Authors: Sophia Knightly
“Perfect. Talk to you then. Kisses to the boys.”
Just as I hang up, the doorbell rings. I run to the door with Romeo at my heels. It’s probably Fizzy. I peek through the peephole. Nope, it’s Harrison.
I open the door with a hasty, “Hi!”
I hope I don’t look as flustered as I feel. I have to get him out of my apartment before Alex arrives. I’m not sure why, but I don’t want Harrison to find out I have another date with Alex.
“Hey.” Harrison’s smile warms me like sunlight. He leans over to pick up Romeo, who is busy nudging Harrison’s shin with his little snout. I watch Harrison’s strong, tanned hand pet Romeo with firm, long strokes from the crown of his head to his tail and I begin to envy Romeo.
Snap out of it, two-timer. What’s wrong with you?
“I brought samples of the dog vitamins I was telling you about.” Harrison digs into his snug jeans pocket and hands me a few packets. He shuts the door behind him and comes in farther.
“Oh, thanks.”
Please don’t stay long, Harrison, this is not a good time.
“You’re a Canes fan?” He nods to my French cut little white T-shirt with the University of Miami Ibis logo across my chest. I’m wearing it because I read that Alex did his undergrad at UM and he’s a big Canes fan.
“Yep. I went to UM for undergrad. What about you?”
“Colorado State.” He glances at the foyer table where my purse is lying next to my iPhone.
“Going out?”
“Er, yeah. Um…on a boat. What are you doing tonight?”
“I’m staying in to watch the game.”
“Oh, okay, well thanks for stopping by…” I hate to cut him off, but he needs to leave pronto. I’ve heard Cuban men can be very jealous…
The doorbell rings. I look at the ceiling and back to Harrison who is watching me with a mystified expression. “Aren’t you going to open the door?”
I sigh. “Yeah…I guess.”
I open the door and find Alex in a sky blue shirt and great fitting jeans with a bouquet of spring flowers in his hand. Couldn’t he have run late, Latin style?
“
Hola, linda
,” he says, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. From the corner of my eye, I see Harrison stiffen while Romeo lets out a rude groan that seems to last forever.
“Thank you, they’re lovely.” I take the bouquet from Alex and almost drop it.
“Dr. Escobar, this is my friend, Dr. Taylor,” I say, clutching the bouquet to my chest.
Harrison’s eyebrows shoot up. “Why so formal, Frankie?”
I paste a polite smile on my face and point my chin toward my dog, who is resting in Harrison’s arms as if he’s reached Nirvana. “And that’s Romeo, my dog. Dr. Taylor, er Harrison, is Romeo’s vet,” I babble, realizing that neither one is paying much attention to me. They’re too busy sizing each other up.
“
¿Cómo estás?
” Harrison says in a cool tone, as he shifts Romeo to his left side and shakes Alex’s hand.
Alex answers him back in a Spanish phrase I don’t understand, to which Harrison responds with something equally incomprehensible. Harrison floors me. I didn’t know he spoke Spanish so well. To my complete amazement, they have a short exchange which ends with both men looking irritated. The air is charged with antagonism and I’m hard pressed to say something—anything.
Chill, Frankie. So what if two hot guys are facing off in front of you?
That has never happened before. Must be the sultry effects of Miami’s tropical heat.
Harrison turns to me. “Okay, Frankie, see ya later.” He plants a kiss on my cheek and closes the door behind him. In all the time we’ve spent together Harrison has never kissed me on the cheek. He was sending a strong message to Alex—and me.
Sheesh. Men and all that testosterone. Harrison was marking me as his territory—like a
dog
. I know he’s a vet, but that’s carrying things too far.
I can’t help staring at Alex’s handsome profile as we coast down Old Cutler Road in his insanely posh Lamborghini. Alex’s thick black hair frames his sharp jaw and Latin features. For the sake of my hair, which frizzes in the humidity, I’m glad he agreed that we ride in air-conditioning with the convertible top up.
Good thing Romeo was civil toward him. He didn’t exactly lick Alex’s hand when he petted him, but he didn’t lunge at him like he did when he met Dr. Hamme.
“What is your relationship with that Harrison guy?” Alex turns to study me with penetrating eyes.
“He’s my dog’s vet…and my neighbor.” I already told him that when I introduced them. What is this leading up to?
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
No, but you don’t need to know that Harrison is doing a number on my head—actually on all of me.
“He acts like he’s more than that. He told me to bring you back early and had the nerve to question my boating ability.”
“Oh, haha, that’s just like Harrison,” I say, laughing it off. “Don’t pay attention to him. He’s my best friend, Chloe’s, cousin. That’s why he’s a little overprotective sometimes—like a big brother.”
“Hmph,” Alex grunts and turns his attention to the road. After a weighted pause, he says, “I have to make a quick stop before we go to the Marina.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Alex doesn’t elaborate, but I wonder where he’s taking me when he does an arc around a semi-circular street and turns east toward the bay, passing a guardhouse. He waves at the uniformed guard, who waves back and then he drives past palatial homes with manicured lawns, tropical foliage and uniformed nannies walking pedigreed dogs. We’re so close to the ocean, I can smell it.
“Where are we?” I ask, distracted by the opulent display of wealth around me.
“This is Cocoplum. I have to drop off some medicines for my mother.”
“Oh. Is she sick?”
He grimaces. “She threw out her back this afternoon.”
“Ouch. That must be so painful,” I say, furtively touching the small of my back. How does a person throw out her back?
“Unfortunately, it is.”
Alex pulls up to a wrought iron gate and slides a white plastic card against a security sensor. The door opens and he drives up a long driveway lined on both sides by two rows of massive royal palms. A shower of white bougainvillea in full bloom partially obstructs the front entrance of the Mediterranean, salmon-colored mansion with pale verdigris shutters. There are blooming flowers everywhere. I feel as if I’ve arrived at Giverny.
“What a beautiful house,” I say, awestruck by its old-world, European grandness.
“Thanks, I bought it for my mom and my sisters a few years ago.”
“Do you live with them?” I ask, hoping he’ll say no.
He laughs. “God, no. I have a high-rise in South Beach, near Joe’s Stone Crab.”
Alex owns this Venetian palazzo
and
a waterfront high rise? Surely he meant to say high-rise
condo
. Just how much does a cardiologist make anyway?
“Wait here. I’ll only be a few minutes,” Alex says after he parks the Lamborghini. He leaves it running and sprints up the front stairs, unlocks one of the massive mahogany double doors and lets himself in.
While I wait in the car, I get a text from Antoinette asking if Alex is on board to host the Bowled Over event.
“With him now. Will confirm later,” I text back.
“Do it tonight,” she texts back.
“K, ttyl,” I write back. Suddenly the phone vibrates in my hand. Weird, it’s showing Alex on caller ID.
“Hello?” I say with a question mark in my voice.
“Francesca, please shut off the car and come inside. The front door is unlocked,” Alex says in a brisk tone. “There’s been a change in plans.”
“Oh, okay.” Change of plans? I’m not sure I like the sound of that. “I’ll be right there.”
I enter the house and pause in the circular foyer to peek into the adjacent living room. It’s modern and luxurious, from the parchment colored marble floors to the bold paintings on the walls and elegant antiques.
With a concerned look on his face, Alex meets me in the foyer and ushers me into the living room. In a hushed tone, he says, “We can’t go on the boat tonight,
linda
. My mother is in bad shape.”
“Oh…I’m sorry to hear that,” I say with a sympathetic shake of my head.
“She needs full-time care, but the maid had to leave early today—family emergency. Unfortunately, my twin sisters are away on a buying trip for their boutique. So that leaves me.” He gives me an apologetic smile.
“I understand. We mustn’t leave her alone. I’m not too hungry, but we can order in or…” I halt when I see the look on his face and realize that he has no intention of keeping me around. It’s not Alex’s fault, but still, I can’t help feeling upset.
“I hope you understand that it’s not a good time…”
“Sure, no problem. Maybe you should call me a cab and I’ll head home,” I say, trying to hide my disappointment. He flashes his dazzling smile and I’m momentarily appeased.
“I already called the cab. Thank you for understanding.”
Already called the cab? Without even bothering to…
“Alejandro!” I hear a cranky voice call out.
“
Ya voy
, Mamá,” Alex answers in an attentive voice.
An elegant, perfectly coiffed matron enters the living room dressed in a royal purple silk kimono robe with a dragon motif. She is leaning on an ivory-tipped, black lacquer cane that looks more like a prop than a walking aid.
“
¿Quién
es esta?
” she inquires with a sniff. Narrowing shrewd black eyes, she sizes me up and down as if I’m the hired help.
“Mamá, this is Francesca Lake, the TV medical reporter.”
“Lovely to meet you, Señora Escobar,” I say politely. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling…”
She ignores me and speaks only to Alex. “I only watch television
en español, querido
. It is more informative.” She turns to me with suspicion. “You don’t look old enough to be a television reporter.” Her mouth turns downward as she casts a disparaging glance over my skinny jeans and T-shirt. “You are dressed like a teenager.”
Alex lets out a hearty chuckle. “Mamá, I can assure you Francesca is an adult.” He puts his arm around the crone’s rigid shoulders. “You must lie down. Your back will heal faster with complete rest. Now be a good patient and go back to bed,” he admonishes in a solicitous tone. “I’ll wait here with Francesca until the taxi arrives.”
“I need help getting back into bed. I will wait here with you.” Señora Escobar straightens her posture and I note she’s taller than me. If this lady has a back problem, she could have fooled me.
Alex helps his mother toward a cream-colored silk sofa and gestures to the spot beside her. Dragon lady sits ramrod straight as she stares me down,
eyes narrowed to slits and flared nostrils.
“Francesca, please sit down beside her,” he says.
I approach the sofa with a sense of dread. Thank God, I’m suddenly saved by the doorbell ringing. I’d rather be anywhere but beside Dragon lady. She looks hostile and I’m not feeling friendly either.
“Looks like my taxi is here.” I shake Alex’s mother’s patrician hand, which goes limp in mine. “I hope you feel better soon, Señora Escobar,” I say through tight lips.
“Me too,” she says, recoiling from my touch with a look that says “you are
not
going to get my son!”
“Stay here while I put Francesca in the taxi,” Alex tells his mother, oblivious of her rudeness.
“Be quick, Alex. I need to lie down as soon as possible,” is her cranky reply.
Alex places his hand on the small of my back and ushers me out to the taxi. Before I get inside, he leans down and takes my face in his hands. He kisses me full on the mouth for a good long minute, his lips glued to mine, his tongue in my mouth. He ends by licking his lips as if he’s putting my taste to his memory. When I pull back dazed, I see his mother standing at the window next to the drawn curtain, glaring at us.
I get into the cab and Alex hands me two twenties. “No,” I say, refusing them. “I’ll pay for my own fare.” I can’t help that my voice sounds resentful. I’m still smarting from his mother’s fire-breathing rejection of me.
Alex’s brow furrows as he pockets the money. “I hope you’re not upset about the change of plans. I’ll call you tomorrow morning and we’ll have a real, uninterrupted evening together. I’ll make it up to you,
linda
.” I wish he wouldn’t call me pretty in Spanish—especially when I’m disappointed in him.
Touching my fingertips to my mouth, I watch Alex raise his hand to wave at me as the cab drives away. Why did his dreadful mother have to stand there spying on us and ruin the moment? Her presence sure dampened my reaction to his kiss. I can barely remember what it felt like or if I even enjoyed it. Come to think of it, it was pretty bold of him to plant one on me like that. We haven’t even held hands.
Harrison is entering the lobby with Scout when the taxi drops me off at my building. He stops in his tracks and watches me get out of the taxi with raised eyebrows. Why does he always have to be around when something embarrassing happens to me?
“Back so soon?” he asks when I get out of the taxi.