Of course he did.
She gave Rafael a pointed stare. “He’s worried you’re trying too hard to impress her. Taking on a wedding of this size instead of letting Tony handle it. Is that true?”
He took out a five and paid for the eggs, which he carefully placed in a woven Trader Joe’s bag. Why she insisted on going to the egg vendor first was a mystery to him. And a pain, since he had to carry the eggs around for the entire trip. The one time she’d put them in her cart, he’d forgotten about them and accidentally squashed them with a ten-pound bag of Valencia oranges.
“I’m trying to show Martin I can handle more responsibility,” he said. “That’s why I don’t want Tony to take over. It has nothing to do with Victoria.”
“So you say, but…” She left the sentence hanging as they wandered over to her favorite citrus vendor.
Rafael waited patiently as she manhandled a dozen grapefruit in her search to find the right one. “But what?”
“But I suspect you wouldn’t have insisted on taking charge of this wedding if Miss Victoria Blackwood wasn’t involved. I’ve seen what she looks like.” She gave him a smug smile. “I googled her.”
Jesus.Between Araceli and his mom, the Blackwood family was getting a full-on investigation.
“Her family is very wealthy,” Mamá continued. “Her house is worth—”
“Two point nine million. I know. Araceli looked it up. But that’s not why I like her.”
Shit.Had he just said that? Why didn’t he staple his lips shut and save himself the trouble?
Her eyes lit up. But she waited until she’d purchased two grapefruit, along with a bag of mandarin oranges, before she spoke. “I knew it. I sensed something was up. That you werepining.”
He’d been more than pining on Wednesday night, when he’d had to relieve his frustrations in the shower, but he wasn’t about to revealthatto his mom. He let out a sigh of defeat. “You’re right. I’ve been pining over her, but please don’t tell Martin or Tony.”
She turned toward him, a serious expression on her face. “You shouldn’t be keeping secrets from your brothers.”
He took the grapefruits from her and set them in his other tote bag. The oranges went in the cart. “I know, but this thing with Victoria? It’s one-sided. She doesn’t feel the same way about me. So, it’s not really a problem. I just want a chance to prove myself. I know I’ve screwed up a lot in the past.”
When Mamá didn’t respond right away, he felt another tug of guilt. No doubt she was recalling all his failures, including the incident with Sandra. He’d put his mother through more trials than Martin and Tony combined.
But then she squeezed his arm. “I have faith in you, mijo. You’ll do a wonderful job at the wedding. And then Victoria will realize what a prize you are.”
One could only hope.
Chapter 15
Thirteen Days Until the Wedding
By Sunday night, Victoria was exhausted. She’d coordinated three events at Blackwood Manor over the weekend, including a sit-down dinner for ninety-five people. But when Araceli invited her to a holiday get-together to work on Missy’s wedding decor, she couldn’t say no. Instead of lounging on the couch and watching a Hallmark movie, she changed into an outfit that seemed appropriately festive—a red cashmere sweater, heels, and a pair of black dress pants—then drove to Araceli’s apartment in Escondido.
As directed, she parked in one of the visitor spots and walked around the perimeter of the block-long complex until she found the right entry gate. The place was well landscaped with neatly trimmed bushes and tall palm trees. Araceli lived on the top floor of a unit facing a large inner courtyard, which held a pool, a hot tub, and several barbecue grills.
Victoria tried to envision what it might feel like to live somewhere like this. To come home to a place completely her own with no one around to scrutinize her every move.
Be serious. You’d never be able to adapt.
She knew she was spoiled. But before Ben had dumped her, she’d never imagined living any other way. Even when she’d moved into his condo, she assumed it was merely a stepping-stone until they purchased their first home together. Not a small, starter house, but a lavish mansion, like the kind they’d both grown up in.
But if she was on her own, she’d have freedom. If she wanted to spend hours engaging in phone sex with a man of her choosing, no one would censure her. Better yet, she could haveactualsex without anyone around to judge her.
Stop.
This wasn’t the time to be considering a momentous life change. She had enough on her plate already.
Maybe someday.
She rapped on the door of number 304 and waited. No answer. She tried again, using more force until the door swung open.
