Valerie
Two Months Later
The guy sitting at the bar was looking at her again. Isabel had dubbed him Mystery Man because Valerie could swear she’d seen him before but couldn’t place him. She’d been trying not to be too obvious about looking at him, but he seemed to catch her every time. His smile was a slow-rising one with the corners of his lips lifting leisurely, and he lifted his glass at her. His eyes were warm and inviting, big and dark, just the way she liked them.
Sexy.
She lifted her glass at him in response, feeling her face warm. He motioned to the bartender that he was moving over her way, which meant he likely had a tab going, then got up and started her way.
Valerie felt her heart speed up. She and Isabel had been playing the guess-what-he-does-for-a-living game among some of the other bar games they enjoyed playing such as guessing what he drives and his age. Isabel had pegged him for some kind of construction worker who cleaned up nicely and thought his name was Forrest or Hunter because of the aura of mystery. Valerie had said he looked more military because of his rugged good looks and had gone with Sebastian or Brett because of the sex appeal he exuded. He was very easy on the eyes, but she’d secretly hoped that, while she’d promised Isabel to finally be open to meeting someone, this would stay a fun, peaceful girls night out like the one she’d been having so far. Now she’d have the irksome task of turning on the charm for this guy. She glanced down at her drink as he got closer.
“Valerie.”
Hearing him call her by her name made her flinch and she jerked her face up. This close he was even better looking, and he seemed to catch himself, so before she could ask where he knew her from, he pointed behind her. “I caught your name earlier when your friend said it.”
Valerie tilted her face ever so slightly, wondering when he’d been close enough to hear Isabel speaking. From what she’d remembered, he’d been sitting at the bar this whole time.
He pointed at the empty stool next to her, the one on the other side where Isabel’s drink wasn’t obviously taking up that part of the table. It pulled her out of her thoughts for the moment, and she nodded, giving him the go-ahead to take the seat.
Already she was beginning to look for fault in him as she had with every other guy who so much as flirted with her. She’d always wondered about people who came into bars by themselves and drank alone. What were their stories? She’d been thoroughly scolded about it by Isabel and made to promise she’d stop, so she chased away the disquieting notion that maybe he was lying about having heard Isabel say her name. There was still something a little too familiar about him, but annoyingly, she couldn’t figure it out.
“My name’s Bruce,” he said, holding out his hand, and she shook it, smiling at how far off she and Isabel had been, though she had said Brett.
“Well, you already know my name,” she said, taking her hand back.
Isabel was suddenly there, but she grabbed her phone from her purse. “I have to make a phone call. It’s too noisy in here. I’ll be outside for a little while.” Valerie didn’t even get a chance to introduce her to Bruce when Isabel winked at her and walked away.
The moment Isabel was out of sight, Valerie’s phone lit up with a text. She read it casually because it was from Isabel.
I’ll be strolling around the organic food market a few doors down for a little bit to give you time alone with Mystery Man. He’s even hotter up close and he smells delish. Remember. Stay open-minded Valerie. You can do this!
Valerie hit the button to black out her phone and set it back down. Yes, she could do this, damn it. So far she liked his smile and his name, and Isabel was right. He did smell damn good. She’d forget about any first impressions he may have already given her and remember that she still knew nothing about him. She wouldn’t start judging before she got to know him. But she did have to know one thing. She wasn’t judging; she was just curious.
“You always go into bars and drink alone?”
His eyes brightened and he smiled. “No, actually, I was stood up.”
This time her eyes went wide. The last thing she wanted was to start up with another Alex, who’d make her stand in line with all his other girls.
“Oh really? You had a date?”
He chuckled softly and shook his head. “No, my buddy was supposed to meet me here for a few beers, but he couldn’t make it,” he explained. “I was actually getting ready to leave when I saw you and then couldn’t.”
From far away, his eyes were simply dark. This close she could see they were this unique gray. The way he looked at her now was more than playful. There was something intense about his eyes. She hated to admit it, but it reminded her a little bit of the intense way Alex would gaze at her.
Downing what was left of her drink, she took a deep breath, wondering if this was a good or a bad thing. The objective here was to forget Alex—move on—not be constantly reminded of him.
“Things like this never happen to me, so I’ve never believed in fortuitous encounters,” he said, looking down at her empty glass and then bringing his eyes up to meet hers again. “I don’t see a ring on your finger. You seeing anyone?”
She shook her head, feeling the small pang in her heart. “No, I’m not.”
That slow gradual smile made an appearance again, and he pointed at her glass. “May I buy you a drink so maybe we can disprove my theory that I should be so lucky as to meet someone as beautiful as you on pure chance?”
She stared at him for a moment, trying to figure him out. Was this a line or was he really serious? Deciding she wouldn’t over think it but enjoy the moment, she shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Within minutes, the bartender took their order, and she had another drink in front of her. “So,” she said, turning on the charm and relaxing a bit. “Tell me about yourself.”
~*~
Alex
Not a day had gone by that Alex hadn’t thought of Valerie since that infuriating phone call when he’d last spoken to her. He was trying to stay positive. Even losing his scholarship was something he was trying to find the silver lining to.
Weeks after the surgery the doctor had officially let him know that his playing days were over because she wouldn’t be able to sign a release for him to play again for at least a year if ever. Alex had actually begun to feel as if it were a blessing in disguise. As hard as it was to deal with, he now believed everything happened for a reason as he’d always been told. Maybe this was what he needed. Without school or football to think about, he might get a chance to put some real effort into convincing Valerie to give him another shot.
His parents were still gone almost every other week for days, sometimes a week at a time to see his grandpa, so the restaurant, along with the construction in full gear now, kept him busier than ever. The good thing was his grandpa was a fighter and it was looking as if he might actually pull through this latest scare. His dad said he was looking better every time they visited, but he still wanted to go see him often. His parents assured him the constant visits to Mexico would lessen just as soon as Abuelito was fully recovered, and it appeared that would be happening sooner than later.
Once his parents were home on a regular basis, Alex would definitely go on a mission to get Valerie back. He had to. She was the only silver lining to all the shit he’d had to deal with in the last few months. His constant black mood was getting harder and harder to shake. The possibility of getting her back was the only thing that kept him from falling into that dark place he’d begun to sink into when he had to tell his parents he’d lost his scholarship and would have to drop out of school temporarily.
The restaurant was winding down, and Alex was walking around slowly, making sure all the stations were being closed down and cleaned correctly. Romero strolled in with a big grin and walked straight to the bar where Alex was.
He sat down at the bar in front of Alex and slapped his hands on the flat wooden surface. “Guess who’s one more step closer to getting his PI license?”
Alex rolled his eyes with a smirk, drying off a glass and tried to remember. “What’s that goofball’s name?” He pointed the towel at Romero. “Shaggy?”
Romero scrunched up his face. “Who?”
“Never mind.” Alex chuckled, getting a couple of beers out from the bottom fridge because he was sure the guy was there to celebrate.
“You’re looking at him.” Romero smiled wider. “Just a few more hoops to jump through. This last exam was a monster. I don’t know why they make it so fucking hard.”
“You’ll get there soon enough. One step at a time,” Alex said, placing the beer bottle in front of Romero, then lifted his. “In the meantime, congrats.” He held it out and tapped his bottle against Romero’s. “To small victories.”
“I heard that,” Romero said, taking a swig of his beer.
Alex took one, too, then continued to wipe down the bar as Romero filled him on everything else he still needed to do before he got his license. From what Romero told him, it would only be a few more months before he was fully licensed.
With another bitter swig of his beer, Alex tried not to ponder too much on the fact that even Romero’s career plans were right on track. He was genuinely happy for his friend. He just hated the reminder that his plans were shot to hell for now. Not that Alex had ever made any plans other than to continue with the family business. But like his brothers he would’ve liked to make his dad proud with a degree of some kind. It was bad enough that Sal was so insanely accomplished with his double majors and still striving for more. Now even his younger brother would be getting his bachelor’s before Alex would.
“So I heard your gramps is doing better,” Romero said, setting his beer in front of him.
“Yeah, looks like the old guy’s not going down without a fight.”
“Angel told me. That’s cool. Glad to hear it. But, hey, that reminds me why I came this way in the first place. So things between you and Val are really over, right?”
Alex peered at Romero, who was looking at him strangely. “Why?”
Romero shrugged. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen the two of you together. I know you two have always had this crazy shit going on, but when I asked Sarah if you two were really done this time, just now she said you were.”
“Just now?” Alex asked, trying not to appear as thwarted as hearing this made him feel.
“Yeah,” Romero said, taking another sip of his beer. “I wanted to be absolutely sure.”
For a hot instant, Alex was pulled out of his disillusioned thoughts. The memory of Romero so long ago making a move on Valerie came to him out of nowhere. He’d almost forgotten all about it. But there was no way. Still Alex wanted to get this clear before he dragged Romero’s ass over the bar by his shirt. Unable to hold back the glare, he asked, “You asked Sarah because you wanted to be sure?”
“Yeah,” Romero started then stopped suddenly. The moment his face contorted in disgust Alex knew he’d been way off and felt like an ass. “I’m not asking if she’s available. What are you stupid?”
Instantly, Alex felt like a complete idiot for even thinking it. But he didn’t say anything. He was feeling too tense now to even speak. So he just waited for Romero to go on.
Romero shook his head, but he laughed this time. “I ran into Sarah and Angel down by the marina. Angel was telling me about your grandpa when we saw Valerie drive up with some dude in a suit.” He lifted a shoulder with a smirk. “You know me. My first instinct was to go ask her where you were, and I would’ve, but I know things are different this time, so I asked Sarah just to be sure. She said that you two are finally moving on. But you know how girls can be, so I wanted to double check with you in case I run into that shit again.” Romero cracked his knuckles, grinning even bigger. “I’d be happy to go introduce myself.”
Alex didn’t know what to say. On the one hand he’d like nothing better than to keep his faithful bulldog breathing down the throat of any dude he might see with Valerie. But they weren’t kids anymore, and they couldn’t keep this shit up. As much as he hated to even think it, if Valerie had really moved on now the way Sarah told Romero, neither he nor Romero would have any right to do or say anything. Valerie had already warned him the cops would likely get involved.
Romero was so close to getting his PI license. He’d already explained to Alex what a pain in the ass it was and how much he still had to pass, including a background check. The last thing Alex wanted was to give this ticking time bomb a reason to get arrested when he knew how hard he’d been working on getting his license.
“Nah,” he said, pulling out another beer for each of them. “Don’t do anything if you see her with anyone.” It almost hurt to say it, but he had to just admit it. “Things are different now. I haven’t even talked to her in months.”
Even after he’d just said he hadn’t seen Alex and Valerie together in a while, Romero still seemed surprised by this. “Months, huh? I knew it felt like a while, but I didn’t know it was that long.”
Sofia rushed in from the back. “Alex, have you seen my wallet?”
“Back room, top drawer of the desk.”
“Oh, thank God.” She turned back and kissed Eric just as she rushed off to the back office. “I told you I hadn’t lost it.”
Eric rolled his eyes but laughed and headed toward Alex and Romero. Alex greeted him, handing Eric a beer, then leaned back, listening silently as Romero explained what they were celebrating. Celebrating was the last thing Alex felt like doing. Even hearing Romero recite the song his uncle Manny had made up to help him remember a few key terms he had to know for his exam didn’t break him of his dark mood. But the song was pretty funny, so he did crack a smile, hearing Eric have a good laugh.
“Those two still act like I’m in the first grade.”
Alex finally decided to speak up. “What did they say when you told them you passed the exam?”
“I haven’t,” Romero said wide-eyed. “I’m looking to celebrate tonight my way. Knowing those two, they’ll insist I drop by their place like I don’t already know they’ll have cake, ice cream, and balloons waiting.” Eric laughed again, and Romero turned to him. “I’m not kidding. They’ve done it so far with every other milestone I’ve hit.”
Just when Alex was starting to get a little into the laughing mood, Angel and Sarah arrived. “Hey,” Romero said, turning to look at them. “I guess everyone got the memo.”
“What memo?” Angel asked.
Within minutes, everyone was all caught up on Romero’s news, including Sofie who had since returned from the back room. “Good for you,” she said with a big smile. “You should come with us next week when we all go on a day cruise to Catalina for Sal’s birthday.” She turned to Alex. “That reminds me. I need the final head count. You can still go even with your bad ankle, right? We won’t be doing much walking. Sal wants to do the Segway tour.” Alex nodded, but before he could say anything else, she went on. “Good and Valerie’s going too, right?”
The sudden awkward silence was quickly snuffed out by, of course, Romero. “Nope.” Romero grinned then turned to Alex. “But, hey, I’m hanging out with Nora tonight. She’s friends with Nadine, and fuck if that chick doesn’t ask about you every time I see her. I could tell them about Catalina. I’m sure they’d be down to go.”
“Oh Gawd no!” Sofia said. “Remember Sarah and I are gonna be stuck with these girls all day too. And no offense, Romero, but all your girlfriends are always annoying.”
Romero laughed. “What are you talking about? I’ve never had a girlfriend. And what about me? I gotta put up with Eric.”
Eric punched him in the arm but laughed. Sofia ignored Romero’s comments and turned to Alex. “Why can’t Valerie go?”
“That ship has sailed,” he said without looking at her or anyone.
Instead, he turned and pulled a shot glass out of the cabinet then grabbed a bottle of tequila. He was going to need lots of this to numb the overwhelming ache that confirming this one more time made him feel.
“Yeah, but by next week, things between you two should be all patched up, right?” Sofia asked, looking at Alex then turning back to Sarah, who said nothing.
Sofia had been too busy herself these last couple of months with school and an internship to notice Valerie’s longer absence this time. Of course, she would think this was just another one of their off-again deals. Alex took the shot and looked straight at Sarah.
“What do you think?”
There was no missing the way those cautious green eyes of hers glanced at Romero then back at Alex. She had to know Romero had already filled him in on seeing Valerie with another guy and what she’d told him about things being really over between Alex and Valerie.
But she turned and addressed Sofie not Alex. “Valerie has a lot keeping her busy now with her new career and all.”
“New man?” Alex asked, staring at her coldly.
He’d known all along Sarah had just been kind when she reasoned with him that all Valerie needed was time. He needed it straight now so he could end the delusion already. And if anyone knew, for sure, whether Valerie had actually been telling the truth that day—that she’d moved on that quickly—it was Sarah. So he waited for a response, staring at her with a purpose.
“I don’t know anything about a new man,” she said.
“Sure looked like it to me.” Romero scoffed.
“She has lunch with clients and stuff all the time,” she said too quickly then turned to Alex as if she caught herself saying too much. “But, uh, she has mentioned moving on a few times.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Sofia dismissed Sarah’s comments quickly then turned back to Alex. “You two have always been that way. But, seriously, let me know if anything changes, Alex. The reservations need to be made at least a couple of days in advance.” She tugged at Eric’s shirt. “Let’s go. The movie starts in less than twenty minutes.” She smiled at him big. “I want popcorn.”
As quickly as they’d all gotten there, they all made their exit. Romero downed what was left of his beer and said goodbye, leaving with Eric and Sofie. Angel rushed off to the back to get whatever it was he and Sarah stopped by for in the first place.
Sarah was the only one left standing there, looking a bit frozen. Alex hadn’t taken his eyes off her the whole time. Finally, he looked down but only to make sure he didn’t spill the extra tall shot of tequila he’d poured himself. “So what does that mean exactly?” he asked without looking up.
“What does what—”
“You know what I’m talking about, Sarah. Is she seeing someone or not?”
“I, uh, don’t think she’d want me to share—”
“Oh come on,” he said, looking up feeling thoroughly disgusted with himself for screwing things up this badly with Valerie. “What difference does it make at this point? She practically told me herself that she was, so just say it.”
“All she said was she moved on,” she said firmly. “But she didn’t mention anyone specifically.”
Of course, Angel would walk back in at that moment, but then Alex had all he needed to know.
“You sure that banquet room upstairs is gonna be ready for the wedding next year?” Angel asked.
Alex nodded. “It better be,” he said, taking the shot in its entirety then wincing and sucking a wedge of lime. When he was finally able to talk, Alex continued. “It’s already booked for a few other parties a few months before your wedding.”
Angel peered at him. “You gonna be okay to drive?”
With a humorless laugh, Alex grabbed the bottle of tequila and put it back where it belonged then stuck the shot glass in the dishwasher. “I’m fine.”
After Angel and Sarah left, Alex waited until all the employees were gone to finish locking everything down. He’d done it all in what felt like super slow motion all the while thinking about what Sarah had said. The entire drive home and the whole hour or two he sat on the sofa, staring at his phone, he tried in vain to convince himself to just let her go. It was over. But that stubborn flicker of hope would not let him forget what he felt from Valerie every single time he kissed her. What he saw in her eyes those last few weeks. There was no way she’d moved on. He refused to believe it. He’d be home free once his parents got back and he could take more than just a day at a time off from the restaurant to devote to her—if he could convince her to let him.
Then his phone rang.
He literally flinched it was so unexpected. It must’ve been close to midnight. The caller ID was private, and it alarmed him as much as it gave him hope that maybe just maybe Valerie was calling him from a new phone. A work phone maybe. So he answered.
“Hello?” He heard breathing then someone take in a few gasping breaths and he sat up straight. “Hello? Who is this?”
“Mijo,” his father said in a strained voice. “Tu abuelito,” he said then cried softly.
Alex’s heart sank as he fell back onto the sofa, bringing his hand to his forehead. With all the emotion already flying high, hearing his dad so broken up had him choked up instantly.
The phone was muffled, and then his mom was on the line. “Mijo, abuelito is gone.” she said, confirming what Alex already knew just from hearing his dad crying. “He suffered a massive heart attack and . . .”
The rest of what she said was a haze of words strung together. He sat there, his head still resting on the back of his sofa, eyes squeezed shut, and his fingers pressed over them tightly. The tears that ran down the side of his face from hearing his mother also break down were a welcome release.
He hurt for his dad. He hurt for his mother, who he knew cried more over the sight of her strong husband so anguished. But he especially hurt because of Valerie. The irrepressible and brutal ache in his heart that had been building for months now and finally peaked tonight was ever present and mounting with the hopelessness of it all.
Finally able to take a deep breath so he could listen to what his mom was actually saying, he sat up swatting the tears away.
“ . . . he wants to be here at least a few weeks. We’ll come home just to pick up some more things, but then we’re coming back. We’ll be gone a lot from here on. We’ve been discussing this for some time now: retiring to spend more time with the family we hardly ever see anymore. We were going to talk to you about it when we got the chance. Do it gradually, but now . . .”
“Wait, wait,” Alex said, clearing his throat and sitting up slowly. “What do you mean retiring? Like from the restaurant? Completely?”
“Yes,” she said, sniffling. “That’s been the plan all along. We’d hand the business to you and your brothers and sister when we retired. It’s just happening sooner than we had planned. Sal has bigger plans for more restaurants, but we’ll discuss this another time. Right now, I just need you to know that the next few weeks and months are going to be difficult, but we can get through this as a family. Your father and I will be counting on all of you, but especially you, Alejandro, to run the restaurant and monitor the construction until your brothers are done with school.” She sniffed again and took a long trembling breath. “You see, Mijo. Everything does happen for a reason. For reasons only God knows, he took your abuelito just when we thought he was doing better, but he made it so your father doesn’t have the added worry of rushing back to the restaurant. It’s a small consolation, but he can mourn in peace and for as long as he needs to. There was a good reason why your education was postponed, but you will go back and finish. For now you don’t know how grateful we are and what a reassurance it is to know that you’re there to keep everything under control.”
He listened to his mother for a little bit longer as the reality of everything that had happened in the last few months sunk in.
The utter bitterness began its slow deluge into his heart, overwhelming his senses and his ability to breathe or swallow without the enormous ache in his throat. Maybe he and Valerie were never meant to be. Maybe he’d been right about not deserving her. Maybe, as usual, his mom had hit it right on the nose about everything happening for a reason.
Being a full-time business owner—a reluctant workaholic desperately trying to drown out the fact that he’d failed his parents so miserably—was exactly what he needed. It might just be only way he’d ever get over Valerie. He sure as hell would have neither the time nor the slightest inclination to focus on a social life now much less a girlfriend.
He fell back onto the sofa when he hung up with his mom. The continuing ache in his heart was unbearable. The brutal reality of what life had handed him came barreling down on him mercilessly. He squeezed his eyes shut again, feeling a warm tear escape the corner of his eye. Try as he might, and he sure as fuck was trying, the damn tears wouldn’t stop. Abuelito was gone.
He tried once again in vain to swallow back the suffocating emotion, but it was impossible. As much as his devastated heart was still trying to fight it, he had no choice but to accept it now.
He’d really lost Valerie—forever this time.