by Leslie North
Tamara grabbed her brother’s hand and whispered something in his ear. They giggled and skipped down the boardwalk. “Don’t get too far in front of us,” Carolina warned as she started to push the stroller.
“You seemed a little upset when you hung up this afternoon,” he said softly. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s my mother. I wish I knew what was going on with her. I haven’t been able to get her to come out to the restaurant in months, but today, she showed up right before the lunch rush and caused such a fuss. She had this lengthy list of demands.”
“Like what?”
Sighing loudly, “Everything from the type of soap in the bathroom to how the beer was organized and everything in between.”
“Did those things need to be done?” Nathan questioned as he watched the kids run along the boardwalk.
“No, of course not. Like I said, she has refused to come into the restaurant and suddenly shows up. I accused her of creating all that busywork so I would have to cancel our plans with you and she didn’t deny it.” Carolina couldn’t keep the worry out of her voice and she didn’t want to spoil their evening. Not after everything, she had to do to get there.
“Enough talk of my mother. How are your design plans coming?”
“Really good. I think you’re good luck for me.” Nathan reached out and touched her elbow lightly. This time when she shivered, he noticed, but he didn’t say anything.
“I think getting out of your apartment is good for you,” she said with a laugh. She watched her kids laughing and skipping along and felt strangely nostalgic. “Any chance you can give me a peek at what my restaurant is going to look like when all of this is said and done?”
“I could show you, but it’s going to look like lines and measurements. But I have a feeling it’s something that you would like.” He gave her a strange look. The waves crashed on the shore and Carlita made swooshing noises to try to mimic it.
“You think that you know what I like?”
“I would never make that assumption. But speaking of, there are several vendors along this stretch. Cheeseburgers or hotdogs?”
“Julio! Tamara! Do you want cheeseburgers or hotdogs?” she called out.
“Hot dogs!” they said simultaneously. “And fries!”
“You can share one small order of fries,” Carolina said with a frown. They immediately started to whine, and she glared at them. “Keep making that kind of noise and there will be no ice cream for dessert!”
They immediately quieted and gave her a sly smile. She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Keep going. We’re almost at the pier with the telescopes!”
“You’re a good mom,” Nathan said softly.
“I had a good role model. Maria ruled us with an iron fist but she loved us just as strong. Bonita is also a great mom, and I’m sure that Angie will be great, too. Even Anita turned out to be a good mother. I think it runs in our family.”
“Stephen is a good father to Ben, even though he doesn’t see him as much as he would like,” he said as he looked out at the ocean. “I think for a while, he sort of forgot himself. He was so wrapped up in his feud with Duncan that things between him and Suzanne became estranged. At some point, he realized that the marriage was over before she ever asked for a divorce. When Gabe asked us both to come back, and he met Angie, that’s when he started living again.”
“Is he excited about becoming a father again?” she asked him.
Nodding his head, “Probably more than Angie, if that’s even possible. My brother wasn’t around much when he was married to Suzanne and he’s vowed not to be that way with Angie.”
“As if my sister would allow him,” she interjected as they both laughed.
“She has definitely been good for him. That’s for sure. Must be the Lopez blood,” he added as he smiled at her.
Carolina wanted to respond but she found herself blushing at the comment. Clearing her throat, she asked him the question that was bursting inside of her. “Nathan, I’m not sure why you keep asking me out. My life’s very complicated right now, and it’s almost impossible for me to…”
“Carolina,” he interrupted as he reached out and put a hand over hers. “I thought we agreed that we’re just getting to know each other, remember?”
“Right.” She was about to say more when her kids started shouting and pointing to the pier. Fishing some quarters out of her purse, she let Julio and Tamara run to the pier to look out over the water.
“Do you want to look?”
Carolina turned her head to see Nathan holding a quarter up. “I figured you’re always watching your kids. Maybe today you can take a peek for yourself,” Nathan said with a smile.
At first, she laughed until she realized that Nathan wasn’t kidding. Wetting her lips, she reached out to snag the coin and stepped back. When she saw that Nathan had Carlita’s stroller, she joined her two oldest at the end of the pier.
“Momma! Come use ours!” Tamara cried out as she waved her hand. Carolina put the quarter in the machine and leaned down to look through it. In the distance, she could see some dolphins swimming along.
“Come here, baby,” Carolina said as she held her daughter up. “Do you see them?”
“Yes! Julio, look!” Tamara squealed in delight, as she squirmed out of her reach. Julio climbed up to look through the hole, and Carolina turned back to glance at Nathan.
He looked perfectly natural and at ease as he stood by the stroller. Carlita bounced her bunny around, and Nathan had his eyes trained on her. He had a soft smile on his face, and for a moment, Carolina’s heart fluttered.
She took a deep breath. If he continued to look at her like that, she was going to be in big trouble.
6
Nathan only thought of her as he leaned over his desk. Pent up sexual frustration, complete adoration, happiness, and pure unadulterated lust flowed from his body through the pencil. His design wasn’t just an idea in his head. Something about her was breathing life into it as form soon took shape.
When his phone rang, he dove across the desk to answer it. Hoping it was Carolina, he cringed when he realized it was her sister instead. “Angie,” he said in a bright voice. “How can I help you?”
She was angry. And crying. “Get your ass into my office right now, Nathan Maxfield! How could you?” She hung up before Nathan could even get a word in.
Damn it. She knew, she had to, what else would upset her like that? Somehow, she’d discovered that he was dating Carolina. No doubt, Maria spilled the beans. So what was Angie doing now? Playing the big sister? From what Nathan could tell, the sisters weren’t all that close anymore. Both were incredibly busy, Carolina with her kids and their mother’s restaurant, and Angie was still technically a newlywed while running a busy company.
With a sigh, he grabbed his keys. If he kept Angie waiting, he’d never hear the end of it from Stephen. The traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as he had hoped, and he made it to the office in good time.
Which was unfortunate.
He hadn’t made it far across the lobby before the elevator opened and Angie stood there with her arms folded. Reaching out, she grabbed him by the lapel of his sports jacket and dragged him in.
“I thought the elevator was yours and Stephen’s place,” he said jokingly. It was poor timing and tears filled her eyes. “Aw, Angie, please don’t cry. I’d much rather you yell at me then cry.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she reached into her purse and slapped a newspaper on his chest. “You want me to yell? I can yell! First, I hear that you’re taking Carolina out on dates. Carolina! Are you out of your mind?”
Confused, Nathan grabbed the newspaper. The elevator dinged, and she dragged him out into the hall. “Are you mad about your sister or about your newspaper delivery? Who even reads the newspaper even anymore?”
“Shut the hell up,” she hissed. Angie waddled fairly quickly for a woman in her third trimester. She pulled him into the office and slammed the door behind her. “We’re going
to circle back to this whole Carolina thing. But first…Explain that first page article.”
Nathan straightened out the newspaper. It was the front page of the business section, and the headline jumped out at him. Duncan Enterprises Out to Destroy Local History. “What?” His eyes scanned the by-line, and he clenched his jaw.
Carlo Valdez. Carolina’s ex-husband.
His hands shaking with anger, he scanned the article. Valdez painted Duncan Enterprises as a monster for driving local businesses out and tearing down the town’s favorite shopping strip. There was no talk about William Wells owning the property or that he was giving his tenants plenty of notice to find somewhere new.
“I can see why you’re upset, but this is your ex-brother-in-law. Why are you focusing your anger on me?”
Angie leaned back in the chair and rubbed her hands over her belly. Nathan recognized the move. It meant that she was trying desperately to calm down. “This project has been in talks for months, and it’s been no secret. Carlo could have written this article at any point, but no. He does it right now at the crucial moment. And the only thing different is that you are now dating his ex-wife! So what happened? Did Carolina talk you into doing this?”
“Angie, I’m personally invested in this project. I could really make a name for myself. Why would I throw that all away with bad press? What makes you think that Carlo isn’t acting out because he doesn’t want her dating me?”
“Carlo and Carolina had a good marriage in the beginning, and they also had a good divorce.” Angie argued. “He had already jumped into the dating pool. I see no reason for him to be jealous of her dating someone too.”
Nathan tossed the paper on her desk and sat in the chair across from her desk. Stretching his legs out with a groan, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know how else to explain it. Your sister is busy and chaotic and a little sad, but she doesn’t seem to harbor any ill will towards Duncan Enterprises. She knows damn well that it’s Wells selling and that it could have been any company handling the project.”
“Then how do you explain it?”
He stared at her. “Why are you even asking me? Why don’t you ask Carlo?”
Lowering her gaze to the floor, she didn’t say anything for a minute. Finally, she took a deep breath. “I promised Stephen that I wouldn’t do anything to raise my blood pressure. That’s the only way he’ll let me keep working so close to my due date.”
“And yelling at me doesn’t raise your blood pressure?”
She ignored his comment. “Gabe is still in a meeting with Wells, so I need you to take care of this.”
“You have several public relations agents on your payroll. You literally pay them to handle situations just like this.”
“Carolina is my sister, and I don’t want to accuse her of anything until I know more. Talk to Carlo and find out where he got his information. Then convince him to write another article with the correct information.” She leaned forward and clasped her hands together, fixing him with a puppy-dog stare. “Please.”
Nathan rolled his eyes and stood. “I have a suspicion who the informant is.”
“Who?”
Shaking his head. “Not until I confirm it. Let’s just say that you aren’t the only one out to punish me for taking Carolina out. For the record, it’s only been two dates, and there were three chaperones present both times.”
“Get out,” she snapped. “Before I tell Stephen that you made me cry.”
“Hey!” he exclaimed. “No fair! I didn’t make you cry. The article made you cry. Give me Carlo’s number so I can get in touch with him.”
She beamed and pulled a business card out of her drawer. “Thank you, Nathan. You’re the best!”
“I’m going to remind you of this moment if I don’t get those drawings finished on time,” he told her as he grabbed the newspaper and the business card. Stalking out of the office, he closed the door gently behind him.
Staring at the business card, he pursed his lips. “All right, Carlo, seems like it’s time we meet.”
After speaking to Carlo’s editor, Nathan found the man himself at Maria’s Restaurant. He was watching the kids for a couple of hours while Carolina stepped out to run an errand. Carlo was at the bar with a beer in his hand, and he was scribbling on a notepad. He was a good-looking guy with dark hair, and a suggestion of designer stubble on his chin. The kids were coloring quietly at a table in the corner.
Nathan slipped into the seat next to him and ordered a beer. “Carlo Valdez?” he asked softly.
Carlo turned, and Nathan saw the recognition in his eyes. There was no way he’d researched an article on Duncan Enterprises without doing research on Duncan’s sons. “Nathan Maxfield,” Carlo said slowly. “I suppose you’re here about the article.”
“You suppose right,” he said angrily. He slid the newspaper over. “Do you have any idea what kind of damage you’re doing with an article like this?”
“If the shoe fits,” Carlo said with a raised eyebrow.
“Except the shoe doesn’t fit! Duncan Enterprises is handling the sale and rebuilding of the new project, but we’re not responsible for the owner’s decision. William Wells is the owner of these buildings. He’s the one purchasing all the property in this area, but that’s something you failed to mention in your article!”
Carlo frowned. “I was going to do a follow-up article once I spoke to Wells.”
“Will that follow-up article also mention that Duncan Enterprises is run by one of the business owner’s daughters? Or that she insisted on plenty of time for the business owners to find new locations for their businesses and that she’s personally helping with relocation efforts? And while you’re at it, you better mention that while Duncan Enterprises will profit from the project, so will the city. We’re talking new housing and employment opportunities in a part of the city that hasn’t seen growth in more than a decade,” Nathan hissed.
“My source tells me…”
“Your source is Maria Lopez, and she’s acting out of anger,” Nathan interrupted. “And because she’s your ex-mother-in-law, you didn’t even bother to do the research.”
Carlo frowned. “How did you know?”
Nathan sipped his beer and sighed. “I’ve taken Carolina out on two dates now, and Maria’s upset about it. I’m not sure what the root of her anger is, but I have a feeling that it has something to do with the move of Maria’s Restaurant. She knows that she can’t stop the sale, so she’s hoping to deter me from dating Carolina. I guess she doesn’t want to have to deal with another Maxfield.”
“Ah, damn.” Carlo rubbed his chin and shook his head. “I should have known. Maria never liked me when I was married to Carolina. I should have been suspicious when she contacted me about the article. But it was going to be a big story for me. Maybe get me some exposure, bring in better assignments.”
Despite his anger, Nathan couldn’t help but feel bad for Carlo. “I don’t think she’s ever said anything nice to me, and that was even before I took Carolina out. She’s a scary woman for someone so small.”
The reporter snorted. “When Carolina and I got married, she pulled me aside and told me that her daughter was only marrying me in an attempt to make her other failed marriages right. I couldn’t focus on anything else on my wedding night. It was a complete disaster.”
“Ouch,” Nathan winced. “She’s a master at mind games, huh? I can see where Angie gets it from.”
“Oh yeah. Thankfully, Carolina isn’t like that. She tends to be an open book. You know, I don’t usually even write articles like this. I usually focus on more environmentally-aware stories.”
Nathen perked up. “Really? Well, in that case, I have a story for you.”
“What kind of story?” Carlo was suspicious, and Nathan didn’t blame him. But for some reason, he felt some kinship towards the man.
“I’m not only an architect. I specialize in green design, and the project that I’m working on here
is no different. If you publish another article apologizing for this catastrophe, I’ll give you the inside scoop. You can follow the story from start to finish.”
The reporter narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t an attempt to get more information about Carolina, is it? We might share a child, but I’m not about to get involved in her love life.”
“Whatever I want to know about Carolina, I’ll ask her.”
Carlo smiled and lifted his hands. “Two shots of tequila,” he asked the bartender. “I believe my new friend and I have something to celebrate.”
Nathan smiled and clapped Carlo on the back. When the bartender set the chilled shots in front of them, Nathan raised his glass towards Carlo. The situation had worked out far better than he could have imagined. “To the beginning of a new working relationship.”
Carlo nodded, and they simultaneously shot the tequila. The liquor went down smoothly, and Nathan shook his head. He was about to ask about Carlo’s plan for the new article when an icy voice interrupted them.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Nathan and Carlo swiveled around on their barstools to find Carolina staring at them. She had her hip popped out and her arms folded. The body language was clear. She was mad. Really mad.
“Why are you so upset?” Carlo asked with a frown. “We weren’t talking about you.”
“I’m talking about the fact that you’re drinking while you’re supposed to be watching our children. What were you thinking? What if something had happened?”
“Nothing did happen,” he said defensively.
Carolina turned towards Nathan and narrowed her eyes. “And what are you doing? I never had you pegged for the irresponsible type. I don’t ever want to see your face…”
Immediately, Nathan slid off the stool and grabbed her shoulders. “Carolina,” he said softly. “Not only are we not drunk, but we’re not drinking in some random bar. This is your restaurant. Had something happened, Carlo or I would have taken care of it. And in the event that we couldn’t, we are surrounded by people who love your children.”
