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 havea 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
“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 havea 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
Similar Books
