Escape to Paradise

“You’re supposed to be taking it easy.” He watched her, saw how she dodged his gaze and shifted her feet. “Has the hospital finally confirmed the date and time for your surgery?”

Ana clutched his hands. “Great news, Tiago! The surgery’s been cancelled. Most of my symptoms have disappeared and the few that remain are quite minor.”

“Is that so?”

“I decided to try some of the things my doctor suggested, and I’ve been getting stronger each day. I take ginseng three times a day, quit drinking alcohol and started cooking healthier, low-calorie meals, too.”

“Exactly how much weight have you lost?”

She shrugged and stared down at the sleek tiled floor. “Just a little.”

“How much?” he pressed, crossing his arms. “Ten? Fifteen? Twenty pounds?”

“Twenty-seven, give or take.”

Santiago clamped his lips together to trap a curse inside. “You were never scheduled to have abdominal surgery, were you? That was just a ploy to get me down here, wasn’t it?”

“Of course not!” The words shot out of her mouth with more force than a bullet from a gun. Anger crimped her features, but her tone was soft. “I would never lie about something as serious as that. I was scared about going under the knife, so I changed my entire lifestyle.”

“It’s hard to believe you lost almost thirty pounds by just altering your diet.”

“Tiago, don’t be ridiculous! The weight didn’t just vanish. I’ve been working my tush off!” Her smile was proud. “I’ve been swimming and hiking and playing a little squash.”

“You’re exercising?” Santiago dropped his hands on his waist like an exasperated father about to scold his child. “Who are you? And what have you done with my mother?”

Laughter bubbled out from her lips. “Now that your father’s overseeing the construction of the new golf resort in Acapulco, I have more time to try new things.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Mom. I just wish you would’ve told me your surgery was cancelled sooner.”

“I only found out yesterday,” she said, with a shrug of her shoulders.

Santiago didn’t believe her, but he wasn’t stupid enough to call his mother a liar.

“I’m glad you’re here, Tiago. I was convinced you’d forgotten all about me.”

He tossed his head back and had a good laugh. “Right, like you’d ever let that happen.”

“Your father and I have missed you dearly, son.”

Deep down, Santiago knew only half of what his mother said was true, but he inquired about his dad anyway. “How’s he doing?” To expunge the bitter taste in his mouth, he swallowed hard. “Is he still dead set against attending counseling with you?”

“Yes, he said hearing other people’s stories of loss only compounds his grief.”

“Figures. Dad’s never been one to share his feelings.”

“That’s why I need you around, Tiago. You’re the only one who understands what I’m going through, and the only person I can talk to when I’m feeling down.”

“Is he still drinking?”

Ana shook her head, diverted her gaze. “He hardly touches the stuff anymore. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time he had a drink.”

Sure you don’t. He saw the truth in her eyes, saw the flicker of hurt that flashed across her face. His dad was still a raging alcoholic, and knowing that he was the cause of his father’s downward spiral made Santiago feel sick with guilt.

“When are you going to move home and help me run the resort?”

“When you stop throwing your friends’ daughters at me.”

Mrs. Medina slipped an arm around her son’s waist. “Find yourself a nice girl from a nice Mexican family and I will!”

Santiago chuckled when his mom wagged her finger at him. Then, she sighed dramatically and launched into her famous I-want-grandchildren-before-I-die speech. The one she repeated faithfully every week. To get his mother off his back, he considered telling her about Claudia, but thought better of it. Besides, what would he say? Hey, Mom, I met a stunningly beautiful woman at the airport who I felt an instant connection to, but I stupidly chased her off.

While his mother talked, he replayed every minute of his conversation with Claudia in his mind. He wondered where she was and what she was doing. Was she reclining by the pool at her hotel? Or fighting off the men at the bar while she sipped her drink? No doubt about that. He’d seen firsthand the kind of attention she drew, saw how grown men tripped and stumbled over themselves in her presence. Not that he blamed them. Claudia had it all—flawless skin that had a soft, natural glow, eyes that penetrated, and an endearing shyness that made him want to protect her, hold her, take her in his arms and make everything wrong in her life better.

“I’m just not ready to take that step,” he admitted, hoping to put an end to her complaints once and for all. “I’ll get married and have kids in God’s time and not a moment sooner.”

His mother sniffed, rubbed her fingertips slowly under her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t. It’s just, now that your sister’s gone, you’re all I have left. And it kills me only seeing you once or twice a year.” Wearing a sad smile, she patted his cheeks as if he was a little boy rather than a grown man. “It would mean the world to me if you returned home.”

Hearing the anguish in his mother’s voice made Santiago feel lower than the gecko slithering outside the window. He cleared his throat, but the burning in his chest only intensified. The stench of his guilt was stifling, thicker than smoke, and suddenly the staff lounge felt smaller than an airplane bathroom.

“I promised your father I wouldn’t say anything, but if I have to speak my mind—”

“Ramón, there’s a problem out front I need you to take care of.” The female clerk standing in the doorway bowed slightly. “I apologize for interrupting, Señora Medina, but I was wondering if you’ve seen Ramón. I can’t find him anywhere.”

“Tomorrow’s his daughter’s Quinceañera, so I let him go early,” she explained, waving her inside. “Rosario, there’s someone special I’d like you to meet.”

Knowing what was coming next, Santiago braced himself for impact. He only prayed his mother wouldn’t ask the clerk out on his behalf. The last time she did, he’d been tricked into escorting a chatty fashion designer to a black-tie event.

“This very handsome, very single young man is my son, Santiago. He’ll be returning to Cabo soon to take over running the resort, and I’m depending on you and the rest of the staff to show him how things are done around here.”

Santiago frowned. Moving back to Cabo? To run the family business? No way, no how. There were too many memories, too much pain. And every time he saw the hate in his father’s eyes he was reminded of that tragic summer night. It was hard enough waking up each morning as it was; he didn’t need a daily reminder of what a screw-up he was, too.

“I’ll try my best, Señora Medina.”

“Now, what’s going on out front? You look upset.” Ana stuck a hand on her hip. “It’s not that South African diplomat again, is it? That horny old man is testing my patience, and if he propositions another female maid I’m tossing him out on his rear!”

Rosario explained the source of her troubles. “I feel bad for Ms. Jeffries, but I’m apprehensive about granting her request. The last time I allowed a couple to stay in a suite without a valid credit card, they pilfered the mini bar and trashed the room.”

“I remember. That’s why we revised our check-in policies last year,” Ana said with a fervent nod. “How long is she planning to stay?”

“A month.”

“I see. All right, let her pay in cash to cover the cost of the incidentals.”

“I suggested that,” Rosario explained. “She refused.”