The Fate Of A Marlowe Girl (The Marlowe Girls)

by Fred, Beth

  “Nikkita is in a hurry to go play with a boy my uncle doesn't know about and my grandpa can't stand. But I won't tell on her, because she's about the same size as you and has clothes that have never been worn.”

  Nikkita smiled like she understood every word and blew a kiss at the car as she retreated into the sugar cane.

  “Well, I'm glad she lent me clothes.”

  “They're yours. She had to trade something for silence.”

  I laughed. “I can't take her clothes.”

  “She has plenty more, and you don't know when you'll see your bag again.”

  Back at his place, I felt a lot better after I showered and changed clothes, but I couldn't block out the earlier conversation about Monday's meeting. I would give the excuse Luke supplied about my plane being delayed. I couldn't leave my sister here, so I had no choice but to stay until Monday. As long as I had to be here, I should enjoy Luke. Because whatever this feeling in the bottom of my stomach was, I'd never felt it before, and something told me it wasn't the kind of thing that happened twice. But I couldn't block out fears of being fired, especially with all my new debt.

  When we reached the condo, we agreed to take the afternoon and evening easy with no big plans. We were both exhausted from everything that happened. Luke picked the channel today and set up English subtitles, but the poor guy fell asleep after only a few minutes.

  Since I didn't know how to connect to his internet, I took his laptop and checked my work e-mail. I figured while he snoozed I could see what was in my e-mail, at least respond to it, and if I was lucky, find things I could do from here. Maybe, I'd even come up with another believable excuse and be able to give Jake, my boss, some advance notice, so that he could try to reschedule the meeting on Monday before the world ended.

  It must have been my lucky day. Jake had forwarded me an e-mail from the potential client I was supposed to be meeting on Monday.

  Dear Jake,

  I will not be able to make it to the meeting with your staff on Monday morning. I am out of town dealing with a family crisis at the moment and won't be back by Monday. My firm still hopes to use your services, and I look forward to rescheduling this. I hope your team understands.

  Thanks,

  L.H.

  This was the best news ever! Jake would still be mad that I was taking another day off, but with the meeting canceled, he wouldn't fire me over it. I'd be swamped when I got back to work. More so than I'd planned, due to the extra day and the missed meeting, but I'd still have a job, and knowing that meant I could enjoy the extra time with Luke and not worry about what would happen when I got home.

  “Yes!” I squealed. I logged out of my e-mail and closed his laptop as Luke stirred.

  “What happened?”

  “My meeting got canceled by the client. I won't get fired.”

  “Congrats,” he mumbled as he shifted his body to the other side of the couch. I wasn't sure he'd ever actually woken up, but I didn't care. I was exhausted, and now that I had less to worry about, I might be able to sleep, too. I crawled up on the couch beside him and fell asleep.

  Neither of us woke until after midnight.

  “I'm giving up on ever taking you on a real date.”

  I laughed. “Who cares?”

  “I do.”

  He was silent for a moment, then said, “I have an idea.”

  He went into his kitchen and started throwing random things into a bag.

  With his packed bag in his hand, he opened the closet door outside of the kitchen and grabbed a grill. “Come on, we're going to the beach.”

  “At midnight?”

  “Do you have somewhere better to be, Cinderella?”

  I laughed. “I guess not.”

  The beach was across the street from Luke's condo. As soon as we hit the sand, I kicked my shoes off and let my feet sink in. I always loved the ocean, and even though I didn't live that far from the beach, I rarely saw it. Besides, Texas beaches suck, but this—this was beautiful. We were close enough I could smell the water, and spring in Cancun was as hot as spring back home where it had already hit a hundred degrees once. I threw my arms out in front of me and ran toward the water. Luke chuckled behind me, but I didn't care. Here I was, at a beach after midnight with the world's hottest guy. The water sparkled in front of me, and the waves promised to cool the heat. I was stuck here thanks to my sister's excursions, and it was impossible for me to do any work, so I was free. At least until we sprung Kammy, I was free. Might as well enjoy it.

  The sand turned wet sooner than I'd expected, and I lost my balance. I slid down on my butt. I didn't stop until I hit the shoreline, and a wave came in about the same time.

  “Now, that was graceful.” Luke leaned over me, offering a hand. I let him pull me up, giggling too hard to think of a comeback.

  Luke set up the grill, tossed some meat on it, and leaned back on the beach. I sat down beside him, inching as close to him as I could without touching him. Something about the magic of the ocean and the light of the moon made him even more attractive than his blazing brown eyes and perfect smile already did—oh, and the fact he'd been my knight all weekend.

  “How was your dip in the ocean?” he asked.

  “It was good.”

  Luke laughed. “I liked seeing you loosen up like that. I didn't know if I would see it happen.”

  I didn't know if I would ever see that happen, but life seemed less serious with Luke.

  We hung out on the beach, enjoying the sound of crashing waves, Luke occasionally poking the meat until it was done.

  After we ate, Luke chased me into the waves. I cupped a handful of water and flung it at him. He grabbed me, trying to push me down, and we both hit the sand.

  There we were. I was tucked securely in his arms, and he was practically lying on top of me. The only sounds on the beach were our laughs and crashing waves. Luke put his lips on mine. For once in my life, I didn't think about what I should do. I enjoyed the moment. The feel of his skin on my skin, his hand on my face, our tongues mingling together, the taste of Luke in my mouth.

  I was twenty-four, and I was no Kammy, but I'd kissed a few guys, just never like this. Never the way that really takes your breath away and leaves you desperate for more. No one had ever kissed me in a way that left me unable to think, subject to my emotions, until now. That kiss could have gone wherever he wanted it to. I had no desire to stop it, and if we did more than kiss, I wouldn't regret it until I went back to Texas. But Luke pushed himself away from me. “I'm sorry,” he said through ragged breaths. “I—I didn't mean to get carried away.”

  “I liked it.” Wow! I hadn’t intended on admitting that. I felt the blood rush under my face, but it didn't matter because it was too dark for him to see my face.

  Minutes passed in silence. Finally Luke asked, “Tiffany, why are you so quiet?”

  “I'm thinking.”

  “About?”

  “It's technically already Sunday morning. I'll have to go home soon and...” And I don't want to. And if you could just give me one reason to stay, I think I could be as irrational as my sister, because I don't believe in love, Luke, whose last name I don't know. And I especially don't believe in love at first sight or long distance relationships. And what I don't believe more than that is I love you, and I can refuse to believe it all the way to the airport. It won't make it less true.

  “Tiffany, you'll see me again. I promise.”

  And I don't believe that.

  “You should take me on a real date today.”

  “I should.”

  “We can't take a nap today.”

  He chuckled. “Anjel, I told you, you'll see me again.”

  “I'm not trying to steal more time with you.” Although that was part of it. “I have to get my sleeping schedule back on track. I have to be twice as productive when I get back.”

  “Ahh.”

  Sunday passed in a blur. Luke took me outside of the city to see some ruins. That was like a dream come
true for me. I'd wanted to see them forever. We went snorkeling, shopping in a local marketplace, and he even took me to mass with his family, followed by dinner at his grandmother's. That gave me hope that maybe he’d meant what he’d said and I would see him again. You wouldn't take a girl you didn't plan on being around to church with your family... would you?

  We were in his car, driving back to his condo. It wasn't even seven o'clock, but due to our resolve to stay awake until a reasonable hour with no naps today, we were both exhausted. And that's when he asked the question that dashed my hopes.

  “That thing with Emmett and your sister probably left you with some serious trust issues, huh?”

  My chest tightened. My throat closed. It was hard to breathe. Why would he bring this up?

  “Yes.”

  “So, if you liked a guy that hadn't been completely honest with you, would you blow him off?”

  “What did you lie to me about?”

  “Nothing, I'm just asking.”

  “Why would you ask that?”

  “Because I need to know.”

  “Because you lied.”

  “No, I did not. I promise.”

  “Except a promise wouldn't mean anything if you're a liar, and you wouldn't have asked that question if you weren't.”

  He sighed. “Tiffany, you're leaving tomorrow. I didn't lie to you about anything. Can we have a peaceful night? Please?”

  I didn't answer him. Tomorrow we would collect my sister from jail. He would drop us at the airport, and we would never see each other again. I already knew I'd remember these three days forever. I didn't want to spend tonight fighting, but I was angry at myself for falling for another guy I couldn't trust. However, knowing I couldn't trust him would make going home easier.

  We both went to bed early that night. I actually went to bed in Luke's room alone on our last night together. He wasn't going to budge about what he'd lied about, and I couldn't pretend like nothing happened until he told me.

  Chapter 7

  I couldn't sleep. It didn't matter what he’d lied about. I was sure it was nothing too bad. He’d taken me to church with his family. I'd spent two nights with him and had never felt safer. What mattered was the way I could relax when he was around, the way he made me laugh when no one else ever really could, and the way, even with all the disaster this weekend, I was able to have fun. But the bed was so much more comfortable than the couch.

  I got out of bed and opened his bedroom door. “Luke, lay down with me?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Please.”

  So, he joined me. He held me and kissed me. We talked for a couple of hours with each of us periodically stealing kisses between words, and we fell asleep together. Waking up with him on Monday morning was bittersweet. He was so beautiful, and he made me feel so special. Waking up beside him made me glow, but I knew this would be the last time, and there was no worse feeling in the world.

  We got breakfast before we went to get Kammy.

  “Tiffany, what part of Texas are you from?”

  “Houston.”

  He let out a breath so deep it was audible. Relief flashed across his face, and Luke grinned. “Okay,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “I’m curious.”

  “Okay,” I answered, not knowing what to think about that.

  This day was passing too quickly. Before I knew it, we had my sister and were back in Luke's car. I was glad Kammy was out of jail and safe, but I wasn't looking forward to going home.

  “Hey, I know there is some time before your flight, but do you mind if I take you to the airport early? There is something I have to do.”

  Wow. It was our last day together, and he was getting rid of me early. Whatever he'd lied to me about could have been big after all.

  “Sure,” I said.

  Kammy hadn't said two words to me since we’d picked her up. When Luke dropped us at the airport, I thanked him, but she didn't.

  We cleared security in silence. I took a seat at our terminal, and she sat beside me.

  “You left me there for two days.”

  I was heartbroken. It took everything I had not to cry, and my sister, who had cost me a fortune this weekend, was upset she’d spent two days in jail for things she did.

  “Do you have any idea how much money you cost me this weekend?”

  “Right, cuz that's what matters.”

  “You're paying me back,” I said, wishing this trip had never happened.

  In the hours that passed before our plane boarded, I vowed to start working twice as much when I got home, so I wouldn't have to think about things—guys, little sisters. And I would swear off guys for good. I refused to believe there was such a thing as a good man.

  It got closer to time for our flight to board, and I reached in my purse for my ticket. I started panicking because I couldn't find it. As they boarded first class, I took things out of my purse one by one to find the ticket. By the time I finally found it in my pocket, coach was boarding.

  Kammy and I got in line. Traveling lightly, due to the hotel's revenge on our luggage, made it easier. I followed Kammy through the first class cabin when I heard, “Ma'am, your ticket has been upgraded. You're no longer flying coach.”

  The comment sounded so direct, I almost thought the guy was talking to me. His voice reminded me of Luke, but I would not think about Luke.

  “Tiffany, did you hear me?”

  I turned to see Luke standing in front of a first class seat, looking like heaven in his navy blue shirt.

  “Luke?” I was so happy I wanted to cry right then and there.

  “I'm sorry I dropped you off early. I had to change my flight and get your ticket upgraded.” He held out his hand. I took it and allowed him to pull me to him. “The seat beside me is yours. Tiffany, I didn't lie to you about anything. I promise. I just didn't tell you everything. I do work on mi abuela's sugar plantation when I'm around. We all do. It wasn't a lie, but I'm an attorney. I don't tell girls at first, because they see the car, the plantation, the mansion... and, Tiffany, I'm sorry. I changed my flight so I'd have four hours to convince you.”

  “Your flight? You were already going to Houston? For what? And won't you have to come back?”

  “No, I live there. I'm licensed to practice both in Texas and Mexico. My dad owns the biggest law firm in Houston. I work there, and I work hard, so I try to keep people from knowing.”

  “Wait a minute. The biggest firm in Houston, which one is that?”

  “Hernandez and Rodriguez.”

  “Wow!”

  A small circle of passengers had gathered around us.

  “Tiffany, I'm sorry I wasn't completely honest with you. But I think I love you. Give me a chance, please?”

  I nodded, because I knew I didn't care that he had left out some large details. Although, it would have been nice to know I would see him again.

  “You're my client,” I said as I processed things.

  “What?”

  “L.H. from the Hernandez & Rodriguez firm. You're my client. We have a meeting tomorrow.”

  He laughed. “I've never had such a cute accountant.”

  “We would have met even if Kammy hadn't gone wild.”

  “Fate.”

  The group that had gathered around us chanted, “Kiss, kiss, kiss...”

  Luke put his hand on my face, and I held my breath as he inched his face closer to mine. Our lips brushed, parted, and I held on to him as tightly as I could, letting this go where it might, until a throat cleared from somewhere behind me, and we broke apart.

  The other passengers had moved on to their seats, except my sister, who stood staring at me.

  “Hey, Tiff, you seemed to have moved on, so you're not going to say anything to Emmett about this weekend, right?”

  “As long as you pay me back, I don't care what Emmett knows.”

  She gave me a hard look, but didn't say anything.

  “You know a guy who cheated on yo
ur sister, will probably cheat on you, right?” Luke asked.

  That caught me completely off guard, but Kammy didn't say anything to him. She shot him a glare and shuffled back to coach.

  I spent the trip home hand in hand with Luke, my head on his shoulder.

  One year later, I became Mrs. Hernandez on the beach in front of Luke's condo.

  AcknowledgementsFirst and foremost is my husband, Emil Fred. He’s benevolently supported my writing since December of 2009, when lots of times he probably should have told me he wasn’t doing any extra housework for me to have writing time, or that I couldn’t spend any more money on writing classes, conferences, critiques, or editors.

  My critique partner Shelley Sly read Kismet multiple times. Once just to make correcting the grammar didn’t over-ride the voice. (Then I un-corrected the grammar).

  My freelance editor Kelley Hashway was amazing. She did not miss anything. If you found a mistake, I made it during revision. She read the story backwards and forward, and then when I finished some revisions to the first three pages two days before my daughter was born, she re-read them for free! She said consider it a baby gift.

  Last but not least, my little ELF (Emily Lace Fred) for putting up with a mother who spends more time reading/writing/blogging/working (in that order) than she probably should.

  And to you, because if you’ve made it this far you’ve stuck it out with me the whole way through my first publication, and readers are why we write.

  Thanks,

  Beth