Authors: Sophia Knightly
Marcos's hand tightened on the cup, and Gabriela worried the burning liquid might slosh over his hand. "I am not lying to you." His jaw clamped down as he labored to stay cool, but she could tell from the rigid set of his broad shoulders that he was incensed.
"I wish I could believe you. You might not want to admit you're still seeing Nicole because you're afraid I'll back out."
His face darkened. "That's not how it is," he said in a deceptively low voice.
She brushed his protests off with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Whatever the situation, it's obvious Nicole still wants you, so I've made a decision. Since your grandmother is still having spells of fatigue and dizziness—"
Marcos went still. "Why didn't you tell me? Has she had another bout of dizziness?" he demanded. He set his coffee down and stared at her, keenly alert.
"Not exactly," she said, unwilling to mislead him into thinking Abuelita Coqui was ill. "She was upset and exhausted last night, so I left shortly after you did because she wanted to turn in."
"It's normal for her to be tired at her age. But if she has another dizzy spell, I'm hauling her into the hospital for tests, whether she likes it or not."
"Is that how you deal with your poor grandma? Like a bully
hauling
her in?"
Marcos looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Bully? I'm a doctor, for Christ's sake!" he roared.
Several people in the cafeteria turned to look at them. "Lower your voice," she hissed, everyone's staring at us.
Marcos rose from the table and took Gabriela's arm. She haughtily disengaged from his grip, only to have him put his hand at her waist and nudge her out into the lobby.
"Don't manhandle me, you... you bully," she said, slapping at his hand on her waist. "By the way, isn't your sister coming soon?"
She's coming today! Marcos smacked his forehead. "She probably already left Miami."
"That's a shame because Abuelita confided that she'd rather not leave today."
"That's fine. She doesn't have to leave yet."
"But this charade has to end soon." She squared her shoulders when she realized she was slouching before him. "Why don't we pretend that I'm insanely jealous over your continued interest in Nicole? That way we can break up," she said, guessing that he wouldn't agree.
"I'm not going to pretend I'm engaged to Nicole," he said through taut lips.
"Why not? It's a perfect solution. Just tell Abuelita that Nicole is the one you want to marry and not me." She stood back and enjoyed his agitated reaction.
"Are you crazy? My grandmother doesn't even like Nicole. Frankly, I was shocked when she referred to her as a she devil," he said, shaking his head. "You agreed to see this to the end until Abuelita left," he said forcefully.
"I changed my mind," she replied, tossing her curls over one shoulder and pulling at a ringlet.
He stared at her hand as it played with the ringlet. "Don't do that with your hair; it's distracting."
Gabriela shrugged and flung the curl back to join the others. "I plan to get back into the swing of things."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I've put off my social life long enough. It's almost Christmas and I am on a vacation. I want to start dating again and make plans for New Year's Eve."
"No." Marcos's eyebrows met in a stern line over hard green-flecked eyes as he braced both fists on his hips and stared her down. A telltale muscle ticked in his jaw and his mouth formed a grim line.
"Excuse me?"
"We entered into an arrangement and you can't back out now."
"Just watch me," she snapped. She flung her hands in the air and said, "I quit," then turned away and headed toward the elevator.
"You can't," he said quickly, following her. Softening his voice, he added, "It'll break Abuelita Coqui's heart."
What about my heart?
Have you given any thought to that?
He led her toward a couch in the lobby and gently drew her down to sit beside him. "
Gatica,
" he said, his authoritative tone softening into a cajoling one as he smoothed a lock of hair from her face. "Let's talk about this calmly."
Her mouth tightened with frustration. "I don't feel calm."
"Neither do I," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He gazed at her for several moments, then sighed with resignation. "Please reconsider. You rock my world, Gabriela. Give me a chance to redeem myself," he said persuasively. "We can enjoy this time together."
Gabriela found herself staring at his mouth, his strong white teeth bared in a devastating grin. She was more than tempted to give him a second chance; he certainly seemed willing to please her. She had to agree to it anyway—it was part of the plan. It would be very interesting to see how Marcos went about redeeming himself.
After a long pause to make him suffer, she said, "Okay, but only if you resolve this before New Year's Eve. I plan to have a hot date for that night."
"You'll have that date with me," he said, rising from the couch.
She watched his eyes flare up with jealousy and noted his possessive male arrogance. "That remains to be seen," she countered smugly.
His tight mouth stretched into a forced smile. "I'll see you tonight."
She rose before him with a challenging look in her eyes. "I'm heading over to see Christy's father. Are you still on board to hire him?"
"Of course—I said I would. Tell him to call me," he said and left.
* * *
Gabriela drove forty-five minutes to Immokalee, the area where most laborers and migrant workers lived. She parked her car at the curb in front of the decrepit trailer with peeling paint and overgrown weeds surrounding it. She got out and approached a dark, wiry Mexican man in his forties. Dressed in worn, mismatched clothing, he was sprawled on a lawn chair drinking a beer.
When Gabriela got out of her car and headed toward him, he rose to his feet.
"I'm Gabriela Morales, the social worker who's helping Christy," she said, extending her hand. "Are you her father?"
"Yes, my name is Joaquin. Why are you here? Is Christy sick?" he asked anxiously. Up close, Gabriela saw that his clothes were clean and he was shaven, but he was drinking beer at eleven in the morning.
"No, your daughter is fine. She told me you are a good handyman. I'm here to offer you a job."
Joaquin eyed her warily as if he didn't believe her. "A job? I can do everything, carpentry, paint, some plumbing—"
Gabriela took note of the way he was selling himself. "Good, the doctor who delivered Christy's baby needs his office remodeled. Are you interested?"
He looked very interested. "Si," he said eagerly.
Gabriela handed Joaquin Marcos' card. "Good. Call him at this number. There's plenty of work for you there. When you finish working for him, there might be more elsewhere," she said, remembering how much the Fresh Start Center needed a fresh coat of paint.
Joaquin's hand shook as he glanced at the card and back to her.
"Congratulations on your grandson. Your daughter misses you very much. She'd love for you to visit her," Gabriela said.
"Tell her to come home where she belongs," he said gruffly.
"Christy wants to stay in school. The Fresh Start Center will help her take care of her baby while she studies. Unless your wife can help her..."
"We're poor people. We need all the working hands we can get."
"Christy wants a better life for herself and her baby... for all of you."
Joaquin remained stubbornly silent.
"By the way... your grandson looks just like you," she said casually.
Joaquin grunted with feigned disinterest, but his eyes lit up to hear more.
Gabriela smiled persuasively, going in for the kill. "Christmas is a few days away. Wouldn't you like to meet your handsome grandson? It would make Christy very happy."
Joaquin looked down at his beaten up laborer's hands and mulled it over. When he met Gabriela's gaze, his eyes were suspiciously moist as he nodded.
* * *
In the early afternoon, Marisol, Abuelita Coqui, and Gabriela sipped ice teas on Marcos' balcony overlooking the ocean. Carmen was out grocery shopping so they felt free to discuss the plan.
"Did you really say that about the hot date?" Marisol asked with an impish grin.
"Yes, and you should have seen his face. It was like a thunder cloud," Gabriela said.
"Marcos will seethe with jealousy by the time we're finished. All I have to do is make a phone call to a friend of mine." Marisol giggled. "I've been waiting for Marcos to get his just desserts."
"Why do you say that?" Abuelita Coqui asked, her eyes twinkling with fondness as she gazed at her lively granddaughter.
"Marcos has always called the shots on everything. I call him my smother brother," she confided with a sassy smile before turning to Abuelita Coqui. "Don't you remember how he asked Clay to play nursemaid without my knowledge when I was being stalked?"
"Yes. That was so frightening!" Abuelita Coqui exclaimed.
"What stalker?" Gabriela asked.
"It's a long story, so I'll make it brief," Marisol said. "A couple of years ago, a guy called Ray Campbell was terrifying me with stalking. I never told Marcos the extent of it, but somehow he suspected I was in danger and he asked his good friend Clay to be my bodyguard." She giggled. "He never expected me to marry the reluctant detective."
"Marco still likes to call the shots on everything," Gabriela said. "So who do you have in mind to make him seethe with jealousy as you put it?"
"Alex Cortes. He's tall, dark, and handsome, the perfect competition for Marcos. Last I heard he was still single."
"Dr. Alex Cortes?" Gabriela asked quickly.
"Yes, do you know him?" Marisol asked.
"He was the other person who was generously bidding for me at the bachelorette auction, until Marcos made him stop."
Marisol chortled. "Ooh, I love this! By the time we're finished, Marcos will be ready to pop a blood vessel," she crowed.
"You're presuming that he's going to feel possessive toward me. What if he doesn't take the bait and decides to go with Nicole after all?"
"Not a chance!" Marisol cried confidently.
"She's right, Gabrielita. Marcos wants
you,
not that ice queen," Abuelita Coqui pitched in.
"That remains to be seen," Gabriela said. "Anyway, how do you know that Dr. Cortes will go along with this?"
"Alex will be more than delighted to agitate Marcos. They might be colleagues, but they've also been adversaries. When Alex was interested in me, Marcos told him I was too young, and therefore, off limits."
"How much older is Alex?" Gabriela asked, thinking Marisol looked much younger than her thirty-two years.
"He's only six years older than me, but Marcos put an end to our flirtation before anything came of it." Her scowl suddenly brightened into a cheerful expression. "I guess it was a good thing, or I might not ever have met my gorgeous hubby. Ooh, baby, I miss him already."
"Marisol, stop drooling over Clay and make that phone call," Abuelita Coqui demanded. "There's no time to lose."
"You're right
.
I'll be right back." Marisol opened the sliding glass door and made the phone call from the kitchen.
"Well? What did he say?" Abuelita Coqui asked when Marisol returned shortly afterward to the patio.
Marisol grinned triumphantly. "He's in. I told him you were busy tonight, but that tomorrow night was on for a date."
"Oh, no." Gabriela covered her face with her hands. When they had originally discussed the plan it had seemed appealing and fun, but now that the wheels were in motion, she wondered if she'd done a wise thing. Unfortunately, it was too late to back out now. "How am I ever going to face him at the hospital after this?" she moaned as reality set in.
"Chill
,
" Marisol said, patting Gabriela's shoulder.
"I can't be calm when my whole world is about to turn upside down," Gabriela said, staring at Marisol's animated face which was beaming with excitement.
"Sheesh. And to think I'm the one who's always accused of being melodramatic," Marisol said. "Don't worry, silly. Alex is cool. He'll give Marcos a run for his money."
"Good job, Marisol," Abuelita Coqui said. "So what's the next step?"
"We go shopping, of course," Marisol said. "Can you spare this afternoon, Gabriela?"
"Sure, I'm on vacation," Gabriela said, loving the sound of it. "Where do we begin?"
Marisol grinned. "We're going to find you some cute, sexy outfits."
"This should be interesting," Gabriela| said. "Are you coming with us, Abuelita?"
Abuelita Coqui smiled. "No, I'll leave that for you young girls to enjoy. I think I'll relax out here a bit longer as I look at this beautiful ocean."
The telephone rang and Marisol rushed to answer it. She returned to the patio and handed the portable phone to Gabriela. "It's Marcos. He wants to talk to you."
Taking a deep breath Gabriela accepted the phone. "Hola
,
" she said into the receiver.
"Gatica,
I won't be able to join you for dinner tonight. I'll see you late this evening."
"Why don't we just leave it for tomorrow? I'll have dinner with your grandmother and your sister and stay a little while to keep her company after Marisol leaves."
Marcos paused. "Okay. What are you doing today?"
"I'm going Christmas shopping with Marisol."
"What about Abuelita Coqui?"
"She insists that we go without her."
"Why? Isn't she feeling well?" Marcos asked immediately, his voice strained.
Gabriela smiled at Abuelita Coqui and gave her a conspiratorial wink. "I'm not sure. She
says
she's okay, but she seems a little under the weather," she said in a loud whisper. After a pause, she added, "Don't worry. I'll be here while you're at the hospital."
"Good. Call me if you think she isn't well."
"I will."
"While you're shopping today, make sure to pick up a few more outfits for this week. Just put them on my Saks card."
"Thanks, but no thanks. You've bought me enough
.
"