a chance, she still had to pay the taxes and other expenses on this place. Then there were the loan payments.

  The phone interrupted her musing. She walked back inside to answer it, grateful for the interruption.

  “Mariah? This is Carmen Delgado. How are you?”

  “Fine. Wonderful.” Wonderfully miserable. “And how are you, Carmen?”

  “Oh, I’m great. I had my baby, a little girl. We named her Susannah.” Carmen’s cheery voice grated on Mariah’s nerves.

  “Oh, congratulations.” If she got any more excited, she’d have to breathe into a paper bag.

  “Thanks. That’s part of the reason I’m calling. You did such a good job on our vacation home, we’d like to hire you for a remodel job on our home in Southern Cal. We need the nursery re-designed, maybe some other rooms, too.”

  It seemed a little odd that they hadn’t had the nursery done before the baby was born. No matter, she needed the money. She didn’t relish the idea of being so close to Rico, but a job was job, and she needed this one.

  Maybe Rico didn’t socialize with the Delgados. After all, Carmen had been his lover since they’d been teenagers. Everyone knew that. Their stormy relationship had entertained fans and increased gossip rag sales for years.

  “Mariah? Are you still there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you start next Saturday? I hate asking you to work on a weekend, but that’s the only day both Max and I are available to meet with you. Does that work?”

  “Uh, sure. That’d be great.” Now she needed to find the money for airfare and a hotel room and—

  “We’ll take care of your expenses. I’ll email you later with the details.” Eva would be proud of Carmen. Not a bad job of mind-reading.

  “I’m looking forward to it.” So would her bank account. And so would Sueño, the almost-beggar horse.

  “Is $2500 enough for an advance?”

  Enough? It was more than enough. “I’m sure that’ll be fine.” Mariah squelched the urge to give a cheer for the old bank account.

  “Uh, Mariah?” Carmen hesitated.

  “Yes?

  “Have you heard from Rico?”

  That washing machine in her stomach started the spin cycle. She sank into the nearest chair. “I—no. I don’t expect to. Why do you ask?”

  “Would you like to hear from him?”

  “No, of course not. I have no interest in seeing him. You’re not thinking of anything like that, are you?”

  “Oh, no, I’m not thinking of it at all. He seems out of sorts since he came back. I thought that maybe he missed you.”

  “Carmen, I rather not talk about him.”

  “Sorry.” She didn’t sound sorry. “I’ll email the flight details and stuff to you. We’re looking forward to getting started. Bye.”

  With that last word, Carmen hung up. What a strange conversation. Mariah smelled a rat, a tall, lean Latin one. Even if they were setting her up, they’d baited the trap with a job offer she couldn’t refuse. Her situation was just too desperate.

  Regardless, she was certain of one thing; no way would Señor Rat be getting a piece of her cheesecake.

  Chapter 16—The Reunion

  Disembarking from the plane, Mariah entered the terminal. Flying first class had been worth every penny. She felt energized and ready to go to work, as she waited with her luggage at the predetermined meeting spot.

  A handsome young Latino man approached her. “Mariah Baker?” he asked in a heavily accented voice.

  “Yes.” She smiled graciously at him. “And you are?”

  “Alvaro Rodriguez.” He shook hands with her.

  “You recognized me?” Mariah couldn’t help admiring his clothes. They complemented his lean body as if they’d been custom-designed for him. His impeccably styled black hair completed the picture of a well-put-together young man. Max’s staff certainly dressed with class.

  “From the pictures. They do not do you justice, I might add.” He glanced away as if he’d said too much. His dark face colored with embarrassment.

  “Pictures? Max has pictures of me?”

  “This way, please, Señorita Baker. We have a car waiting.” He ignored her question and reached for her bags. His eyes widened at the weight and size of them.

  Mariah followed him as he staggered with her luggage. “Do you work for the Delgados?”

  “I work for your client, yes.” Alvaro stumbled over one of her bags.

  Mariah glanced around, looking for a car. Much to her surprise, Alvaro escorted her to a stretch limo parked on the curb. The driver nodded as he held the door open for her. None of her clients had ever sent a limo to the airport for her. She was usually lucky to get a taxi.

  Alvaro stood back and waited for her. “After you.” He swept his hand in a gracious gesture.

  Halfway in the backseat, Mariah hesitated. Her eyes opened wide in disbelief. Flowers of every imaginable kind filled the limo to overflowing. A small wrapped package with her name on it sat on the table between the seats. Sensing a trap, Mariah backed up, but Alvaro gave her a gentle shove onto the leather seat. He wasted no time jumping in next to her and closing the door. The driver put the car in gear, and they were off with a squeal of tires, careening around the corner. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she’d been kidnapped by a crazed florist with excellent taste in clothes.

  Mariah gawked at the flowers with a mixture of wonder and suspicion. She’d never seen so many different kinds in a florist shop, let alone in a limo. Good thing she wasn’t plagued by allergies. The package with her name on it called to her, but she ignored it.

  Mariah turned to Alvaro. He squirmed and popped his knuckles then started chewing his nails. Legitimate clients didn’t fill a limo with the entire contents of a small florist shop. She glared at Alvaro, but he refused to
look at her and didn’t volunteer any information. The man wouldn’t have any fingernails left by the time they got to their destination. It’d serve him right.

  “Why am I being transported in a rolling flower shop?”

  “The Delgados just wanted to welcome you to LA. Make you feel at home.”

  Home never felt like this.

  Summoning Scarlett, she concentrated on Alvaro. Despite her qualms about this trip, she liked him. She entertained herself by chipping away at Alvaro’s outer shell, asking him questions about LA until he relaxed and opened up to her. He admitted to being a young fashion designer trying to make it in a very competitive market. He talked with passion about his designs and about how difficult it was to get your foot in the door if you didn’t have a name or the right connections. Since clothes were right up her alley, she promised to drop by his shop while she was in town. As a self-confessed clothes addict, something new to wear appealed to her. The cost didn’t, but since when had that ever stopped her?

  She’d been so entertained by him that she didn’t notice the change in scenery. They’d left the freeway and entered an area of small, trendy boutiques and shops on a tree-lined lane. The limo pulled to the curb in front of a two-story stucco building that appeared to house a hair salon upstairs. The sign over the door read ‘Al-Leo’s.’

  Sensing a trap, she glared at him. “Alvaro, what’s going on here?”

  Alvaro wrung his hands together and didn’t answer for several long seconds. “This is my shop. My partner and I own the building. He operates the hair salon on the upper floor.”

  “Alvaro, I'd love to see your shop, but I have a meeting with the Delgados.”

  Alvaro continued to stare out the window. “Actually, you don't.” The more nervous he became the more his accent thickened.

  “I don’t? Was it postponed?”

  “Not exactly. You have an appointment with Leonardo and me.”

  “What?” Mariah’s mouth dropped open. “Am I doing an interior for the two of you instead?”

  Alvaro glanced guiltily at her. “No, not exactly. We are going to do something for you.”