by J. P. Comeau
But that didn’t matter anymore.
I had no choice but to cry myself asleep, regretting the day I ever laid eyes upon Jorge Stein.
24
Ginger
I woke up the next morning feeling worse than the night before. All night long, I had dreamed about Jorge. The two of us were back in Paris, taking romantic walks on the streets of Champs-Élysées and the Place de la Bastille. We enjoyed French pastries and cappuccinos outside, as people walked by and asked us when we were getting married. Jorge always held up my hand to show off the ring, and right before giving them a date, Ria showed up.
Ria, with her fake body and even faker personality. But even though Jorge professed that he was no longer attracted to her, especially after so much plastic surgery, I knew she could easily pass as a supermodel. She had a body that every woman pined for, and a face that had been sculpted to perfection. Sure, anyone could tell that it was all plastic. But she was still pretty.
The last dream I had was of her in Jorge’s office, in the same scenario as I’d caught them in the night before. She was wearing the same outfit and leaning across the desk in the same manner. Only this time, I caught them right as they kissed.
It would have been easy to just stay in bed all day, refusing to acknowledge that I was single once again. But as I stared at my antique alarm clock, with its intricate ticking hands, I knew that I’d have to get out of bed. I leaned over to turn off the alarm portion, and that’s when I saw it—the engagement ring.
It was breathtaking.
I leaned closer to get a better look at the diamond, and as I was squinting, I let out a massive sigh.
You need to move on with your life.
I ripped back the covers and forced myself out of bed. After waking up with some coffee, I ignored the growing depression within me and sat down at my desk. Jorge might be out of my life for good this time, but at least I still had my job down at the spa. The first thing on my agenda was to email Guadalupe, briefly explain the situation, and tell her that I’d be working from home that day.
All it took was my typing out the title of the email in order for the tears to start flowing. One hour and dozens of wadded-up tissues later, I finished composing a five-line email that basically said Jorge and I were over, and I wouldn’t be leaving the spa.
Before hitting send, I contemplated checking my phone just to see what Jorge’s excuse had been for last night. Right as I was about to turn the phone on, my doorbell rang.
I can’t believe he has the balls to show his face here!
“Go away, Jorge! You must have me mistaken for Ria! I never want to see or speak to you again!”
“It’s Yuslan. May I come inside?”
“Oh, sorry, Yuslan. Yes, one second.” I quickly composed myself in the mirror, doing my best to make my reddened face look as though I hadn’t been crying.
Screw it.
After saving the email to my drafts folder, I threw on a robe and let the man I considered to be my second father inside.
And right behind him walked Jorge.
“I thought I told you to leave, Jorge Stein!”
Yuslan held up his hands, and his calm disposition slowly lowered my blood pressure. “Ginger, you have every right to be upset with this man. But he has to tell you something.” Yuslan turned to Jorge and nodded his head.
I leaned against my living room wall with my arms folded across my chest.
This ought to be good.
“Ginger, if I were you, I’d be just as angry. But please listen to my explanation!”
“I don’t see what the point is, but go ahead, Jorge.”
He let out a sigh before speaking. “When Ria heard about the De Veers diamond strike, she thought it’d be an easy way for her to get her job back. She knows how complex and demanding her position is, and that it would be incredibly difficult to find someone else on such short notice.”
“If you think that I’m going to stay with you while that bitch is working for you again—”
Yuslan put his hand on my elbow and casually walked me over to my couch.
Jorge waited for me to sit down before proceeding. “Ria was also terrified of going to jail after getting paperwork from my lawyer. Obviously, I told her there wasn’t a chance in hell that she could ever work for me again. That’s when she promised to never make another sexual advance on me, hoping that would change my mind.”
I rolled my eyes in disgust. “Yeah, Ria looked really professional while leaning across your desk with her breasts in your face!”
Yuslan held his hands up again. “Ginger, please let Jorge finish.”
All right, but only because you’re a good judge of character.
“That was nothing but bad timing,” Jorge said. “And I’d completely forgotten to have the locks changed before we went on vacation. Please, Ginger. You have to believe me!”
I started to relax a little bit, remembering that he’d also forgotten about the email from the De Veers Diamond Group. The same one that had he checked it before we went to Paris, we wouldn’t be stuck in this predicament in the first place.
“Anyway,” Jorge continued, “I had her removed from the property as soon as you left. I was actually reaching into my pocket to get my cellphone when you walked in, just to have the cops show up. My lawyers are taking care of the whole Ria situation, and let’s just say that if she comes within a thousand feet of me, she’ll be spending a lot of time in jail. And that’s in addition to the whole embezzling fiasco.”
I looked over at Yuslan, who was smiling at me while holding my hand.
“Jorge is a good man, Ginger, who just got mixed up with a very bad woman.”
Tears started welling up in the corners of my eyes as our gazes met. Jorge looked just as stressed out as I’d been over the past twelve hours. I jumped up off of the couch and wrapped my arms around him.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Jorge! I should have waited for an explanation! It’s just that with everything going on these past few weeks, I didn’t know what to think. So, Ria’s really gone for good this time?”
He reached into his pocket and showed me some paperwork, which proved that Ria wasn’t allowed anywhere near his business or himself. “Ria’s really gone for good, Ginger. It’s just the two of us now.”
“I don’t know what to say, Jorge.”
He ran a hand through my long, auburn hair while staring deeply into my eyes. “Say that you’ll come with me to Africa, Ginger. I don’t know how long I’ll be down there, but I can’t go without you by my side. I know that I’m asking you to leave the job of your dreams, along with your friends and family, but I promise that it’s not a permanent move. Our home will always be here in Miami.”
Hearing him say “our” home made my knees weak.
I looked at Yuslan, who nodded while smiling at me.
“Go to Africa with Jorge, Ginger. He needs you more than we do at the spa right now. But you’ll have to leave today because the sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be back with your family at the Lavender Dreams Spa.”
I turned to Jorge as my jaw dropped in surprise. “Today, Jorge? We have to leave today?”
He glanced at his watch and nodded. “I’m afraid so. We are in hurricane season now, and the weather is very unpredictable. So there is an opening today for us to shoot on over to Africa, and my pilot is on standby. How quickly do you think you can pack your bags?”
“Well, that depends on how long we’ll be gone. Which, as you pointed out, we have no way of knowing.”
“Whatever you can’t pack within an hour, I can always have shipped there. So, you’re definitely coming with me to Africa?”
I nodded while planting my lips onto his, thankful to have the man of my dreams back in my life where he belonged. I hadn’t planned on kissing him for so long, but our emotions got the better of us.
After several minutes of kissing, Yuslan quietly saw himself out.
I had never packed so quickly before in my life. Since I
’d be working for Jorge’s company, I packed every work outfit that would fit in my suitcases along with toiletries. As I grabbed my passport out of the safe, I sent a quick text message to Eva, asking if she’d mind getting my mail while I was gone.
Eva: Of course! Would you mind if I stayed at your place, too?
Me: Go for it!
Eva: Thank you! It’ll be like a mini vacation. Plus, your condo is so much nicer than my apartment!
Going to Africa would benefit both Eva and me because I knew just how lonely she’d been ever since she broke up with her last boyfriend.
In what seemed like only a few minutes, Jorge’s driver showed up ready to take us to the airport, where his private aircraft flew us to Africa. Both of us slept for most of the trip, emotionally exhausted over the past several weeks.
Jorge had made reservations at a five star hotel with breathtaking views in Kimberly, South Africa. That night, we had made love all night long and had a romantic breakfast the following morning at a local restaurant. And that’s when I saw that something was missing from my left hand.
“Oh, shoot. I left the ring back at my condo. It would have been fun pretending we were engaged here, too, just like we did in Paris.”
“Yeah, that was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? I especially loved how much your face lit up every time someone asked when we were getting married.”
I shrugged nonchalantly, even though I loved where the conversation was headed. “Well, you know me. I’ve always been good at pretending to be a fake bride.”
“Actually, I’m kind of glad that you left it behind.”
I tried containing my excitement while acting aloof, but inside I was a ball of nerves. “Why do you say that, Jorge?”
He got down on one knee and looked up at me while smiling. “I think you know why I’m saying that, Ginger. It’s because you are the only woman I want to be with for the rest of my life. I suppose I knew that shortly after we started talking every week, and everything solidified after our first night together.”
Tears were streaming down my face a mile a minute, but I didn’t say a word as he continued.
“Yuslan was right about something, too. He told me that finding the perfect woman is what defines a man, and that’s exactly how I feel about you. Before we became more than friends, Ginger, I was lost. I can’t imagine my life without you. So with that being said, will you marry me?”
“Yes, Jorge! I’ll marry you!”
Everyone in the diner burst out in a round of applause.
“I’ll take you to the mines later on, and you can pick out your very own diamond in the rough. I’ll have it cut however you like, and then we’ll fit it on a platinum band.”
“Oh, Jorge! I’m so excited!”
“That’s what I was going for, Ginger. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us anymore.”
“Well, in that case, I should come clean about something. I lost my birth control when they were looking through my bags at customs. I should have told you last night before we made love, but I couldn’t resist. I’m so sorry.”
He brushed some hair out of my face while smiling. “Oh, well. All that matters is that we love each other and make the commitment to spend the rest of our lives together. And, of course, the next thing for us to do is start a family.”
Epilogue
Ginger
Eighteen Months Later
Brooks was having so much fun in the tub that morning. I still couldn’t believe that he was mine and Jorge’s son, but his crystal-blue eyes were definitely from his father. Guadalupe said that he had my eyebrows and lips, though. Every time I looked at him, all I saw was a bouncing baby boy created by two people who were soulmates.
Ever since I was a little girl, my dream home had included a full bathroom attached to every bedroom—even the guest rooms. And that was precisely what Jorge had done with our newly constructed mansion, which was just a few blocks away from Chase and Margo. Baby Brooks had a nursery that was twice the size of my childhood bedroom and an attached bathroom complete with a soaker tub and walk-in shower. Until he was a few months older, however, I bathed him in his bathroom sink.
My cellphone started ringing, and before Jorge even brought it to me, I knew it was Guadalupe.
“Put it on speakerphone,” I said while rinsing off Brooks.
“Is that Brooks I hear splashing away, Ginger?”
Brooks cooed and giggled upon hearing her voice.
“It sure is, Guadalupe! I’ll be heading to work in just a few minutes. Brooks got a little too carried away with his breakfast, and needless to say, I had to give him a bath.”
“You take all of the time that you need, dear. I only called because your messenger said that you weren’t available, and I wanted to hear him. Will you send me some pictures this afternoon?”
Guadalupe had pictures of Brooks all over her office, right next to Margo’s baby, Joanna. Even though we weren’t blood-related to her, she was still their grandmother.
“Of course, I will! Although I don’t think you’ll have too much room left on the walls!”
“Let me worry about that, dear. If I need to, I’ll have Yuslan make my office bigger.”
Jorge burst out laughing while bringing me a towel for my wet baby. “That poor man is always working at the spa.”
“Believe me, Jorge, I repay him with plenty of home-cooked meals. Speaking of which, when are you two coming over for some of my empanadas?”
“Oh, God, Guadalupe, I could go for some of your delicious empanadas right now! How about this weekend?” I asked.
“Sure, but only if Jorge can wait that long!”
“Guadalupe,” Jorge said while continuing to dry off Brooks, “you won’t hear me complaining if you bring me some of your delicious cooking. Just be sure to bring more than one serving because Ginger will get to it before I do!”
“It’s not my fault that you’re slow,” I said while kissing him. Both of us looked down at our son, who kept giggling as the two of us rubbed him with a towel.
I have never felt this happy in my life.
I dressed Brooks in an outfit I had received at my baby shower and sat him down on his play mat in my home office. It was directly in front of my desk, where I had been working ever since I’d had him. Guadalupe had encouraged me to take a more extended maternity leave, but I loved my job too much. Between Jorge and me working from home, we were more than able to take care of Brooks in between getting stuff done. Besides, he was a pretty easy baby. As long as he had his toys, we could get our work done.
As Brooks rolled around on his play mat, I snapped a few pictures for Guadalupe.
“You are such a beautiful baby!”
I sent the pictures to Guadalupe via our interoffice instant messaging system and then took a few moments to look at the pictures on my desk.
While in Africa, it hadn’t taken me long to help Jorge negotiate with the miner’s union. So we had returned to Miami within six weeks of our departure. And a few months later we had married. Most of the pictures on my walls and in my phone were of Jorge and me on our wedding day.
At the time, my baby bump had been relatively small, and I’d hoped nobody would notice. But Guadalupe noticed within seconds of seeing me in the gown. So did Margo and Eva. Thankfully, they kept the news to themselves until Jorge and I were ready to tell everyone.
I found myself doubled over with laughter as I remembered how Guadalupe kept making subtle references about my small, baby bump that night. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d say she was more excited about the baby than we were.
Brooks was rolling back and forth on the mat, his tiny body reaching for the occasional stuffed animal as he made the most adorable baby sounds. I scooped him up and held him to my chest, secretly wondering how much longer it’d be until we had another baby. Jorge and I hadn’t discussed that yet, but our mansion was big enough to expand our family. I couldn’t wait until we had a house full of children running around and playing whi
le Jorge and I lived our best lives.
Jorge brought me a cup of freshly brewed coffee a few minutes later, and then sat down on the mat with Brooks. I watched them play for as long as I could before opening up my laptop and resuming my work. Once again, the emails were piling up, but I was someone who thrived under pressure. And even though I knew Jorge wouldn’t mind if I quit working, the truth was that I couldn’t see not having a job. In addition to taking care of Brooks, it gave me a sense of purpose in life.
Right as I was finishing up, Eva came over with some of our favorite coconut lattes. The smell wafted into my office.
“Oh, Eva, thank you! Gosh, I could eat nothing but coconut all day long!”
Eva sat down on the other side of the playmat, and I watched as both she and Jorge played with Brooks. She was still single and looking, both for a boyfriend and a part-time job. Having Brooks gave her more reasons to stop over to visit, though, and that made me happy. If Jorge and I didn’t work from home all of the time, we would have easily hired her as a nanny.
“You’re welcome. I cannot handle how cute Brooks is, you guys! And Jorge, he looks just like you!”
Jorge winked at me, knowing that would get under my skin a little bit.
“You know, Eva, I’m the one who gave birth to him!”
She chuckled while playing with Brooks’s tummy. “Oh, I know. Brooks looks like you, too. His face is almost identical to Jorge’s!”
It was hard arguing with her because one look at Brooks, and it was apparent that Jorge was his father.
“You are so good with children, Eva. Just look at the way Brooks’s face lights up every time you nuzzle him!”
Eva giggled while holding our son, then pressed her face against his. She loved him just as much as Jorge and I did. “That’s just because he’s the sweetest little boy there ever was!”
“Anyway, how are things at your condo?”
“You mean your condo?”
Shortly after Jorge and I had returned from Africa, I had moved into his penthouse and sublet my condo to her. My name was still on the lease, of course, but she had full control over the space. She had turned my former home office into a guest bedroom, too.
