Katherine Garbera - Seducing His Opposition / Secret Nights at Nine Oaks - Seducing His Opposition

“Great! I like that idea, tata.”

She hugged him close. “I knew you would.”

She missed Enrique probably the most of all the people she’d left behind. He’d only been ten when she’d left. It had been just a year after their parents had died and she knew she should have stayed to help in raising him but she’d been too young to do that. And after Raul and the con he’d run on her family, she’d had to get away and prove herself.

“I wish you’d move back here, tata.”

“I can’t.”

He nodded. “A group of us are going clubbing, you want to join?” “Who?”

“The cousins. Some of them are older than you.” “Geez, thanks.”

“You know what I mean,” Enrique said. “It will be fun. And it’s not like you have to be at work tomorrow.”

“That’s true. I’m on vacation—sort of,” she said, thinking back to earlier when Justin had offered to be her vacation fling. Was she overthinking this?

“You are on vacation. Come on, live a little.”

She nodded. “I’d like that. Am I dressed okay?”

“You’re perfect,” Enrique said. “Hey, guys, Selena is coming with us.”

“Great, let’s go.”

She followed Enrique over to Jorge and Paulo and a group of her other cousins. The tiki torches that had been placed around the edge of the yard still burned and there were plates and cups littering every surface.

“I have to help clean up first,” she said. Her grandparents didn’t need to be doing all this work by themselves.

“No, you don’t,” her grandmother said as she came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Go and have some fun with your cousins. Remember what it’s like to have family around you.”

“Abuelita , I always remember that.”

“Then I hope you also know that we love you. I will call you in the morning,” her grandmother said. “I’m not staying at my house, abuelita.” “Where are you staying then?” “At the Ritz. Call me on my cell phone, okay?” “Tata …”

“I just couldn’t stay there. I hope you aren’t upset.” “I’m not upset, but I worry about you.” “The hotel is nice and I can relax there,” Selena said.

Her grandmother hugged her. “Then that is all that matters.”

“Whatever you do, don’t call too early, abuelita,” Jorge said. “We are going to be partying all night. It’s not too often the prodigal daughter returns home.”

Selena shook her head. “I’m not the prodigal anything.”

Jorge put his arm around her as they walked through the house. He and she had been so close growing up. Their mothers were twins and the two of them had been born only eight days apart. Jorge was more than a cousin to her. He was her big brother and her childhood twin.

“That’s the sad part, tata , you don’t even realize how important you are to us all and how much we’ve all missed you.”

“But I am responsible for ruining—”

“You aren’t responsible for anything but the actions you took to make things right. And you did make up for everything that happened long ago. Stop punishing yourself for it,” Jorge said.

“I’m not punishing myself.”

“Yes, you are. And it’s time you stopped.”

* * *

Nate and Cam weren’t pleased with the news that they’d have to wait on the ground-breaking. Actually, Nate didn’t seem to care too much but Cam was ready to use every contact he had to make the Gonzalez family suffer.

“We can’t do that,” Justin said as he sipped his Land-shark beer and relaxed in the VIP area of the rooftop club at Luna Azul.

“I know but it would make me feel good. Tell me what you have planned.”

“I’m taking the zoning commissioner out for some golf, which should help to speed up the review process. We haven’t broken any laws and I’ve reviewed the injunction they filed against us.”

“Are we in the right?”

“We haven’t done anything yet so technically we’re fine. There is a zoning provision to keep the marketplace as part of the community. I think this committee will satisfy that.”

“Good. Then there’s no problem?”

“Cam, bureaucracy runs slowly. And you want everything finished yesterday. We are going to be lucky to have a ground-breaking at the tenth anniversary party.”

Nate shook his head. “Cam, are you going to stand for that defeatist attitude?”

“Shut up, little bro,” Justin said. “We have to be realistic.”

“I don’t have to be,” Cam said. “I have you to do that. I think I will be on the committee with you and we will get as many local business owners involved with the anniversary celebration as we can. Once they have a vested interest in the celebration they will help make things happen.”

“I agree,” Justin said. “I have a young deejay who I can get to play at the marketplace ground-breaking—he is Tomas Gonzalez’s grandson.”

Cam nodded over at him. “You’re already taking steps to make this happen. Keep us updated on your progress.”

“I will. How’s everything else going at the club? Do you need anything from me?” Justin asked.

“Just get the approvals for that ground-breaking taken care of, we can handle the rest,” Nate said.

“I will. I’m going to take a few days for a staycation,” Justin said.

“What? You can’t take any time off,” Cam said. “Not now.”

“I guess I’m explaining this wrong. I’ll be working every day but at night I’m going to be staying at the Ritz,” Justin said.

“Why?” Nate asked. “I mean the Ritz is nice but why not stay at your home?”

There was no way he was going to tell his brothers that this move involved a woman. “I just haven’t had a break lately and staying at the Ritz will give me one.”

“As long as you are still working, it doesn’t matter to me,” Cam said.

“I might have you check in on some friends who are staying down there,” Nate said.

“I don’t want to have to check in on your celebs.”

Nate ran with the celebrity crowd—all friends he’d made back when he’d been a major league baseball player. And Nate still used these connections for the club, even though he was recently engaged to Jen Miller, a dance instructor at Luna Azul. They were a cute couple and very happy together. Justin was surprised that his playboy brother had fallen for the pretty dancer and her quiet lifestyle.

While Justin was glad his younger brother had kept in contact with the glitter set, the last thing he wanted was to have to socialize with them.

For the most part he had nothing in common with people who traded on their looks or talent to get by in the world. He’d always used hard work and determination.

“Fine. We can have drinks tomorrow night when I’m down there.”

“Why do we have to?” Justin asked just to needle his brother.

“Because you are making me drive down there. And you’re buying!” Nate said as his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and then excused himself.

Warm breezes blew across the rooftop patio. “I like this place,” Justin said.

Cam arched one eyebrow at him. “I’m glad to hear it, considering you helped me build it.”

Justin nodded. “I know. I wonder how different it could have been if we had real community support?”

Cam took a sip of his whiskey and then rubbed the back of his neck. “In the early days it would have made a big difference. I hate to think of what it was like before Nate got injured and came home … do you remember that first summer when he just sat in the back of the club and his baseball playing friends visited?”

“Yes. You wanted to turn the club that we’d invested every last penny in, into a sports bar.”