Taylor and the tall, dark man walked over, holding hands and smiling. “Cassie, Alejandro, meet Raul,” Taylor said, making the introductions.
Alejandro’s eyes flickered for a moment as he looked over at Raul. The two men stared at each other for what seemed minutes, until Cassie thrust her hand toward Raul, saying, “Nice to meet you.”
Raul started to speak, and Alejandro interrupted with sharp words in Spanish. Raul’s response must have satisfied him, and he ended the conversation with a firm, “Gracias, Raul,” earning him another slight bow of the head. Alejandro turned to Cassie, saying, “Raul and I have a working relationship.”
Confused, she glanced at both men. “We’re going inside to have a drink. Want to come?”
“Fine with me,” Cassie said, turning to Alejandro. “Is that all right with you?”
“I suppose it’s fine,” he said, looking over to the restaurant. “Briefly.”
Taylor and Cassie stole a quick glance at each other. Cassie re-arranged her cover-up and touched her hair. “I think I need to make a stop in the ladies room. I’ll catch up.”
Cassie walked toward the restaurant, past the brick arches and under the palapas, pulling open the door of the restaurant and meeting room area. Employees were setting up for tomorrow’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and the check-in line for the hotel was long.
Winding her way through the people, trying to find the restroom, she felt butterflies in her stomach about tomorrow’s events. She knew there were going to be throngs of people and reporters there. She hoped her passion would carry her message, and the resort owners would reconsider.
As she passed by the room where the press conference was to be held, she couldn’t help but peek her head inside. On the wall was a huge map of the proposed resort, with a golf course, restaurants, pool and bungalows along with the main hotel. Her eyes drifted on the drawing to the water, where she saw drawings of tennis courts and a marina. The marina was massive, and her heart sank with the thought of all those boats, all that pollution, all those fishermen.
She turned on her heel and headed back toward the door, steeling herself for tomorrow’s battle. As she was about to pass through the door, she caught her leg on the corner of a display table holding pamphlets for the ceremony. Her leg crumbled and she fell backwards onto the floor with a thud, the table crashing over beside her.
She laid on the floor, seeing the familiar stars that had come with the hook in her leg, tears stinging as they rolled from the corners of her eyes. She sat up and began to gather the scattered pamphlets to stack them back on the table. They were beautiful, glossy pamphlets that no doubt were very expensive with glowing descriptions of the resort and beckoning buyers.
Flipping a brochure over to look at the back, her breath stopped and she blinked. She blinked hard again, not believing her eyes. There, at the bottom of the brochure, was the smiling face of Alejandro Vasquez, CEO of Costa Azul International.
Her heart in her throat, she struggled to her feet, gripping the brochure tightly. She’d never been as angry as now, and her blood rushed through her veins. Striding into the restaurant, she saw Taylor at a table with Alejandro and Raul. Alejandro stood as she made it to the table, his face freezing as he saw her. “What is it, Cassie? Are you all right?”
For the second time in so many days, Cassie Lewis was utterly speechless. She shoved the brochure in Alejandro’s chest, and, with a little extra shove, she turned and got to the jeep as fast as she could.
Chapter Twelve
The wind whipped through her hair as she sped toward Playa Luna. Tears and sand stinging her eyes, she drove as fast as she could, wanting to blow the memory out of her head of Alejandro pictured in the brochure for the resort. CEO! The same man she had opened her heart to, poured out her fears and passions.
She thought she had felt his heart, too, and now she realized it was all a joke. Had he known who she was when they met? Had he planned it this way, to take her off her game, make her vulnerable? She knew she could be a formidable opponent, especially when it came to her passion for the vaquita. Maybe he was afraid of her.
Her heart pounded as she pulled up to the house. Jumping out of the jeep, she grabbed her beach chair and made the short trek down to the water. As the waves lapped at her feet, she felt the sobs coming. Giving in to her senses, she sat down in the sand, her head in her hands.
“What is it, Cassie,” she heard behind her. “Is it the vaquita?”
She turned and looked up into Diego’s concerned eyes. “I don’t even know where to start, Diego.”
“At the beginning, Cassie, is the best place.”
She poured her out heart to her friend, explaining the sanctuary plans and the denial from the resort company. She told him of her injury, how she had met Alejandro, and how she found out who he really was.
“I feel like such a complete idiot,” she said, wiping hot tears from her cheeks.
Diego was silent for a long while as he picked up handfuls of sand and tossed them toward the waves.
“Not all people have the same heart as you,” he said finally, turning toward her. His eyes betrayed his emotion, and he pulled the brim of his hat further down his forehead. “Many people don’t understand money is not the most important thing in the world. That is why I came to the Baja, to get away.”
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. “He wasn’t the man you thought he was. That’s all there was 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.”
Chapter Thirteen
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, a pair of panties hanging from the ceiling fan. She reached up and whisked them down, wincing as the pain in her leg reminded her of the entire past few days’ events.
“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 today.
“Okay, what are you wearing today, Cass? It’s your big day, after all.” Taylor reached for her red pants and purple top.
“Are you seriously going to wear that?” Cassie pulled out her black skirt and black tank top. 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 after the last margarita. 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.
Chapter Fourteen
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 sucks.”
“It’s not us they’re after, it’s him. Mexico’s most eligible billionaire. Ridiculous,” said Cassie, her fists clenching. “Hope he’s close enough so I can pop him one.”
“That’ll be a great solution, Cass. ‘Girl beats up billionaire, 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, releasing 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 100 or so people who did get 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 a good thing for the people down here,” 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 I think this train is unstoppable.”
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 diamonds 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 Fifteen
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. She shared that in the early 1990’s, there had been almost 1,000 in this small area of the world where they live. Now, there were fewer than 250, and more than 30 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 tidelands, feeding off of smaller fish and squid. She let them know the vaquita lived to be about 21 years old and had a calf about once every two years, caring for and feeding those calves until they were about 5 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.
Cassie smiled, hopeful she had made her case. She turned to the CEO of the company and looked directly at him. “These tidal waters were given 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 Alejandro 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. This issue will be taken 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 Alejandro, Cassie saw the woman in Chanel rise slowly from her chair and move beside him. “Young lady, do you know who I am?”
“No, I don’t” Cassie said, watching Alejandro cast his eyes downward, his shoulders suddenly smaller.
“I am Senora Nina Vasquez, chairman of the board. I’m also Alejandro’s mother.” 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.
Chapter Sixteen
Cassie sat outside under the stars, the flames of the bonfire shooting up into the night. Devastated, she’d spent the afternoon walking along the beach, her mind replaying the events of the day in a loop. She’d been shocked at Alejandro’s cold response to her plea, and his mother…what a piece of work. She’d never met anyone so cold. How they could not understand how important the sanctuary was boggled her mind.
Now, in the quiet of the night, she just felt exhausted. Taylor had come home with her, and, making sure Cassie would be all right, had gone back to Rancho Del Sol to see Raul. Cassie hadn’t wanted to ruin Taylor’s time. At least one of us should be having fun, she thought, poking a stick at the glowing logs in front of her. As the embers floated higher from the fire pit, she noticed movement on the other side, near the house.
Alejandro strode slowly toward her, his broad shoulders casting a shadow on the sand in the moonlight. Sitting beside her, he reached for her hand. She jumped from her chair, circling to the other side of the fire.
“I don’t understand, Alejandro. Why didn’t you tell me who you were? I thought we had a connection, and you understood what I stand for.” She rammed the stick she was holding into the ground and sat in the sand, waiting for his response.
Alejandro’s face glowed in the firelight. He stared at the flames as his hands worked over the piece of wood in his hands. “I have made a huge mistake, Cassie. I came here to apologize.” Dropping the stick, his head sunk heavily into his hands.
The Sanctuary (Playa Luna Beach Romance) Page 5
