“How are all the animals doing?” I ask.
“Much better now that my friends Gemma and Tim are home.” He laughs.
I noticed the first time we met that Fernando is one attractive man. But I didn’tnoticeit. It’s like background music becoming your favorite song. He has a strong, angular jaw dusted with a thin layer of stubble. His thick chocolate-brown hair matches the warm, rich shade of his eyes.
As my gaze travels down, it’s not hard to miss that Fernando likes his clothing to be formfitting. His T-shirt is stretching over the defined planes of his chest and the broad span of his shoulders. Whenever he moves his arm, the sleeve strains against the curve of his bicep. His jeans ride low on his hips, fitting like they were tailored just for him, hugging powerful thighs and showcasing a firm, sculpted bubble butt.
If my sister were around, she’d say his body reminds her of Chris Evans as Captain America. It’s shaped like a Dorito. Heat sears in my cheeks. Ugh. I won’t be able to look at those chips the same way for weeks. “That’s good to hear.” My voice comes out slightly higher pitched than normal.
“I don’t know who was happier, the animals or me.”
“I’m sure they appreciated having you around.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He shrugs. A few muscle cords in his neck pop. “Either way, I’m relieved to pass off the responsibility. Now I can focus on my upcoming trip home.”
We shuffle forward a few inches in line. I force myself to focus on his face instead of letting my gaze wander elsewhere. He has sharp cheekbones softened by a few fine lines that fan out from the corners of his eyes and mouth. They’re not age lines, but rather lines from years of laughter and smiles. “And home would be...?”
“Santa Luz, Spain.”
“Mmm, Spain would be such a nice place to visit right now.” I add it to the mental list of places I could go on vacation. “What part of the country is it in?”
“The south. About forty-five minutes from Barcelona.” He slips his hands into his pockets. “How about you? Are you from Sequoia Valley?”
“No. I actually grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina. It’s a coastal city three times the size of here. Our claim to fame is being close to the Carolina and Wrightsville beaches.”
“That’s how Santa Luz is too. Most tourists visit us for the beaches. Think white sand. Blue seas. Some tropical fish.”
Oh, he’s making it sound even more tempting. The beach would be one of my top reasons to visit Spain, except we’re going into winter. And even though Spain is on the Mediterranean, it’s probably still too cold to swim in. “How long are you going for?”
“About a month. I save up my vacation time all year so I can make it worth my while.”
I nod. “That’s smart.”
“Do you get back to Wilmington often?” he asks.
“Not since college. My parents sold the house I grew up in a couple years ago and moved out here to California. They wanted to be closer to my sister and her kids.”
“You’re lucky they’re close.”
“I am now. But it wasn’t always that way. When I was in college and vet school, I could only get home once or twice a year.”
We spend a few minutes chatting about our families. I share a little bit about Daphne and my niece and nephew. Fernando mentions that he’s an only child, but has a large extended family.
“I’m curious. What made you decide to leave Spain?”
“I caught the travel bug.” He grins. “When I was twenty, I was recruited for a job on a cruise ship. I spent a year traveling up and down the Mediterranean and loved being in a new city every couple of days.”
We move up in line a few places. “How romantic!”
“If you’re a guest on the ship it is, but not for crew members.” He laughs. “We had bunk beds in rooms about the size of a walk-in closet.”
“Ouch.” I wince. “I don’t know if I’d last in a space that small.”
“Not many people can, myself included. It’s why I started looking for another job that’d let me travel six months in,” he says.
“Got it.” A tingle runs up my spine. “But I have another question. If you’re all about traveling, how did you end up here in Sequoia Valley? It’s not exactly as exciting as somewhere like London, Paris, or Rome.”
“One of the women I used to work with is from the area. When I was looking to change jobs last year, she let me know about an opportunity here in town. I came to visit, fell in love with the scenery, and poof, here I am.”
