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  “I know that, dear.” She patted Veronica’s hand. “Do tell me what you’ve been up to. Again, you look lovely.”

  “A little of this and a little of that.” Veronica wasn’t about to tell her she’d been staying far too many glorious nights at a tattooed musician’s loft. Of course, Diego was more than that, but her mother wouldn’t get it.

  Helena laughed. “Darling, you read like an open book. Who is he?”

  “What do you—” she sputtered into her water glass. “How do you know these things?”

  “Mothers know, but it would make it much easier if you’d keep me informed.”

  “I don’t … Why would … ?” Thoughts scrambled in her head. “Mom, I don’t have to tell you about every Tom, Dick, or Harry I meet.”

  Her mother pointed her long finger adorned with an enormous silver ring. “But this one is different or you wouldn’t be acting this way. Tell me about him. Which office does he work at?”

  Veronica splayed her hand against her upper chest and cleared her throat. “He doesn’t …” Shit. This was it. The perfect opening. She was about to tell her mother. She had to if she wanted things to continue with Diego. Given their last few nights together and Diego’s declaration that he was getting a new tattoo of the number seven, it was inevitable. She was falling for him. The only thing really holding her back, besides her job admission, was her mother. Two enormous hurdles.

  She squared her shoulders. “He doesn’t work at an office.”

  “Okay, so where is he employed?” Her mother nodded slowly.

  Veronica picked up the fork and counted each tine twice until she reached the number seven. Then put it back in place in an orderly fashion. “He, uh, he’s a musician. A really good musician.”

  A jaded laugh fell from her mom’s lips. “A musician? Oh, Veronica, tell me this is a joke.”

  “No, it’s not, and though this started out as something lighthearted, it’s a bigger deal than I originally wanted.”

  “You want this?” Her mother tsked at her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I do.” Veronica reached out and clutched her mom’s hand. “I’m completely serious. I’ve been struggling to find a way to talk to you. In fact, I’ve grappled with the whole notion of Diego being too good for me, not wanting an unworldly woman like me. But I think I’m wrong.”

  “I can understand the thrill of …” Her mom’s voice softened to a whisper. “… sleeping around with an unruly type.”

  “Mother!”

  “Hear me out. Go do it, but get it out of your system. And soon.” Her mom looked at her watch as if the “soon” were today. “Before we get into that, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Mother, this is not just something to get out of my system. It’s a real feeling and Diego is not unruly. He might seem like it at first, but he’s so much more. He’s thoughtful and caring. He makes me feel special.”

  “He sounds wonderful, but I don’t think a musician can be all you need. You need a man to take care of you and have a family with.”

  “He treats me well and he loves his family. He has a big family in Argen—”

  “Is that the truth or is it your hopeful imagination?”

  “Why wouldn’t a man treat me well? I’m not about to be with someone who doesn’t. You think I need a conventional man who works in the corporate world, but you’re wrong. I’m very clearly seeing that what I need is a man who encourages me to see me for me.”

  “Oh honey—”

  “I don’t want to disappear into the background anymore, Mom. Diego doesn’t make me feel like that. I’m forefront and center. Isn’t that how it should be?”

  “But a musician? Does he do drugs?”

  “Mother. Would I be with a man who does drugs? What do you think of me? I’m capable and intelligent enough to decide for myself.” There. She said it and smiled because she meant it.

  “I know what’s best for—” Then the mood changed as her mother’s brows rose to her hairline and she whipped up out of her chair placing her napkin on the table.

  A deep voice sounded behind her and Veronica turned her head in that direction.

  There stood David, her father’s apprentice, in a casual gray suit, his blond hair combed to the side. He was a handsome businessman but dull compared to the man constantly in her thoughts.

  “So nice to see you, Veronica.” His gaze lingered on her face.

  She glowered at her mother, who had a guilty look. Damn her! She planned this. “Mother?”

  “Won’t you have a seat, David?”

  “Thank you.” He passed behind Veronica, placing his hand on her shoulder briefly, and nothing stirred inside her. No zim, zam, or zoom. He was nice enough, but not for her.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and held her chin high. “So, David, funny to see you here.”

  “Well—”

  “Honey, I invited David to come. You’ve been busy with work, and David’s been asking to take you out. So, I took the liberty of encouraging him to come so you two could get to know one another. Please don’t be angry at him.”

  Her mother was sneakier than she imagined. Meanwhile, David smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “You’re hard to search out. I implored your mother not to go to such drastic measures. If you wish me to go, I’ll be happy to oblige.”

  Who talked like that? But there was that hopeful sparkle in his eyes, and … she felt bad for him. She could have lunch with her mother and a guest, but she wouldn’t like it one bit. “No, stay. We can catch up, since it’s been a while.”

  Her mother grabbed her purse, along with her purchases, and smiled. “Oh, good. You two have fun.”

  “Mother, don’t leave.” Veronica stood, her napkin falling to the floor and her mouth gaping. “We still need to finish our earlier conversation.”

  “Have a good lunch, darling. We’ll talk later.”

  With that, her mother practically ran out of the restaurant with five bags under her arms. The nerve! Her mother was a piece of work. What she didn’t know was Veronica was no longer one to sit around and let herself get run under the bus. She knew what was best and damnit to hell, she didn’t want to sit through lunch with another man who was obviously interested in her. Not when Diego had kissed her good-bye this morning at his front door, his hands under her coat, roaming across every crevice of her body, whispering Spanish in her ear.

  “If you don’t want to stay, you can leave.” David’s eyes held a question.

  Shit. She didn’t want to be rude. Kindness and benevolence ran in her blood, no matter how badly she didn’t want it to.

  “Look, I’m going to be honest here. I’m seeing someone and I’m sorry you came all the way here expecting something different.”

  He broke eye contact and fiddled with his fork. “Well, I’m not going to lie and say I’m not disappointed. But I understand. We’re here and we need to eat. Stay.”

  “You’re right.” She picked up her napkin, sat, and grabbed a menu.

  David cleared his throat. The waiter stood next to them, order pad in front of him, and gave them an impatient roll of his eyes.

  “Oh, I’ll take a club sandwich and an iced tea.”

  “I’ll have the same.” David grabbed her menu, his hand touching hers and … it still didn’t affect her.

  As David made small talk, she actually felt sorry for the guy. He wasn’t bad looking; his tall, regal look could be charming, in fact. For someone else.

  He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a stony expression. “By the way, I don’t think your parents know about you dating someone.”

  “I just told my mother before you arrived, but I’m an adult and I can do what I want.”

  He held up his hand. “Of course. I wasn’t saying that, but you may want to warn them of setting you up like this. Your dad’s a great man to work for and I don’t want this to affect my future at Bass Headquarters.”

  “No, of course not. An
d I appreciate your candor.” She grabbed her cell phone to catch the time. This “date” was already endless. Only twenty minutes had passed. Way too slow.

  Before she could put her phone away, it rang and Chloe’s face appeared on the screen. Veronica held up her finger. “Can you wait a minute?” When he nodded, she answered.

  “Where are you? We stopped by your place but you weren’t there.”

  “I’m out to lunch.” Veronica glanced at David, who pulled a breadstick out of the basket and took a bite. “On a date.”

  “Figures. You’ve been with Diego nonstop.” Chloe covered the phone with her hand and Veronica heard a muffled response in her ear.

  “Who are you talking to?”

  “Amanda. We were hoping to have a girl’s brunch to plan my birthday celebration. You’re going to have to dump Diego and meet us at Ralphies.”

  She glimpsed at David, who grinned back. Poor guy. She couldn’t dump him. “I’m out with David.” When Chloe inhaled a quick breath, Veronica realized she shouldn’t have said anything. “No, I mean I’m having a friendly lunch with David. Can I see you guys afterward?”

  David pulled his seat back and stood. “I think we should end this here. You obviously have some things to take care of and … well, this isn’t working.”

  “Chloe, I’ll call you back.” She stood and placed her hand on David’s arm. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude and give you the wrong signals.”

  “No problem.” He opened his wallet and laid down forty bucks. “I wish you the best.” He kissed her cheek and practically ran out of the restaurant. She blinked, then grabbed her purse, turning to leave. Her phone rang again.

  As she stepped out into the cold, pulling her jacket up around the collar to block the chilly breeze, she answered. “What?”

  “Get your ass to Ralphies. We’re waiting.”

  “I’m on my way, and chill.” She hung up and decided to walk the five blocks, needing fresh air to pull her thoughts together. What was up Chloe’s butt? Why was she hyperventilating over the phone? And why the hell was her mother deceiving her by setting her up on a secret blind date? What had the world come to?

  She paused for a second as her actions sunk in—she actually told her mom.

  It didn’t go exactly as planned. Well, it wasn’t planned, but it was about time she spoke up. And it felt damn good. Her mom didn’t approve; she knew her mom wouldn’t. They still had more to talk about, but at least Veronica had opened up and it felt like a load of bricks had been lifted off her shoulders. Suddenly the sky was shining brighter and she wanted to dance in the wind that blew around her shoulders.

  She could do this. She could face a life that she planned. No one else. She only had to do the next difficult thing: admit to Diego that she hadn’t been completely honest.

  The dancing air died down and she pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. How could she do that?

  Her friends. They could help. Plus, she had to face them. If she didn’t, she’d never hear the end of it. Later, she’d solve the issue of how to tell Diego the truth. Then she’d figure out what to do with her mother—a nice shake might do.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Her heels clicked across the black and white linoleum and she searched the modern café for her two pain-in-the-ass best friends. Chloe waved her over from the back and yelled her name.

  Veronica picked up her pace and sat down with a thump at the table. “Geez, Chloe, now the entire restaurant knows my name.”

  Chloe beamed. She grabbed hold of Veronica’s two hands. “Talk.”

  Veronica fidgeted in her chair, then gazed at Amanda, whose perfectly kept presence emitted a regality. When Veronica didn’t say anything, because she had no idea what these two were up to or what the hell was wrong with them, Amanda shared a look with Chloe and cleared her throat. “What she means is we’re worried about you.”

  “You’re worried about me?” Veronica frowned and sat back, pulling her hands from her friends. “Me?” She held her hand out, indicating Chloe. “Do you realize that you’re sitting next to a woman who has a bedside table dedicated to her variety of vibrators? That she has a different man in her bed at least once a week? That she has a decent guy in the picture and refuses to take it a step further?”

  “Whoa, wait a minute. You’re changing the subject … and ouch.” Chloe brought her hand to her chest and bit her lip.

  Veronica leaned across the table and held Chloe’s hand. “I love you, Chloe, just the way you are. I’m trying to demonstrate that there is absolutely nothing to worry about where I’m concerned. Where has all this come from anyway?”

  Amanda pushed up the sleeves of her Armani sweater—the one Veronica helped pick out after payday last month. “Chloe told me all about Diego. How you’ve been sleeping with him for weeks and we haven’t seen you. It’s …” Her friend inhaled deeply through her nose and tapped the table. “So unlike you.”

  “This is an intervention of some sort? Geez, guys, could you be any more helpful?”

  “Like Amanda said, honey, you don’t do that. You don’t sleep with a guy and ditch your friends.”

  “No, I don’t, and I haven’t ditched you, Chloe. We’ve gone out together plenty of times.”

  “No,” Chloe raised her voice and pointed her finger. “I wanted to go to that club the other night and you refused.”

  “Diego invited me to a show. Did you two know he has two albums out and he’s produced for Mat Kearney?”

  Chloe held her hands out and shrugged her shoulders. “See. You don’t get all lovey-dovey over a guy. Never.”

  Amanda put her pointer finger to her chin. “Interesting.” She sat back. “I think she likes this guy. For reals.”

  Chloe shrugged. “Well, he most definitely must be good in bed, but what do we really know about him?”

  Veronica waved her hand in front of them. “Hello, I’m right here. He’s fun, intriguing, full of stories and adventure. Besides, have you seen him? He’s hotter than Channing Tatum in a Versace suit. And he really listens to me.”

  “Maybe you need therapy, honey,” said Chloe.

  “What? I need therapy? Why would I need that when I have you two?” Veronica held out her palms.

  Chloe leaned in closer and whispered loudly, “Are you addicted to sex?”

  Veronica yelped out a laugh and then covered her mouth when patrons at the next table looked over. “No, I’m not.” Well, Diego’s serious gaze as he pounded into her could make a liar out of her on that one. “Well, maybe, but only with Diego, and I really, really like him, so nothing is wrong with that and—”

  Chloe shook her head in pity. In pity!

  “Why are you shaking your head?”

  “You should hear yourself. If you like him, why were you at lunch with another guy named David?” Chloe picked up her water glass and raised an eyebrow behind the rim.

  “Hell. This day gets worse and worse.” Veronica rubbed her temples with her fingers. “My mom set me up, without me knowing, by the way. But I told him I was seeing someone and he left.”

  Amanda crossed her arms over her chest and stared her down. “You really like Diego?”

  Veronica took a deep breath. Her best friends were obviously worried about her—for no apparent reason. These two women were her go-tos, and she hadn’t talked to them in quite a while, with Amanda being busy at work and Chloe doing her thing. So, she had to lay it on the line. Stop lying to herself and begin this adventure she started.

  “I think he might be the one.”

  Both her friends froze, their eyes wide with wonder.

  “I know it’s only been a few weeks … well, more if you count that wedding night. He does things to me, you know. I like who I become around him. I’m not boring, dull Veronica. Sure, I’m a mess. But a good mess.”

  “Oh, Vero.” Chloe straightened, her eyes wide.

  “At the same time, my stomach turns and my mind wanders and my insides quiver and my head adds up all t
he statistics of how this could last … or not, and I don’t know.”

  “Slow down.” Chloe fanned the air around her. “One thing I do know is that love can be a son of a bitch.”

  Amanda lolled her head back and moaned. “Chloe, really.”

  “It’s true. The minute love comes into the picture, you’re screwed. Please, tell me you haven’t told him.”

  “I haven’t, but … well …” She picked up a paper napkin and tore it into pieces. “This is where you and I are different. I’m a hopeless romantic, and when’s the last time you noticed me in a relationship?”

  “Still, honey, you can’t tell him. Let him say it first, because the minute you say it, he’ll drop you like you’re last month’s Playboy and go find a new one instead.”

  “No, Diego won’t. I would even argue he’s a romantic, just like me.”

  “A romantic man? Now there’s a paradox.” Chloe snorted. “Wait, what about your mom?”

  “I told her about Diego today. She didn’t catch on right away, but at least she listened.”

  “She didn’t scream at you, did she?” Chloe bit her lip.

  “My impeccably composed mother? No way. Besides, we were in a public place. She listened and that’s a better start than not at all.”

  “Un-freaking-believable. You stepping up to your mother. I never thought I’d see the day. I’d love to be there when she meets Diego just to see her face.”

  “There is one problem.” God, she did not want to admit this out loud. “I kind of told him a lie.”

  Amanda stopped looking at her phone and put it down on the table. “What lie? What did you do?”

  Veronica winced. “I couldn’t tell him I was just a boring accountant.” She held up her palm to stop Chloe from talking. “It’s just—blah. I told him I was a buyer at Macy’s. I mean, your job is so exciting, Amanda. You’re always traveling and meeting cool people and getting to go to events.”

  “Wait a minute. You told him you worked as a buyer?” Amanda put her hand in front of her lips. “Oh, sweetie.”

  “Don’t ‘oh, sweetie’ me. Anyway, it hasn’t really come up, so it’s no biggie.”