Cassie turned toward Diego, her eyes bright with confusion. “I thought you were born here,” she said.
“No, I had a job and a very large family business before I came here. They wanted to rule the world and ruin many things. I couldn’t do it, and I came here to build things people wanted, and leave only a small legacy of happiness.” He smiled sadly, taking his hat off and leaning back into the sand. “It seems it has found me again.”
Cassie waited for him to speak again, but he didn’t. He raised himself from the sand and walked back toward his home up the beach.
As he grew smaller in the distance, Taylor pulled up on her quad, skidding to a stop and narrowly missing Cassie with a spray of sand.
Hopping off the quad, she lowered herself to the sand next to her friend, resting her hand on Cassie’s. “That must have been a shocker,” she said, squeezing Cassie’s hand and leaning forward, her elbows resting on her knees.
“That doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling,” Cassie said, her hands clenching into fists. “I bared my soul to him, and I thought he understood about the vaquita.” Tears of fury welled up in her eyes, and her heart pounded. “He had plenty of chances to tell me who he was, and he didn’t. I’m so furious I could spit,” she said, using an old expression of her mother’s.
Taylor’s hand flew to her mouth as she tried not to laugh. “Well, please don’t,” she said, unable to completely stifle her laugh.
“I understand it may seem funny to you, but I really was falling for him. I thought he was gentle, and kind, and had the same heart I do,” Cassie said, letting out a deep sigh.
“Cassie, I’ve got to be honest with you. Sometimes you are so blinded by your passion for these porpoises, you don’t see clearly. Not everyone has your vision, your understanding of the bigger view of the Baja.” Taylor turned sideways in the sand, grabbing her hand. “Look at me, Cassie.”
Cassie turned toward her best friend, tears streaming down her cheeks, their salty warmth on her lips. Taylor’s blue eyes filled with concern and shone brightly with tears. “So, he wasn’t the man you thought he was. That’s all there is to it. You’ll find someone who does share your heart, and that’s the person you’re supposed to be with.”
Cassie reached out, hugging her friend tightly. The sobs came now, and she again felt grief overtake her.
Taylor held her firmly, wiping her tears from her cheeks. Cassie’s sobs turned to sniffles, and Taylor said, “You’re not going to let this guy ruin your plans, are you?”
Cassie turned back to the water, clearing her throat. “No. I have work to do.”
“Attagirl,” Taylor said as they walked back up to the house.
Cassie was already thinking about the next day, and her presentation. She was so deep in thought that she jumped when her phone rang. Cell service was spotty, so she always let people know she’d be mostly unavailable when she headed south, so it surprised her that somebody was getting through. Warmth spread through her chest and tears pricked her eyes when she saw that the somebody was her mom.
“Hi, Mom,” she said with a sniffle. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to call you. I’m in Baja.”
The silence at the other end of the phone didn’t surprise her.
“Oh, wow, I must have missed the message that you were going,” her mom said in her worried and annoyed voice. Although they’d been coming down alone for years and had virtually grown up there, their moms always seemed to worry.
“I really am sorry. There’s been so much going on, and the cell service is so bad—”
“I know, sweetheart. I’ll get over it. Tell me what’s going on.”
Cassie’s mom, Megan, lived a few hours away in a different part of California, but they talked almost every day, so they skipped right to the subject at hand. Cassie poured her heart out, and felt the tears springing to her eyes again.
“Oh, my gosh. Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. This has to be heartbreaking for you, on both counts. Why didn’t he just tell you who he was?”
Cassie plopped down on the couch, her elbows on her knees. “I don’t know. I can’t quite figure it out. But Taylor and I told him we thought the resort should go up in flames when we first met, and I suppose I wasn’t very subtle about the vaquita sanctuary.”
“Subtle and vaquita should never be in the same sentence when referring to you, honey,” her mom said, and if she was trying to get a little smile out of Cassie, it worked.
“I know, Mom. I am aware that I can be a little—intense about it.”
“You sure can. Maybe he just didn’t want to let you down.”
Cassie shook her head. “No. He’s just a coward, that’s all.”
“Now, Cassie, if he’s the CEO of the resort company, he has a job to do, too. One that’s likely just as important to him as yours is to you.”
“Whose side are you on?” Cassie asked, annoyed that her mother had always had a knack of making her look at all sides of an issue. “I’m the one who’s heartbroken here. Your daughter, remember?”
Her mother laughed and Cassie could picture her holding up her hands. “I know. But you know as well as I do that there are always more than one side to an issue. And more than one way to win. Try to remember that, honey. And it’s not over until it’s over.”
“I love you, Mom,” Cassie said quietly. “Thanks. I know what I have to do for the vaquita, but I feel a little better.”
“Good. I love you, too, and let me know how it goes as soon as you get a chance. Felicia and I will be rooting for you. You don’t mind if I fill her in, do you?”
“No, no, of course not. I don’t think there’s anything you two don’t tell each other, anyway.” They’d been best friends so long that they were almost like sisters, and Cassie was happy that she was like an aunt to her.
Her mother laughed. “True. Just wanted to confirm. And tell Taylor I said hello and to give my love to Kyle.”
They ended the call and Taylor wandered back in from the patio.
“How’s your mom?”
“Good. She said hello, too, to both you and Kyle. How is your brother anyway?”
“I don’t know. You know I don’t get to see him much these days. Too bad he gets no time off from his residency. If he was here, he’d have a thing or two to say to Mr. CEO. You know he thinks he’s your brother, too.” Taylor laughed and plopped on the couch beside Cassie. “Too bad big brother’s not around. But I’m here. I’ll pop him in the nose if you want me to.”
Cassie leaned her head on Taylor’s shoulder. “Thanks. But I know what I need to do, Alex or no Alex.”
Taylor patted her friend on the knee. “Absolutely. You’ve got this. I know you do.”
Chapter 18
Cassie’s eyes fluttered as the sunlight began to peek in through her bedroom window. Sitting up in bed, the memory of the night before and the events leading up to her pity party explained the state of her bedroom. Her bag was empty, and her clothes were strewn all over and dishes filled the sink.
“Oh, you’re finally awake,” Taylor handed Cassie a cup of coffee with so much hazelnut creamer in it, it must have tasted like melted coffee ice cream.
“Thanks. Exactly the way I like it,” Cassie said with a weak smile. Not even that could cheer her up at this moment.
“Okay, what are you wearing today, Cass? It’s your big day, after all.” Taylor reached for her red pants and purple top.
Cassie pulled out her black skirt and a black tank top. “Are you seriously going to wear that?” She had originally intended to wear a beautiful, shimmery beige dress, fit for the vaquita, and shell earrings. She remembered stuffing them under her bed last night, wanting to run back home and forget all about Baja, the vaquita and Alex. Today, black seemed appropriate.
“Black? Seriously? This is important.” Taylor put her long brown hair in a ponytail and slipped on her purple sandals. “You’ve got to be ‘up’ about this. At least wear some jewelry or something.”
“
I don’t feel ‘up’ at all,” Cassie said, as she slipped on a silver bracelet and earrings. Peering into her jewelry bag, she spotted the silver necklace her mother had given her at graduation. It was a beautiful dolphin, and she slipped it over her head for good luck.
Walking to the window, Cassie looked for her shoes. Finding them in the corner, she slipped them on, feeling as if she was as ready as she ever would be to tackle this event.
“You ready?” Taylor called from the kitchen. “We need to get going.”
Grabbing her notes, Cassie glanced at herself in the mirror. The dolphin glimmered at her throat, and she hoped it would take any attention away from her swollen eyes.
As they drove up the beach, Cassie mentally noted where the sanctuary should have begun and the plans for the structure flashed through her mind. All that time, all that work—all that hope would be dashed shortly.
“I just can’t believe it,” she muttered, and Taylor shot her a quick glance.
“Come on, Cassie. Don’t give up. Not yet.”
After the short drive up the beach, Cassie and Taylor pushed their way through the throngs of reporters at the entrance to Rancho Del Sol. There were cars and flash bulbs everywhere, making it difficult to pass. “So this is what it feels like to be famous,” Taylor joked. “It stinks.”
“It’s not us they’re after, it’s him. Ridiculous,” said Cassie, her fists clenching. “Hope he’s close enough so I can pop him one.”
“That’ll be a great solution, Cass. ‘Woman beats up CEO, film at 11.’ I can see it now.” Taylor grabbed Cassie’s hand and pulled her through the throng at the door, shoving people aside as she went. “If you want a bouncer, let me do it. I don’t have as much at stake.”
“The extinction of an entire species is a big responsibility,” Cassie agreed, nodding.
“Those aren’t the stakes I was talking about,” said Taylor, giving a giant tug on Cassie’s hand, leading them into the meeting room.
They took a seat in the back of the room, Cassie hoping to remain unnoticed for as long as possible. The people who had gotten invitations to the ribbon-cutting ceremony were already inside, sipping champagne and milling about, watching video presentations and checking out the maps and artists’ renderings in full color.
“It really is a nice resort, and it looks like we’re going to be stuck with it,” Taylor said. “I can’t wait to play tennis here, as long as they stay far away from Playa Luna.”
“You are such a traitor,” Cassie hissed, poking her elbow into Taylor’s ribs.
Wincing, Taylor elbowed back. “I’m a realist, my friend. I work at an airport, and my carbon footprint alone could probably wipe out entire species. I do what I can, but I also know when the train is on the tracks. I hope the best for you, and I’ll do everything I can to help, but this train may be unstoppable. I just don’t want you to be disappointed.”
The event got underway, and Cassie and Taylor listened to long presentations, in Spanish, about how wonderful the resort would be, and how it would help the economy.
“See, I told you,” said Taylor. The minister of tourism for Baja California spoke, all smiles, and there was a lot of gleeful handshaking.
The people on the dais were all dressed in expensive suits, and the lone woman wore a Chanel suit with pearls everywhere. To Cassie, she looked like Audrey Hepburn, with a little Latin flavor. She was beautiful, but Cassie wondered how the woman had navigated the sand in those expensive heels.
As Cassie waited through the speeches, she noticed the woman staring at her intently. She studied her notes, sure it was her nerves acting up again. She willed the butterflies to be still, as the time for her to speak came closer.
She looked up from her notes and caught the woman’s eye once more, and her natural instinct was to smile. The woman’s brows furrowed, and she quickly looked away.
“What was that about?” Taylor said. “What did you do to her?”
“I have no idea who she is. How would I know?”
Cassie heard her introduction and rose to her feet. Making sure she was steady, she walked to the podium, hundreds of eyes on her, wondering who she was. She realized this opportunity to speak was really just a pity move to make the Institute feel like they had some hope, but she really felt there was none.
Chapter 19
As Cassie described the plight of the vaquita in the northern Sea of Cortez, she swept the audience away to her dream of a vaquita breeding sanctuary. At least, she hoped that’s what she was doing.
She shared that in the early 1990s, there had been almost one thousand in this small area of the world where they live. Now, there were fewer than a hundred and over thirty per year were lost to the gill nets of the fishermen, both legally and illegally fishing in these waters.
She explained they were the smallest species of porpoise and lived in the more shallow tide lands, feeding off of smaller fish and squid. She let them know the vaquita lived to be about twenty-one years old and had a calf about once every two years, caring for and feeding those calves until they were about five months old. And she shared her experience of the day before, creating with her words a vivid scene of the dead calf and the mourning dance of the parents.
She felt her heart breaking as she spoke, creating as best she could the world of the vaquita as she saw them. She looked up from her notes and was surprised the room was completely quiet, and several of the ladies held tissues to their eyes. The men were somber, and the reporters in the back were scribbling furiously in their notepads. She spotted Taylor in the back, holding two thumbs up and wearing a silly grin.
“The only hope for these creatures is a sanctuary, to hold some of them in captivity to try to increase their numbers enough for them to have a fighting chance. And the only place to do that is here, at Rancho Costa Azul. I hope you’ll reconsider and do your part in keeping an entire species from becoming extinct.”
Cassie smiled, hopeful she had made her case. She turned to the CEO of the company—Alex—and looked directly at him. “These tidal waters were promised to the Institute to form a breeding ground to ensure the continuation of this majestic species. On behalf of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and for the preservation of the endangered vaquita, we ask once again that you allow us to continue with this project.”
The room erupted with applause, photographers’ cameras flashing by the hundreds. Cassie backed away from the podium as Alex approached, his pained expression tugging at her heart, against her will.
“Thank you, Miss Lewis, for your description of the vaquita and the risk of extinction. While I am the CEO of Costa Azul International, we are a family-owned company and governed by the board of directors. We will take this issue to a vote this afternoon, and the board of directors will decide how to proceed. Thank you for your time. Now, we can move on to the ribbon-cutting ceremony—”
“Hang on a minute,” Cassie said, moving one step back toward the podium. “That’s it? You’re going to think about it? I don’t want to get a letter in the mail. I think you need to decide now, before it’s too late.”
Behind Alex, Cassie saw the woman in pearls rise slowly from her chair and move beside him. “Young lady, do you know who I am?”
“No, I don’t” Cassie said, watching Alex cast his eyes downward, his sagging.
“I am Senora Nina Vasquez, chairman of the board.” The tall, slender woman stood erect, her eyes boring into Cassie’s. Not blinking, she said, “We have our ways of dealing with family business, Miss Lewis. We will decide and make you aware of our decision.”
Cassie stepped backwards as all the blood rushed out of her face. She felt her hands grow cold, the woman’s words hitting her like ice.
Cassie wasn’t sure she could see through her tears and was thankful that Taylor grabbed her hand and pulled her through the doors in the back. Just before they left, she turned to see Alex standing on the dais, staring after her. She tore her gaze away and followed Taylor to the Jeep.
“Well, that doesn’t sound very promising,” Taylor said as they turned onto the beach for the drive home.
“No, it doesn’t. Not at all. And for all I know, I will get that letter in the mail. We may as well head home.”
“We can’t, and you know it. I’m certain they’ll let you know today or tomorrow. Nobody—Alex—couldn’t be that heartless.”
“No? He’s heartless, all right. All those days, all that time together even out on the water and he never, ever said a word. I think that is the dictionary definition of heartless, don’t you?”
“Raul didn’t say anything, either. I guess they’re really not who we thought they were.”
“That’s an understatement,” Cassie said as she rested her head back on the seat of the car and closed her eyes, not wanting to see the sanctuary beach as they passed it by.
Chapter 20
Alex glanced at the clock in his hotel room. Raul had left earlier to meet with the other architects and he’d been on his own since the press conference. He was expected for dinner with his parents shortly, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.
The entire past two days had been a disaster. Alex showered and dressed almost in slow motion. When he was ready for dinner, he sat out on the patio and watched the tide go out, exposing much more beach as the waves retreated. The smell of the sea washed over him and several ospreys circled overhead, one carrying a fish. He marveled at the fact that just a few days prior, he didn’t even know what an osprey was, let alone how they lived.
He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He hung his head, the full awareness of how this place would change—because of him—striking him full force. He completely understood his family’s desire to build here—it was spectacular, and he’d never been anywhere like it. But seeing it through Cassie’s eyes, something felt a little different. These people who had lived or visited here for decades would find that their favorite place had changed forever. And it would be his doing—he’d be the villain.
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