Chase liked it when she smiled.It made his own heart feel lighter, which made him want to make her smile more often.“Well, that’s why I stepped away from the military.I wanted to do those things.”
Alana’s brows wrinkled.“So, you came to Los Cabos to fish?”
“I came to Cabo to learn how to relax and have a real vacation.”The elevator stopped on the ground level, and Chase stepped out first, checking the lobby for any signs of someone who might hurt Alana.“Come on.Let’s go out the back door.”Again, he took her hand and ushered her out the back door of the lobby.It led to a tiki-style bar and grill on the back patio.“Trevor and I had dinner and came back to the hotel to have a drink.”He laid his hands on the bar.“At this bar.”
Alana’s eyes lit up.“That’s what we did.Gina and I ditched our bags as soon as we arrived and came down here.I skipped eating and went straight for the hard stuff.”She grimaced.“I can’t believe I downed so many shots with nothing else in my stomach.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t end up with alcohol poisoning.”
She nodded.“I never drink that much.The most I drink back on Maui is an occasional glass of wine, a beer or a mild mixed drink.”
“So, you had too much.Do you remember anything after that?”Chase asked.
She closed her eyes and thought.“They were playing some music.”
The bartender stepped in front of them.“What would you like to drink?”he asked.
“No tequila,” Alana said too fast and laughed.“How about a margarita?”
Chase ordered two margaritas.
When the bartender set their drinks in front of them, Chase handed her one and lifted his to his lips for a quick sip.Then he hit up the bartender with the question on both their minds, “Did you work here last night?”
The bartender nodded.“Yes, sir.”
Alana quickly swallowed the sip she had just taken.“Oh, good.”She leaned across the counter.“What do you remember about us?”
The man frowned.“You were wearing a red dress.”His frown cleared, and he pointed at Chase.“You were giving theseñoralessons on how to salsa.”
Alana’s gaze whipped to Chase.“Him?He was teachingmehow to dance to salsa music?Do you even know how to salsa dance?”She took another sip of her drink.
Chase shrugged.“My dad didn’t have time to teach his sons to fish, but my mother took the time to make sure her boys could dance.And she loved the rhythm of the salsa more than the foxtrot or polka.”
The bartender laid the check on the counter.
Chase downed half of his drink and then laid his credit card on the counter.
When the bartender gave him a receipt, Chase shoved it into the pocket of his trousers.That’s when he felt the crinkle of more paper in his right pocket.He pulled out the wadded slip and read the date on the paper.It had been printed the day before, but the name at the top of the receipt was barely legible.
“Can you read this?”He handed the receipt to Alana.
“I don’t know.”Alana’s eyes narrowed as she studied the print.“It could say ‘Cabo Wabo’…”
“That’s the bar on the beach,” the bartender said.“Mi hermano, my brother, is the bartender there.I sent you there after you won the salsa contest here.”
“Salsa contest?”Alana’s brow wrinkled.“I don’t know how to salsa that well.”
The bartender’s eyes widened.“You danced like a trueMexicana.”The man raised one hand, cupped his ample belly with the other and moved his feet in the traditional moves of the salsa dance.“Fuiste magnífico!”
“But I hardly know how to dance the salsa,” Alana insisted.
Chase’s lips twitched.“But I do.”He took her hand, pulled her against him and showed her.
At first, her body was stiff against his, but soon, she moved to the rhythm of Chase’s feet, following him perfectly.What his mind couldn’t remember, his body did.“We’ve danced together,” he murmured.He spun her out and back into his arms.
Her eyes widened.“We have!How could I forget this?I’ve always wanted to learn to dance like this.How did you know?”
“My mother is of Irish descent and always regretted that my father was never around to learn how to dance with her.The woman was on a mission to make sure her boys didn’t disappoint the ladies.”He danced a few more steps with her and brought her to a stop in his arms.He liked that she didn’t pull free immediately.Alana was a perfect fit for his height.She wasn’t too short or too tall, and her curves met his planes just right.
