Chapter 37

“I didn’t think he’d actually send her,” I grind out for the umpteenth time as I pace the kitchen where Rafe is making pancakes for breakfast. My sister arriving on the doorstep late last night was a shock I still haven’t recovered from.

Last night’s conversation didn’t go well, and after I showed her to a room—because even though this isn’t my house and I don’t want her here I’m not going to leave my sister on the doorstep—I crawled into bed with a headache. I even slept in my own room, not seeking out the others, which I now regret because I’m jittery. Rafe catches me as I walk past and presses me against the countertop, bracketing me with his arms.

“Stop and breathe for a minute,” he says. “I know this isn’t ideal, but what can she actually do?”

“I don’t know,” I whine, and Rafe gives me a little smile. My heart jumps because he never seems to mind if I’m being dramatic or, as I am right now, pathetic. I wish I could tell him how much I love him. I would if I thought he might even half love me back. But I can’t think of that right now. I take a few deep breaths, and he patiently waits for me to recover.

“Okay, probably nothing,” I concede. It’s true she’s not going to discover any more than I did about our aunt’s will, but that isn’t the point. He sent her and that’s enough to send me spiralling. Every step of my life, it’s been “Martina can do this,” and “look how well Martina can do that.” She’s the chosen one. In the end, I gave up trying. I was never going to come close to her in achievement or his affection, so why bother? So the fact she’s here speaks volumes.

“Good, that’s better,” Rafe says, and I take another deep breath, inhaling the citrus and vanilla of him, using it to ground me. It almost works.

“Except drag me home,” I wail piteously.

“Really?” Rafe asks, his mouth twisting with incredulity. “Your sister, who let’s face it is the same height and weight as you, can physically make you board a plane you don’t want to get on?”

“Well, when you say it like that.” I give in disgracefully and peevishly.

“What’s this really about?” His tone is gentle.

“My sister has always been the shining example, the heights I could never attain. I thought she used to be shown as a way to make me try harder, but I think it was just a way of showing me how much of a failure I am.” I hang my head.

“Hey.” He lifts my chin up and looks into my eyes. “You’re not a failure, you’re anything but.” He kisses me softly. “You’re smart and funny and sexy as hell. You’re generous, a brilliant dancer and teacher, and an amazing cook.” He kisses me again and my stomach flips. “You’re really special to me and I?—”

“Well, isn’t this sweet?” Martina’s voice cuts through whatever Rafe was about to say, and right now I want to slice her head off as I’m sure he was going to say he loved me, or something close to it. Close enough for me.

“I come all this way and find my brother canoodling with the . . . Who are you?” She directs this at Rafe. I don’t know if he understands her, as she’s speaking Spanish very quickly.

He doesn’t turn round, and he hasn’t taken his eyes off me, nor has he let me go. Which is probably a good thing, as I seriously might swing out at my sister.

“He’s a guest in this house. Which is more than you are,” I say through gritted teeth.

“I’m family.” She heads straight to the coffee machine as if she owns it. I don’t know what’s got into us because, despite my father’s games, I used to have a better relationship with my sister. I don’t remember her being such a bitch.

“Did you get what you came for?” I ask, knowing she’d planned to visit Estrella early.

“She’s tighter than a saint’s arse, that one,” she sneers. “I’m going to see her lawyer, so I’ll get the information I need.” I can’t believe how she referred to Aunt Estrella, but bite it back for now.

“When are you leaving?”

She sits down at the table with her coffee. “Our flight leaves tonight at seven.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I state with some force. Rafe, possibly thinking I’m not going to do anything I might regret, though that’s too early to call, steps back and continues with making breakfast.

Martina swings her head between us, her eyes narrowing.

“What exactly is going on here?”

“None of your business.” I cross my arms, partly as a defence mechanism but also to keep myself from wanting to lash out at her.

“So all this time you’ve been here telling our father you can’t find anything out, you’ve found yourself a fuck buddy. ”

“Martina.” I growl a warning at her.

“Where’s the hunky but grumpy looking one I saw last night? Is he a fuck buddy too?”

I don’t even bother to answer her.

“You’re not seriously imagining you’re playing happy family here, are you Florrie?”

“No.” I scowl, not wanting to admit how close she is to the mark.

“Florrie.” Her voice changes, which instantly puts me on alert. She’s even more deadly when her voice is sweet instead of sharp. “You know this can’t last, don’t you? Our aunt is dying. I’m surprised she’s still alive, to be honest. But then what happens? You’ll have to come back home, and this will all be over. You’ve had your fun, but you might as well come home now. It’ll be easier, don’t you think?”

Rafe puts the plate of pancakes on the table, adding honey and fruit.

“Flo, you should eat.” The first words he’s said since my sister entered the kitchen. I see the moment when she realises he’s English and her smile turns sickly.

“This is a dream, Florrie, an illusion. Your place is back with your family.”

I sit at the table despite having lost my appetite. Rafe offers a plate to my sister.

“Hello, I don’t think we’ve been introduced properly. I’m Rafe.”

“I’m Martina,” she says, putting on as much charm as she can. “I’m trying to convince my brother it’s time to come home.”

“And what does he say?” he asks in a neutral voice.

“He doesn’t believe in family duty and loyalty,” she says.

“I think he does, actually. I think he’d rather choose to be with a family who is loyal to him.” He calmly reaches for a pancake as if he hasn’t just made my day, my year, my whole fucking world.

My sister stands, switching back to Spanish. “I have to go see this lawyer guy. The plane leaves at seven, Florrie.” I ignore her, and she flounces out.

I only have eyes for Rafe, and I stare at him as he tucks into his pancakes. “What did you say?” I whisper.

He puts down his fork and catches my hand.

“I said, you could have a better family than the one who manipulates and uses you.”

“Could I?” Hope blossoms in my chest and I hold my breath. I look into those golden eyes that hold all the sun in my life.

“You can have me,” he says. “If you want, of course, because I want?—”

I shut him up with a kiss, the force of which nearly knocks him off his chair, but I don’t care. I cling to him and his words, his lifeline in a stormy sea.

I’m waiting for my sister in her room when she returns from visiting Senor Bernat.

“Did you find out what you wanted?” I already know from her face that she didn’t.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway,” she says furiously. “It’ll all go to our father.”

“Will it?” I ask casually. “If he was so sure of that, then why did he send us halfway across the world to make sure?”

She stops packing and faces me. I’m not usually the one getting involved in secrets and subterfuge, but I’m still a Delgado. I think about the information Julio sent me, that I confirmed.

“I can’t think what you mean,” she says.

“Oh, come on Martina. I might not have a head for business like you, but I’m not stupid. I know there has to be a reason this is so important to him.”

“It just is.” She returns to her packing.

“Has this anything to do with the Caerus project?”

She falters but keeps packing. “How do you know about that?”

“I have my ways. I admit I bought our father’s line at first, but then, when the inheritance laws were explained. . . I know that as next of kin, our father would receive at least a third of our aunt’s estate. I can’t believe he wouldn’t have known that. So why does he need confirmation to make sure he’s going to get everything?”

Martina sighs and sits down on the bed next to me.

“He’s in debt.”

It’s the most honest she’s been with me since she arrived, and she looks a little more like the sister I used to get along with.

“How much?” I ask.

“Enough to need Aunt Estrella’s money.”

It’s a shock to hear it confirmed rather than looking at numbers on a spreadsheet. But at least I was prepared for it.

“Then why invest in a casino?” It doesn’t sound like good business sense to me.

“He thinks it will make his money back. And it will... in time. But that’s in the future. He had to secure the funds against all the properties. If he doesn’t get Estrella’s money, then he’ll have to sell most of them.”

He has the family home and a holiday cabin, but all the other properties are business blocks where he makes money in rent. It must be bad if he had to offer them up. He was always a good businessman, or so he said. I might have to rethink that belief.

“But he won’t be destitute, will he? It’s not like he’ll lose everything?”

“No.” My sister’s derision irks me. “We might have to sell the lake house and downsize the family home, but we won’t be homeless.”

“Well, it’s likely he’ll get everything, anyway. I haven’t heard her mention any other causes she might choose to give part of it to.” I keep very quiet about the collection she gifted me.

“So you’ll come home?” she asks. “Father will be pleased to see you.”

“No, he won’t. You’re a bad liar, Martina.” Her small smile confirms that I’m right; he just wants me within arm’s reach.

“If you stay, then he’ll stop your allowance.” She repeats the same threat he gave me.

“Well, if he’s in debt, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was thinking of stopping it anyway.” A vein in her cheek gives her away. “He was going to stop it anyway, wasn’t he? His threat wasn’t idle, but it won’t make a difference whether I come back, will it?”

“No. But I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.” She sighs.

“Too late. I’m not going anywhere. Like Rafe said, I choose my family.” I leave her to finish packing, but I can’t bring myself to say goodbye; my blood is boiling too much. Instead, I go in search of those who I want to be with.