Rafael came down about an hour into her training and was gone again only minutes later. By lunch time she was starving and trying to hide it, the woman going over the reports didn’t appear to want to stop anytime soon. Carrie was saved from her stomach growling aloud by a smiling man. He introduced himself as Javier, explaining he was Rafael’s brother but she would have known it without an introduction. He had Rafael’s complexion, nose and jaw only his lips were thinner and his eyes were a soft brown. His invitation for lunch was nonchalant and smiling she found herself nodding.
He might look like Rafael but his personality was very different. Javier kept a running light commentary on the city streets as he walked her a few blocks away into a cozy Italian restaurant. His chatter was light and sprinkled with laughter and she was comfortable enough to return his smiles and laughter. Waiting until she had ordered and suggesting several dishes he handed his menu back to the waiter and then turned very serious on her. “I’m going to be completely honest. I had to meet the woman who had Rafael coming into work late and doing crazy things like cancelling meetings two days in a row.
Do you own a magic wand?”
Laughing, she shook her head, “No, no magic wand. Something almost as good or bad, I cried all over your brother. It was very embarrassing for the both of us. He blames himself but really it could have been anyone on the street who sent me over the edge.”
“Ah, tears it tells me a lot. Rafael like most men is quite undone by them. Then again when they are in the eyes of a woman as beautiful as you are, I’m thinking they would be pretty lethal stuff.
Tell me everything about yourself Carrie Whitney, don’t leave out any gory details. I want them all.” He said the words in a joking manner but Carrie stopped smiling.
For a moment she considered not telling him, yet anyone with an internet connection could find out the story. At the sentencing, she had pled for her mother’s killer not get the death penalty, for her little brother’s sake. Her plea had ended up in the newspaper along with her picture and the whole story of her mother’s death. The newspaper also found out and made much of the fact Carrie hadn’t been living with her mother since she was fourteen. By the time she was done they had finished lunch and he wasn’t smiling as he had been when they first sat down.
“Well, I can see why Rafael was on his knees to make amends.” He took a sip of his wine, seeming deep in thought.
“Do you think him giving me the job was a way of doing that?” Carrie had the feeling Javier would know Rafael well enough to know the answer and be willing to tell her the truth.
Cocking his head, he studied her. “Not for one moment, do I believe Rafael would give you something without first knowing you deserved and could handle it. While, yes, you seem to be behind him cancelling meetings and leaving the office before the sun went down, Rafael putting you in charge of his building isn’t going to happen unless he truly believed you were right for the job.”
“His building?”
“Well, his in the sense he conceived, worked with the architect and oversaw the building of it down to watching the tile being laid. He owns the penthouse apartment at the top of the building.”
“He lives there?” Her body went hot and cold in a manic response.
“He didn’t mention that?”
“No.”
“I guess it’s not really surprising, he’s not really there very often. The man works so many hours I often wonder if he ever actually sleeps. Rafe is often out of town, he’s actually only been in Dallas for the last week. Most of the last month he’s been in Phoenix. Rafe prefers to check in on our offices and worksites in person, he was in California for a over month before his time in Phoenix. He was only supposed to be there for a week or so but there were issues with the site and he stayed on until he had it fixed.
Me and Matteo have a bet he’ll be completely gray by the time he’s forty. I’m pretty sure I’m going to win.”
At first, she had been nervous at the idea of him living in the building. Yet, hearing Javier go on and about how hard Rafael worked and how often he was out of Dallas, her heart sunk. The words slipped out tartly before she could bite them back. “He isn’t a machine, and it sounds like it’s surprising he isn’t completely gray already.”
Javier’s eyes went wide and a knowing smile had him looking smug. “Ah que linda, don’t despair for my brother. Rafe is a big boy, he takes care of himself, more or less. Last Christmas he took two whole days off, didn’t look at his phone once to check his email. Of course the whole company was shut down but it’s never stopped him before.”
“What did you say? Speaking Spanish when I don’t understand is rude.” Carrie frowned, trying to cover her embarrassment of her outburst. She’d heard the words before and had no idea what they meant.
“I was saying you’re cute, for being worried about Rafe. Why don’t you get Rafe to teach you Spanish?”
Biting her lip, she considered if she was giving away too much by asking the question. She’d been dying to know what it meant. “What does mi dulce mean?”
He laughed, “Rafe’s already speaking Spanish to you? Interesting, it means my sweet. Carrie, you seem like a nice person and I trust Rafe’s instincts. Still, I care about my brother and I know it seems silly to say but please don’t play with him, only continue on if you’re certain he’s what you want. Rafe seems like he couldn’t be hurt if he was hit by Mack truck but he can be. He’s very traditional, our grandfather was and still is a huge influence on him. Rafe sees the world in terms most people don’t these days, honor and doing the right thing come first, often before his own needs.”
Without thinking, she reached out and laid a hand on Javier’s. He appeared to be trying to make a point and couldn’t find the words. “I understand, I do. Who Rafael is, is extremely clear from the moment you meet him. He doesn’t hide or apologize for who he is and it’s one of the most appealing things about him. Rafael is a good man and there aren’t many of them left anymore.”
Javier seemed relieved, squeezing her hand in return. Carrie’s skin burned and she looked up to see Rafael coming toward them. His face was hard, unreadable, his eyes on her and Javier’s hands. Instinctively, she pulled away. Javier looked up in surprise until he turned to see Rafael coming toward them.
“Rafe, hey, I told you before I’d bring her back.” Javier’s smile is forced.
“You’ve been gone over an hour.” Rafael’s voice was harsh and his eyes flicked over Javier only briefly. “Are you done?” His tone dared her to say no. Carrie wasn’t stupid, she nodded. “Let’s go.” Without another word to either of them, he turned and walked out of the restaurant.
Nearly running to keep up with him, she didn’t dare complain. She wanted to explain only she didn’t dare. What was she supposed to say, I was trying to reassure your brother about how much I care about you and think I’m in love with you and would never do anything to hurt you. Christ, he would think she was nuts and she’d be lucky to keep the job let alone ever see him again. Then the words tumbled around in her head, she loved him? No, no fucking way, not possible. It hadn’t even been twenty four hours since she met him. Carrie didn’t believe in any of the love at first sight crap it was lust. Then she remembered how he’d held her. How gentle he’d been cleaning her up and taking care of her and confusion flooded her. She was so lost in her confusion, she walked right into him when he stopped.
His hand went around her arm, as soon as she caught her balance he let her go. “Get in the car, Carrie.”
Blindly, she did as he told her and clicked her seatbelt on. Stamping down panic, she wished she’d finished her glass of wine, she really felt like she needed it. The drive was relatively short before he pulled into a parking garage attached to a high-rise building she was estimating at over twenty stories. He swiped them into a massive foyer straight out of a cutting edge hotel. There was a security room to the right of the entrance from the garage that held a of wall closed circuit televisions showing a constant view of the building. A man in a security uniform stood up and welcomed them into the building, his belt was as full as those she’d seen on a cop, the only thing missing was a gun. The entrance from the outside of the building was in front of them and to the left there was a desk that reminded her of a check in desk. A woman came out and greeted them, Rafael held up his hand and told them both he was taking Carrie on a tour of the building.