by Tina Beckett
“You and Dante are the same age? You’re twins?”
“Yes. Fraternal ones. Alejandro and Santi are obviously younger.” He smiled, a flicker of what might have been relief in his brown eyes as he glanced over. “And they’re not twins, before you ask.”
She smiled back. “That certainly would have made life interesting. So your brothers all live in the area, you said.”
“They do now.”
“But not before.”
“Three of us did. Santi just recently...returned.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”
“No.” She hesitated, but decided not tell him that her biological parents had both been drug addicts who’d been in and out of prison. Or that she’d been shuffled from one foster home to another during her childhood, until finally her parents had fallen off the radar altogether.
None of that mattered, though. The people she cared about the most—the ones she considered her real parents—had taken her in as a teenager and had given her their last name.
She decided to acknowledge that fact. “My parents live pretty close to here. My dad is a marine biologist.”
“You grew up on the water, then.”
“Not really.” Yet another thing that would be hard to explain, since she hadn’t actually grown up with her adoptive parents. “I’m not crazy about the ocean. Too many things swimming down there. I think my dad’s stories about what he’s seen on some of his dive trips had the opposite effect to what he’d hoped. I think he secretly envisioned me following in his footsteps.”
“But you didn’t.” Rafe stopped for a red light. “You became a neonatologist instead.”
She’d often wondered if maybe that was so she could help babies get off to a better start than she’d had.
“I did.” She paused, thinking through her answer. “I would have had a baby brother, if he’d survived. He was stillborn.” Her mom’s one and only pregnancy had happened right after they’d adopted her. It had taken a lot of reassurance to make her believe that they would still want her, even if they had ten other children. It hadn’t happened, and complications had caused the doctors to recommend a hysterectomy soon after the baby was born.
That made him look. “I’m sorry. My mom had several miscarriages. It was why she and my dad decided to emigrate to the States. She was pregnant with Santi and was worried things would go wrong again. So they chanced getting passage on a small boat. They made it. And Santi was obviously fine.”
Small boat. Did he mean...? Either way, they’d made it, and Rafe’s brother had survived. “What do they do? Your brothers, that is.”
The light changed back and the vehicle slid smoothly into traffic. “Dante is a neurosurgeon. Alejandro is a pediatric transplant surgeon, and Santi is a paramedic.”
That stopped her for a second.
“You’re all in medicine?” How often did siblings go into such similar fields?
“Yes.”
He didn’t offer up any more explanation than that, although she got the idea there was more to the story. Besides, there was Buena Vista just ahead on the right. Her queasiness from a couple of days ago hadn’t quite given up. If it held on any longer, she would need to get it checked out. She didn’t want to pass anything on to her tiny charges. She’d been super-diligent about hand washing and making sure she wore gloves and a mask with any of her more vulnerable patients, like Renato.
As he pulled in and found a spot for his car in the covered lot, she was struck by how different Buena Vista was from Seaside. The building was modern, the landscaping well planned and tended. Not that Seaside was ugly, by any means. They provided first-class care for their patients, but since it was a public hospital they couldn’t always afford the things that private facilities like this one offered.
Turning off the engine of his vehicle, he dropped his keys and smartphone into the pocket of his sport coat. Only then did he shift his upper body around to face her. Everything inside of her went wonky when his fingers touched the back of her hand, his eyes searching hers. For a brief second she thought he was going to kiss her.
Would she let him? As if her body had already made its decision, her teeth came down and pinned her lower lip.
“Cassie?”
“Yes?” The breathlessness in her voice made her cringe. She sat up straighter, hoping he hadn’t heard it.
“If we happen to see one of my brothers in there, and with the way my luck runs we will, can I ask you not to say anything about our conversation just now?”
The tingling in her midsection came to an abrupt halt.
“Our conversation?”
“About my parents.”
She would have expected him to ask her to keep the night they’d spent together quiet, just like she’d asked him at Seaside that day. Instead, he’d evidently said something on their ride over that he hadn’t meant to. Something he didn’t tell many other people. His mom’s miscarriages? Their trip over on the boat? Whatever it was, he needed some kind of reassurance. Reassurance she was suddenly more than happy to supply.
With his hand still covering hers, and the warmth of his skin penetrating the chill from the air-conditioner, she gave him what he wanted. “I won’t say a word, Rafe. To anyone.”
* * *
Why had he mentioned his parents? Not that he had, really. But he’d said much more than he’d intended to. Cassie seemed to invite confidences and a whole lot more. Walking out of the meeting an hour later with Cassie not far behind him, he swore softly when he spied two of his brothers in conversation over by the emergency entrance. Just when he’d begun to hope they might get out of there without seeing either of them. Not happening, evidently. Santi must have just come off a run. The pair waved him over.
“Alejandro tried to call your cell a little while ago, but didn’t get an answer. He figured you must be in the air somewhere.” Santi gave him a quick slap on the shoulder, looking past him. “Who’s this?”
Perfect. Paragliding would have been the preferable option to this. He would have to run into the two Valentino brothers who had found “true love.” Santi with Saoirse Murphy and Alejandro with Kiri Bhardwaj. Why couldn’t it have been the still-single Dante?
“This is Dr. Larrobee. She’s here on a consult with the neonatal department. It’s to do with the possible Zika cases I called Alejandro about.”
“Oh, right.” Alejandro leaned over and shook Cassie’s hand. “Are you worried about Buena Vista being affected?”
Santi took his turn greeting Cassie, while Rafe waited.
“It could hit anywhere. There were a couple of iffy cases, so we met with some of the doctors to compare notes. We’re hoping for the best but expecting the worst.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Really. Let us know what you turn up.” Santi gave Alejandro a glance. “That reminds me. Carmelita wants us all to meet up at the bodega in a little while.”
His brother cocked his head. “She does?”
“Yes, we haven’t gone over the inventory lists since...” He smiled. “Well, you and I have been a little busy with weddings and other things over the past few months. The meeting shouldn’t take long.”
Oh, brother. He could always tell them he had other plans, but it would be a lie. And for some reason he didn’t want Cassie to think he had a date. Or, worse, for his brothers to think he was going out with Cassie.
“We both got married recently,” Alejandro explained, as if reading his mind.
Cassie smiled. “Congratulations.”
“I’m a lucky man.”
Rafe glanced at his brother with concern. Had there been a little catch in his voice when he’d said that? Alejandro had had a scare a month ago and had undergone a heart cath when scar tissue had blocked the organ. But he seemed fine right now. And then
there was his newly adopted son, little Gervaso...
Time to break up this party, though, before his brothers got any strange ideas. “I have no idea what Kiri sees in you, oh ugly one.”
It was a running joke between the four of them, each claiming the other brothers were all the “ugly ones.”
“Rafe!” Cassie’s chiding voice came from beside him.
“It’s okay,” Alejandro said. “He knows he’s actually the ugly one. And old to boot.”
Except now both of his brothers were showing renewed interest in Cassie. Maybe because she’d called him by his first name, rather than giving him his professional title.
Perfect.
“When exactly does Carmelita want us to meet?”
“How about now? She is always complaining about how hard it is to round all of us up.” Santi had his phone in his hand.
“Cassie rode over here with me. I’m sure she isn’t interested in going.”
“The bodega closes in a half hour.” Santi glanced at Cassie. “Do you mind stopping there for a few minutes? Like I said, it shouldn’t take long.”
“Alejandro, don’t you have a baby to check on?” Rafe’s jaw tightened as he tried to deflect the conversation to the heart transplant baby his brother and Kiri had adopted.
“Gervaso is doing great.” The pride in his brother’s voice was evident when he spoke of his new son. Rafe had to admit both Alejandro and Santi seemed happier than he’d ever seen them.
Cassie touched his arm. “A quick side trip won’t hold me up at all, as long as you can have me back at Seaside by four.”
“Are you going on duty again?”
“No, I’m having dinner with a friend.”
A friend?
It was none of his business who she saw. But if it was that oaf who’d hurt her...
Hold up, Rafe. It has nothing to do with you.
It did make his mind up, though. “If you’re sure?”
“I am. I don’t think I’ve actually been to a bodega before. What is it exactly?”
He waited for one of his brothers to explain, but when they both remained miraculously silent he answered. “It’s kind of a convenience store with a Latino flair. They sell tomatillos and specialty spices. My parents founded it. It came about because they missed some of the foods from their homeland. It snowballed as they imported stuff for other Heliconians. So the bodega was born. It’s been in the family ever since.”
“Wow. I guess I have noticed them, I just never knew what they were called. You all run it together?”
“We do, with the help of Carmelita.”
“She’s a friend of the family,” Rafe explained. “A kind of tia—aunt. She manages the place for us now. We haven’t had an official meeting in a few weeks, though, and I guess she’s wondering what happened to us.”
It might have been easier to just sell the small mom-and-pop store. After all, the bodega contained some terrible memories. But it was also something his parents had cherished. They’d worked hard to carve a place for themselves in the community. The bodega had been their pride and joy. None of the brothers had had the heart to close it down or sell it, although that might have been less painful in the long run.
“I’d love to see it.”
Alejandro drew his keys from one of his pockets. “I guess that’s it, then. We meet over there in around fifteen minutes?”
“Do I have a choice?” Rafe asked.
“No.” Santi threw a smile over his shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’ll be quick and painless.”
Somehow Rafe doubted that. “Okay, we’ll see you there.”
Maybe by the time they arrived at the bodega he and Cassie would have figured out what their next step should be.
Not their next step. His. Because if he could help it, he was going to investigate the Zika scare on his own from here on out.
As for the bodega meeting, it was no biggie. His brothers would never guess the truth: that he’d spent one unforgettable, incredible night with Dr. Cassandra Larrobee, neonatologist.
And once he and Cassie went their separate ways, everything would go back to the way it had been before they’d met.
At least, Rafe sincerely hoped it would.
CHAPTER THREE
CASSIE WAS BEGINNING to feel sorry she’d made that call to the CDC.
No, she wasn’t. The Renatos of the world deserved to have someone fight for them. To make sure that what happened to him and the others didn’t turn into an epidemic. If she could help, she would. Even if it meant meeting Rafe and his brothers, and going to his parents’ shop.
In the end it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Back in the car, next to Rafe, she tried not to dwell on the fact that she was a little bit nervous to be included in their meet up. No, she wasn’t “included.” She was only coming because it was easier than dropping her off at home.
Rafe, Santi and Alejandro all had stunning good looks with dark hair and even darker eyes. The sibling she hadn’t met—Dante—was probably just as big a hottie as the rest of them. Ugly, her ass. They could only joke like that because the brothers were the antithesis of homely. Anyone seeing them together would have realized immediately they were brothers. Any woman in her right mind would be a little overawed by them.
It had nothing to do with Rafe or what they’d done.
“How far away is the bodega?”
“Just a few more blocks.” He cut a glance her way. “Having second thoughts?”
Yep, and it was definitely time to put some distance between them. He was beginning to read her far too easily, unless it had just been a lucky guess. She wasn’t going to admit that for the world, though.
“I’ll just look around the store while you guys talk, if that’s okay.”
“Sure. There are a lot of interesting items there.”
“I bet.” She had a thought. “Nothing illegal, though, right?” Drugs were a huge problem in Miami. She wanted to make sure she wasn’t getting involved in something she would regret.
Not that she was getting involved. She just needed to be cautious, a trait she’d somehow misplaced when dealing with Rafe. But she’d better locate that sucker, pronto.
Her stomach shifted inside her, giving a little squeeze to remind her that it was still there.
“Do we look like a gang of drug dealers?”
Stranger things had happened. But he was right. There’d been no hint of drugs during the night they’d spent together. Just a few drinks. “No. Sorry.”
He gave her a lopsided smile. “It’s okay. I’m sure we can look like quite the crew when you get us all together.”
Yes, they did. And that was half the problem.
“So there’s Santi, Alejandro, you and...was it Dante?”
“Yes.”
“Wow.”
He cocked a brow at her. “What does that mean?”
“Your names are just all so...”
Sexy. There. She could admit it to herself, even if she would never dare to say it to Rafe or his brothers.
“All what?”
“Latino sounding.”
He laughed, the deep sound washing over her and making a smile come to her lips. “Well, since we are actually from Scandinavia...”
“Very funny. Is Rafe short for something?”
“Rafael.” He pronounced it with that smooth Spanish roll of the R that sent heat pulsing through her chest, belly...and beyond. She’d loved listening to him as they’d made love. The words had been dark. And mysterious. Hinting at all kinds of decadent things.
Whoa! Time to slow down those thoughts. Or she was going to have to move the vent so it was blowing cold air directly on her face. She cleared her throat.
“It must have been neat, grow
ing up with siblings.”
There. That was a safe enough topic. Her only siblings had been transient, the relationships only lasting as long as whatever home she’d been in at the time.
A shadow crossed his face. “Yes. My mom could keep us all in line with just a look.” He shrugged. “You wouldn’t know it by looking at any of us now.”
He pulled up to a corner, where a colorful sign hung over a small hole-in-the-wall store.
Valentino’s.
“Here we are.”
She stared at the building with its floral-tiled façade and cobblestone sidewalk. “It’s so quaint. I love it!”
“Wait until you see inside.” He parked behind a motorcycle. “Looks like everyone’s already here. Are you sure you want to go in?”
It didn’t sound like Rafe was all that thrilled with the idea. But she wanted to see it, although she wasn’t sure why. She’d grown up in Miami, but she’d never really gotten a chance to be immersed in another culture. She’d known plenty of Brazilians and Cubans, and could speak passable Spanish and Portuguese, but most of her knowledge consisted of tangible things like black beans and rice and fried plantains.
“I really do. I promise I won’t intrude on your family time. Unless you’re going to have fifty relatives in there, then it might be a little hard to avoid bumping into one another.”
His mouth tipped up slightly. “Hopefully it’ll just be me, my brothers and Carmelita.”
“Who else would there be?”
“It doesn’t matter. Shall we?” He got out of the car, circling the hood as if coming around to open her door. She beat him to it, throwing it wide and stepping onto the curb.
She felt a little out of place in her hospital attire, especially since Rafe had on street clothes. She’d shopped in her scrubs before, though, so why did she suddenly care how she looked?
Reaching back, she tightened her ponytail holder and straightened her shoulders. It was fine.
When they ducked inside the tiny store, she found it packed to the gills with strange-looking merchandise. Fascinated, she fingered the Spanish language labels. It wasn’t just food that the place carried. There were tall glass votives sporting the image of the Virgin Mary on a long shelf toward the front of the store, as well as packages with pictures of hammocks on the front.
