Joaquin knew that the brothers mending their relationship had to come before talk of Esteban’s newfound paternity. Orlando and Esteban had been estranged for as long as Joaquin had been alive. Even though there had been bad blood between the brothers, Orlando had never begrudged Joaquin spending time with his cousins and uncle. Esteban had five sons; he’d probably needed a minute or two to digest the addition of the sixth. Joaquin was prepared to give him as much time as he needed. He was in the unique position to sit back and contemplate the fact that now he had not one but two fathers. Because Orlando, the good man who raised him, would always be his father.
As he glanced around Esteban’s living room, at the well-worn upholstered furniture and the stacks of National Geographic magazines lined up neatly on the coffee table, along with the Miami Herald sports section and four remote controls for various electronic pieces, it dawned on him that the place looked exactly the same as it had all the years he’d been coming over to hang out with his cousins. Hearing Orlando and Esteban reminisce so fondly about Luz made Joaquin’s heart fill to the point of nearly bursting.
Before too long the conversation drifted to Esteban’s regrets of losing Luz’s love.
“She ended up with the best man,” Esteban said. “I was too wild. When I had her, I couldn’t stand the thought of being tied down. That’s why I didn’t realize she was such a gem until after I married Ginger. I suppose she deserved better, too. In those days I didn’t know how to treat a quality woman. I was too busy romancing the bottom of my highball glass. God knows that’s what held my attention. That’s why Ginger eventually left me. She put up with my crap for way too long. I didn’t deserve the years she gave me and I certainly didn’t deserve Luz, but you did, Orlando.”
Esteban was silent for a moment. The ticking of the grandfather clock and the AC clicking on were the only sounds in the room.
“Although, I must admit that knowing Luz didn’t cheat on me is a huge, healing comfort. She had every right, but she was a good woman.”
He turned, almost shyly to Joaquin. “Discovering that you are my son is like having part of Luz back in my life.” He gestured to Orlando. “Your father is an honorable man for so fiercely protecting your mother. The dumbest thing I even did was to let Luz get away. I guess deep down inside I always thought she deserved more than me. In life, you get what you expect. I expected that I was bad for her and I was.”
As the sun set, Esteban excused himself because he had a previous engagement—a date with a woman in the neighborhood. They were going to a potluck dinner. No, it wasn’t anything serious; they were just spending time together.
It was comforting that things hadn’t changed.
He told Orlando and Joaquin that they were welcome to stay, but the two thanked him and said they had to be going.
Even though Joaquin had had a while to sit with the reality that Esteban was his father, he was still a jumble of emotions: satisfied that the truth was finally out in the open, happy that Esteban had taken it so well, ecstatic that this rift between the brothers was on the mend. But he couldn’t ignore the jangling uncertainty rattling his equilibrium.
“Let’s definitely get the entire family together for Christmas,” Orlando said as he hugged his brother again. “But let’s not wait until then. That’s more than six months away.”
As Joaquin backed the car out of Esteban’s driveway, he thought about what had just happened and how, even though nothing had changed, everything was different—in the best way possible, he reminded himself. He and Esteban knew the truth. Orlando was still and always would be his father. He only wished he had done this sooner. But who knew? Maybe if they’d done it sooner things wouldn’t have turned out as well as they had today. Maybe he and Esteban wouldn’t have been ready.
Everything happened for a reason and in its own time.
All he knew was that he had Zoe to thank for making this happen. He thought about calling her when he got back to the hotel, but before he could share his good news, he had some making up to do for the way he had treated her.
He’d learned two things today. When you were lucky enough to find a good woman, you treated her like a queen. And time waits for no one. If you don’t act when you have chance, you just might lose the love of your life.
* * *
On Monday, Zoe didn’t even look for Joaquin. In fact, she seriously contemplated not even going in to work because she didn’t want to see him. Then she decided she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of thinking she was home pining for him. Okay, so in reality, he probably wouldn’t be satisfied that their argument had kept her away, but it was still the principle of the matter. She was embarrassed by the way she’d sacrificed her dignity, telling him she wouldn’t give up on him when clearly he just wanted her to go away.
So she’d come into the office, holding her head high, purposely immersing herself in a project to keep from wandering over to his side of the building.
On Tuesday at around two o’clock she couldn’t avoid that side of the building because she had to pick up printed samples of the new company stationery. She walked by, pretending not to look, yet she couldn’t help but notice that his door was open and the lights were off. He had either not come in or was taking an exceptionally long lunch. Or maybe he’d left early?
Why hadn’t he at least texted her by now?
Okay, so maybe she hadn’t given up on him, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t wait for him to make the first move toward reconciliation. If this was how he fought, she wasn’t sure he was the right guy for her. She’d have to think about this.
When she still hadn’t heard from or seen him by Wednesday morning, Zoe’s anger had faded and she was downright concerned. Where was he?
This had gone too far.
She hoped he was okay.
She swallowed her pride and called Steffi-Anne. She hated to do it, but what if he was sick or something had happened? He didn’t have family in town. What if he’d slipped in the shower and hit his head and had amnesia and was wandering around the streets of Austin lost?
Okay, that was a little far-fetched, but still, if she’d been gone for three days—okay, technically it was two full days and this was the morning of the third—she would want people to check on her.
“Yes, Zoe.” Steffi-Anne’s usual mildly irritated monotone assaulted her ear.
“Good morning, Steffi-Anne.” She infused as much sunshine as she could into her tone. “I hope your day is off to a good start.”
“What do you want, Zoe? I’m sure you didn’t call simply to inquire about my morning.”
“You’re so smart.” Effervescence and sunshine this time. “I didn’t call to ask about you. When will Joaquin be in?”
She squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. Being humbled like this would be worth it if she could find out when he was supposed to be back.
“What? Is there trouble in paradise? I would’ve thought that you, of all people, would be able to keep track of lover boy. And speaking of, I have not received a signed consensual relationship agreement form from either of you. Have things changed?”
Zoe wanted to slam down the phone. But first she wanted to tell her it was none of her stinking business and then she wanted to slam the phone. Instead she said, “You are so funny. Are you still running with that gag? It’s getting a little old, don’t you think?”
“It’s not a gag, Zoe. Unless you get special treatment because you are the boss’s daughter, I need those forms on my desk by the end of tomorrow.”
Sunshine, effervescence and chirping bluebirds—she sounded like Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty all rolled into one. “Oh, Steffi-Anne, you’re so observant. I am the boss’s daughter and it will behoove you to remember that. We will not be signing your silly form. So don’t ask me again. Am I clear?”
“Perfec
tly.”
Zoe hung up the phone, feeling queasy and giddy at the same time. She hadn’t gotten the information about Joaquin she needed, but she was pretty certain it was the last time Steffi-Anne would bully her.
By four o’clock on Wednesday there was still no trace of Joaquin. Zoe swallowed her pride and texted him.
Hey, stranger. Do you still work here?
Her heart nearly jumped into her throat when he answered immediately.
I do. I’ve been in Miami. Got back late last night. Meeting your father for lunch. Talk to you later.
Her father? What was going on?
Why in the world had Joaquin been in Miami? She remembered him saying he wasn’t sure what was going to happen after his project ended in a couple of weeks. Had he been there on a job interview?
And why in the world was Joaquin having lunch with her dad? She hadn’t spoken to either of them since Sunday. God, she hoped Joaquin wasn’t giving him his resignation.
For that matter, Joaquin had been so upset by Gerald’s confession, she hoped and prayed he wasn’t going straight to the source to tell him exactly what he thought of the situation.
For a moment Zoe couldn’t breathe. If he was leaving, he certainly had nothing to lose by giving her dad a piece of his mind.
Chapter Thirteen
Wednesday evening, the last thing Zoe wanted to do was to go out and socialize. But Veronica had called her at quarter to five and insisted they go for drinks at the Driskill Hotel that night.
The Driskill? Of all places? Even thinking of it made her sad, because the last time she was there she’d been with Joaquin.
Was this what life was going to be like from now on? Thinking of him as she turned every corner? Avoiding her favorite places because they reminded her of him?
“Thanks, Ronnie, but I’ll pass.”
“I don’t think so.” She was particularly sassy tonight. “There’s this bartender at the Driskill. I want him to ask me out. Come on, Zoe. You owe me. Be my wing woman tonight.”
So that was the reason she was insisting on going to the Driskill. Zoe should’ve known this urgent plan would involve a guy.
Zoe knew when Ronnie got that way, there was no escaping her will. So she might as well go and have one drink. Okay, maybe two. Lord knew that Ronnie had been her wing woman plenty of times.
After she’d relented, Ronnie said, “Why do you sound so glum? Trouble in paradise?”
“For God’s sake, is that the theme of the day?”
“I have no idea,” Ronnie said. “Is it?”
When Zoe didn’t answer, Ronnie pressed on. “Is everything okay with Joaquin?”
As Zoe went through the paces of shutting down her computer, she said, “We will have plenty of time to talk at the Driskill. But if I don’t get out of here now, it’ll be eight o’clock before I can meet you.”
“Actually, how about if I swing by your place and pick you up?” Ronnie said.
“Why would you want to do that? You have to pass the Driskill to get to my place. It’s way out of your way. I’ll just meet you there.”
“No, I don’t mind. Really, I don’t. I will be there to get you at six thirty sharp. Oh, and I feel like dressing up tonight. So wear something nice.”
By the time they got to the Driskill, Zoe was glad Ronnie had insisted on taking her car because that meant her friend was the designated driver. She probably hadn’t thought of that when she’d insisted on picking her up. That’s what she got for being bossy.
Zoe knew the reason her friend had gone out of her way was that she was afraid Zoe would cancel. While Zoe wasn’t prone to flaking out on friends, tonight she might’ve been tempted. But when she’d gotten home to her empty condo, all she could think about was the night she and Joaquin had made out on the sofa.
Maybe she would go shopping for a new couch this weekend. Her sister Sophie had coveted Zoe’s teal sofa. No doubt she would be delighted to have it.
She had seriously considered making love with Joaquin right there on that sofa. A wave of nearly unbearable sadness washed over her. She loved him. And she had believed him when he’d said he was falling in love with her.
If she hurt this bad now, she couldn’t imagine how she would’ve felt if she had slept with him.
That was when she knew that Ronnie was her life-saver. This condo was the last place Zoe needed to be tonight. If she stayed in, she would wallow in her misery.
“So, drinks are on me tonight,” Zoe said as they settled into an overstuffed leather sofa in one of the quiet nooks in the kitschy, ranch-themed Driskill bar.
“What? Why are you buying drinks?” As soon as the words had escaped her mouth, Ronnie held up her hand. “Never mind. Far be it from me to turn down free booze. Ohhh, I gotcha. You’re buying the drinks because I’m the designated driver. Clever. But seriously, Zoe, what’s going on with you tonight? You just don’t seem like yourself.”
Zoe waved her off. “I don’t want to be a buzzkill. I’m your wing woman tonight. Speaking of, do you think we could sit any farther away from the bar? How can you work your magic a football field away from the guy?”
Ronnie wiped her wavy blond hair out of her eyes and looked at her cell phone again for about the fiftieth time tonight. This time she replied to a text.
“Here and now, Ronnie.” Zoe snapped her fingers. “I’m talking to you. Do I have to take that thing away from you?”
“Huh? Sorry, that was important.”
Ronnie was an artist who specialized in abstract acrylic paintings. Zoe understood that her friend’s career was not the typical nine to five. Sometimes Ronnie had to interact with clients after hours. Though tonight she was wishing her friend wasn’t quite so distracted.
“That had better be a client or better yet, a hot guy,” Zoe joked. “Speaking of, where is this guy you’re interested in? I want to see him.”
Ronnie craned her neck, looking around the sparsely populated bar. “I don’t know. It looks like he might not be working tonight.”
Zoe was surprised Ronnie hadn’t called to ask if— “What’s his name? And when did you meet him?”
“Oh...” She was still looking around the bar, a little distracted. “His name? Uh...John?”
“You’re not sure?”
“Of course I am. But enough about me. Tell me what is going on with you and Joaquin. Last I heard, you were in love. And that’s why I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks.”
Zoe knew if she didn’t tell Ronnie what was going on, her friend would keep asking questions. And on the flipside of that, if she did tell her, she knew Ronnie would be a good friend and listen.
“I don’t know what’s going on with Joaquin. We had an argument on Sunday. It was a pretty bad one. But arguments happen in relationships. I wanted to believe that just because we disagreed on something, it wasn’t over. But I haven’t heard from him since then. Well, actually, that’s not true. I broke down and texted him today.”
Ronnie looked at her sympathetically. “Did he text you back?”
Zoe shrugged. “Yes, but it was a very short and to-the-point answer. He told me he’s been in Miami for the past couple of days. That’s where he is from. Then he told me he was having lunch with my dad. He said, ‘Got to go.’ And that was it. I thought he might have texted me back after lunch. But he didn’t, and then you called and here we are.”
“That’s odd,” said Ronnie.
“Ya think?”
“Why do you suppose he and your dad were having lunch?”
Zoe shrugged. “I don’t know. Sunday, he was talking about not knowing what he was going to do or where he was going to be after his project here was finished. I know my dad wanted to talk to him about staying on in a permanent position at Robinson. So maybe that’s what they were talking
about today. But it’s odd that he missed two days of work to go to Miami. That has ‘job interview’ written all over it. I hope he wasn’t telling my dad he was going back to Miami.”
Or worse.
Although, if Joaquin had said anything to her father about the Jerome Fortune stuff, her dad would’ve undoubtedly called and given her a piece of his mind about sharing personal issues with nonfamily members. So she felt a little better about that, and actually kind of silly that she had doubted him. That wasn’t Joaquin’s style and she knew it.
“Why would he want to go back to Miami when Robinson is the place where most software designers would give their firstborn to work? It doesn’t make sense. Oh, God, Ronnie, I love him. I don’t know what to do.”
Nothing made sense anymore.
“Just give him space. I have a feeling he’s crazy for you, too. Everything will work out. Mark my words, because you know my gut feelings are usually right. Where in the world is the server? Do we have to go to the bar and get our own drinks?”
“Why would you not want to go to the bar?”
“Yeah, I guess I could ask if Steve was working tonight,” Ronnie said.
“Steve? I thought his name was John?”
Ronnie got another text. “Oh, crap. I have to go make a phone call. I’ll be right back.”
As she walked away Zoe called to her, “What do you want to drink? I’ll order it while you’re on the phone.”
Ronnie pulled the phone away from her ear. “No, don’t get up. We’ll lose our seats.”
Before Zoe could point out the fact that there were plenty of other places and most of them closer to the bar, Ronnie disappeared around the corner.
Ronnie was acting so weird tonight. She was distracted and now that they were here to see this John or Steve or whoever he was, she wasn’t excited about it and they weren’t even sitting near the bar.
Then Zoe sighed. She would admit she was a little hypersensitive right now. Maybe she was simply projecting her own antsy-ness onto her friend.
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