Luis (Royal Caleva #2)

CHAPTER 8

Fifteen minutes before the King of Caleva—no, he was Luis here—was due to arrive, Eve and Grace stood in the archway that separated the living room from the dining room, nervous tension vibrating around them. Mikel and Ivan had arrived half an hour before and glided up the stairs to the second floor.

She and Grace had tried out curtsying and decided they looked awkward. They were going to take Luis at his word and pretend that he was not a king.

“You made the dining table look lovely,” Eve said.

“It helps that Nana Nelle gave you her Victorian sterling flatware,” Grace responded.

Eve had dug all the good stuff out of storage in the basement, but the slightly yellowed antique lace tablecloth, the gleaming silver, and Eve’s wedding crystal looked elegant under the light of the brass chandelier. The faint scent of melted chocolate and butterscotch still threaded the air. It might not be castle-level, but it looked—and smelled—darned nice.

“I’m so nervous, Mom,” her usually unflappable daughter admitted. “Do I look okay?”

Grace had decided to wear her “interview outfit.” The dark plum dress with its narrow black belt and box-pleated skirt projected poise and self-confidence. Grace had brushed her hair into smooth, shining waves and finished the ensemble with black box-heeled suede pumps. In the V-neckline of the dress, she had fastened the necklace Eve had given her when she got into veterinary school, a pair of tiny gold wings on a slender chain. Grace fiddled with it now.

Eve felt tears pooling in her eyes as she took in the luminous beauty of the young woman she had raised. Her daughter stood tall and strong in the face of meeting a king—and her father—for the first time. “Your father will be knocked sideways by how extraordinary his daughter is.”

“I don’t know about that.” Grace’s voice quavered a bit. “Kings are surrounded by extraordinary people.”

“Sweetheart, no one is more incredible than you are.”

“I think we established that you’re biased.” Grace managed a shaky smile. “You look beautiful too. Very elegant with your hair in that sleek do.”

Eve touched the hair she had swirled into a low bun. “I stuck every bobby pin I possess into it to keep it up.” Eve had tried on all three of the dresses that she owned before choosing the royal blue silk sheath. She had accessorized the dress with a gold rope chain, also inherited from Nana Nelle, and gold ear-hugging hoops that Grace had given her to match the chain. After doing her makeup with painstaking care, she had spritzed on Chanel No. 5.

Maybe the whole effect would fool the king—and Grace—into thinking she was calm and self-assured when her insides were quaking like jelly.

“The weird thing is that we could be having dinner with a king a lot in the future,” Grace said.

“You should think of him as your father, not a king.” The thought of future dinners with Luis added another knot to Eve’s stomach.

Grace opened her arms. “Hug for luck.”

Eve wrapped her arms around her daughter and dropped a kiss on her silky hair before she gave Grace a squeeze and eased away. Despite the nerves, excitement sparkled in her daughter’s light blue eyes.

Reassured, Eve stepped back and swept her gaze around the living room. A small plate of Iowan pickle wraps and another of miniature Iowa ham balls sat on the coffee table. To make the king feel at home, she had raided the only gourmet food store in Ames for a bowl of Spanish olives, a wedge of Manchego cheese, and some crusty sliced bread. Looking at her basic offerings, she wondered if she should have bought more of everything.

She had to stop herself from wiping her damp palms on her dress, because that would definitely spot the silk. Instead, she shifted a throw pillow by an inch and surreptitiously dried her sweaty hands on the cotton fabric.

“This is really crazy, isn’t it?” Grace said, fidgeting with her necklace again.

“It sure is, but we can handle it.” Grace’s anxiety counteracted Eve’s because she had to be strong for her child.

“We can handle anything together.” Her daughter’s voice held a conviction that made Eve want to weep.

She tried to will it to be true.

Grace looked at her watch just as the old wooden wall clock began to chime seven. On the third peal, the doorbell rang.

Eve lifted her eyebrows in a question. Grace took a deep breath and nodded. Together, they walked into the front hall. Eve stepped forward to swing the door open.

The evening sunbeams slanting across the porch painted Luis in a glow of gold, warming the silver in his hair and softening the aristocratic angles of his jaw and cheekbones while it lit up his ice-blue eyes. The same light gilded his navy blazer, blue shirt, and gray trousers along with the huge vase of lavender-colored blossoms he held.

He smiled, and she felt the power of it blaze through her body.

“Eve, it is so lovely of you to welcome me to your home,” he said.

“It’s my pleasure.” That was all she could manage.

He held out the vase. “I brought flowers from Caleva. Our vaho hibiscus are known for their fragrance.”

He had brought them all the way from his country. For his daughter. “They’re beautiful.” Eve accepted the flowers, their exotic scent enveloping her, and stepped back. “Please come in.”

Luis strode through the door, politely stopping only a few feet inside while his gaze swept past her, seeking Grace.

Eve put the flowers on the hall table and moved to stand beside her daughter. “Grace, this is Luis. Your father.”

Luis felt Eve’s last two words vibrate in his soul as he drank in the beautiful young woman who stood before him. My daughter. He wanted to shout with joy. He wanted to wrap his arms around her. He wanted to sweep her away to Caleva to live in his palace so he could know and love her as he did Raul.

He held out his hand. “It is my greatest happiness to meet you at last.”

“I’m glad to meet you too.” Her grip held a strength that surprised him. He covered the top of her small, firm hand with his left, savoring this first tactile connection between them.

He stood still, feeling her gaze as it roamed over his face. Her shoulders were stiff with wariness, but she left her hand in his double clasp, the warmth of her skin radiating against his. The angles of her jaw, cheekbones, and brows were his and Raul’s, but somehow made strikingly feminine. Only the russet of her hair spoke of Odette.

“What should I call you?” she asked with the same Midwestern accent as her mother’s.

“You may call me whatever feels most comfortable to you at this moment,” he said, releasing her hand. “Raul calls me Pater because I insisted that he study Latin.”

A faint smile tugged up the corners of her mouth. “I took Latin because I’m terrible at speaking foreign languages. For now, would Luis be all right?”

“Of course.” A pang of disappointment jarred him, even though he could not expect her to call him Father in any language yet.

“Come in and get comfortable,” Eve said, waving toward an archway that led to a cozy living room. “Would you like red wine, Scotch, or water?”

She had obviously checked with Mikel about what Luis usually drank. “Wine, thank you.”

Eve walked to a console table that held bottles and glasses. For a moment, his attention was distracted by the way her dress touched the curves of her body, promising sensual beauty underneath.

But his focus swung back to his daughter. Once again, they simply looked at each other as they stood among the homey furniture. He read a fierce intelligence in her eyes, as well as pride in the upward tilt of her chin.

He did not need the proof of the DNA test. He felt their bond in his heart.

“You are studying to be a veterinarian,” he said. “What type of animals do you most like working with?”

As he had hoped, the familiar topic eased the stiff set of her shoulders. “The small, furry ones. Dogs. Cats. An occasional bunny or ferret. I love horses, but I would rather ride them than fix them. They’re fragile creatures.”

“Have you studied reptiles at all? We have an endangered species of large, frilled lizards known as Calevan dragons.”

She nodded. “There’s one on your coat of arms. Is that where your surname comes from?”

“It does.” Luis gave her a mock grimace. “I suspect my ancestors adopted it in order to sound intimidating.”

Eve gave each of them a glass of ruby-colored wine, her hands around the glasses small like Grace’s, with short, unpolished nails. A working woman’s hands, appealing in their simplicity.

He waited until she fetched her own glass before lifting his toward the two women. “A traditional Calevan toast. Salud, amor, pesetas y tiempo para disfrutarlos! Health, love, money, and time to enjoy them!”

“That covers it all,” Eve said, returning his salute before she took a sip. “Please, let’s sit. Have some tapas.” She threw him a glance as she said the last word. “I’ve included some Iowan specialties as well.”

He waited as Eve settled on the sofa and Grace sat beside her, a united front in the face of his incursion into their lives.

He sat in a green corduroy armchair and took another sip of his wine before setting it on a side table. It was a surprisingly good rioja. “You must have many questions for me. Please ask them.”

His daughter visibly squared her shoulders. “I don’t understand how I got from Caleva to Iowa. Mom said you would be able to explain better than she could. Who is my biological mother?”

Eve gave Luis credit. His relaxed but attentive posture, as he sat in the ugly green chair, did not shift by a millimeter.

“That is a complicated story,” he said. “And it does not do me any credit.”

Eve wanted to throw her arms around Grace to offer protection from the answer. But she could not ward off this blow, only hope that Luis softened it as much as possible.

Now he sat forward, his brows drawn down with regret. “Your biological mother and I had a brief affair after my wife died. When I broke it off, your birth mother punished me by not revealing that she was pregnant.” He looked down at his elegant hands, which were clasped together on his thighs. “She felt—quite accurately—that hiding your existence from me would be the best revenge for my temerity in ending our relationship.”

He lifted his head. Sorrow etched lines around his eyes and mouth that made him look older.

“But who is she?” Grace persisted.

Eve held her breath.

“Her name is Odette Fontaine,” Luis continued. “She is in prison on Caleva because she instigated the kidnapping of my nephew, Gabriel.”

“She’s my birth mother?” Grace reached for Eve’s hand. “I remember that from the news. The kidnappers cut off Gabriel’s ear!”

“I believe Odette knew that she had profound psychological issues and would not be a fit parent for you,” Luis said. “You are fortunate that she found such a wonderful mother to take her place.”

Eve wanted to hug Luis for finding the most generous interpretation of his crazy ex-lover’s actions.

“That’s more than an issue.” Grace’s voice had gone up in pitch. “That’s psychopathic. I’m the biological daughter of a psychopath.”

Eve tugged her hand loose and put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders, pulling her against her side.

“You are my daughter,” Luis said with all the regal authority of his position. “And you are Eve’s daughter. Odette merely gave birth to you.”

Grace took a deep, shuddering breath. “But I have her genes.”

Eve wanted to strangle Odette Fontaine with her bare hands. She wasn’t a whole lot happier with Luis, who had dumped all this emotional baggage in Grace’s lap.

“I’ve known you for nearly twenty-nine years,” Eve said, giving Grace’s shoulders a tiny shake. “Trust me, I would be aware if you had any tendencies in that direction. You can’t bear to kill a spider, even though you hate them.”

Luis’s chair creaked. Eve glanced over to see his mouth tightening into a grim line. “I am sorry to be the bearer of this news,” he said. “But I want our relationship to be based on honesty from the beginning.”

Grace gave a little whimper, but she moved out of Eve’s embrace. “It was a shock. An even bigger one than finding out that my father is a king.”

“You have had a great deal to absorb, hija mía.” Luis’s tone was soft with concern. “Perhaps we should talk of happier things. Why don’t I tell you about your family in Caleva? You have your half brother, Raul; your uncle, Lorenzo, and his wife, Hélène; their son and Raul’s first cousin, Gabriel, who is about to marry one of your countrymen. I think you’ll like his fiancée, Quinn, very much.”

“I saw Gabriel announce his engagement at DragonFest. It was very romantic,” Grace said.

Luis’s face lit up with pleasure. “You watched DragonFest? We had hoped it would find its way all over the world.”

“I’m a big fan of Kyran Redda,” Grace confessed. “And now of Gabriel. His guitar-playing is fantastic.”

“He is brilliantly talented,” Luis agreed.

“Tell me about Raul. What does a prince do?” Grace asked.

“Since Raul will be king someday, he is involved with governing our country. Fortunately, he has a passion for it. And if you ever heard him sing, you would find out that Gabriel got all the musical talent in the family,” Luis said with a sly smile.

He was a charmer, that Luis. Eve found herself leaning in to bask in the glow of his charisma as Grace peppered him with questions about her royal relatives. It was hard to tell if her daughter was just curious about her new family members or if she was trying to figure out how she would fit into her new role. Perhaps both.

Having an extended family would be a new experience for Grace. Eve was the only child of an only child, so Grace had no close cousins. After the divorce, Ben had quickly remarried. Once his new wife had a baby, he’d made it clear that his new family was no longer Eve’s…or Grace’s.

The cruelty of her ex-husband’s actions still twisted a knife between her ribs. Even if he hadn’t been able to face her, he should have continued to include Grace in his life. But Grace reminded him of his failure to have a baby with Eve, and that struck at Ben’s manhood.

The welcome music of Grace’s laughter pulled her out of her ugly memories.

“Try an Iowa ham ball,” Grace said, holding out the plate. “Mom’s always get eaten first at potlucks.”

Her daughter’s compliment made her chest swell a little. Maybe Luis wouldn’t be too disappointed by his dinner.

“Potlucks?” Luis asked as he jabbed a toothpick into a miniature ham ball.

“Those are meals where a whole bunch of people get together and bring whatever food they make really well,” Grace explained. “Mom’s specialties are Iowa ham balls and Scotcheroos. We’re having those for dessert tonight.”

With a flash of white teeth, Luis bit the ham ball off the toothpick and chewed. “Superb. I cannot wait to taste the Scotcheroos.” He nodded at Eve with a warm glint of appreciation in his eyes.

His enthusiasm for her food sent pleasure shimmering through her. Although she wondered—did he really enjoy her basic cooking, or was he being nice to ingratiate himself with Grace?

As he began to ask Grace questions about her studies, Eve stood. “I’m going to get dinner going now.”

“May I help in any way?” Luis asked.

Eve almost laughed as she tried to picture him with his elegant hands encased in her ratty quilted hot gloves while he bent to pull a pan of rolls out of the oven. “No, you two keep chatting.”

She listened to the give-and-take of the conversation while she seared the filets, nearly scorching the butter when she got distracted by Luis’s velvety baritone. As she ladled out bowls of sweet corn soup, she splashed a few drops onto her dress and bit back a curse. Of course, the wet splotches stood out on the blue silk. All she could do was blot at them with a clean dish towel and hope Luis didn’t notice.

Although he seemed to notice everything, his gaze intense to the point of an almost physical touch.

She had to stop thinking about him that way.

Giving herself a mental shake, she shifted the steaks to the warming oven and returned to the living room.

“Dinner is served,” she said, not letting her gaze rest on the too-attractive man sitting in her ugly corduroy chair.

“The aroma is delicious,” Luis said as he gestured for Grace to precede him into the dining room.

“It’s a classic Iowan menu,” Eve said. She had decided not to try to compete with all the gourmet meals a king must eat. “Corn, meat, and salad.”

“And Scotcheroos,” Luis added, his faint accent making the funny word sound exotic.

“You were paying attention,” Eve said, her eyes inexorably drawn to him.

His blue eyes locked on her. “Always.”

A not unpleasant shiver ran down her spine. “Why don’t you sit there?” She indicated the chair between hers and Grace’s at the round table.

“Permit me.” He pulled out the chair Eve stood beside and waited.

“Oh.” He wanted her to sit first. “Thank you.” She plunked down with speed rather than grace.

Luis strode around to hold Grace’s chair for her as well. For a moment, their faces were almost side by side, and the family resemblance was striking.

Her Grace was really the child of a king.

Eve shook her head as though that could ward off the gut-wrenching truth of it.

Dinner passed in a blur of candlelight and conversation. Eve tasted nothing that she ate as she fell under the spell Luis wove around the three of them. He asked questions about their lives in Iowa, listened to their answers with focused interest, and offered his own anecdotes of Caleva, painting a tantalizing picture of his home. He downplayed the fact that he lived in a castle and ruled a country so that Eve could almost relax and talk with him like any other dinner guest.

Grace was enthralled by her father. As the evening progressed, she teased him a few times and threw some occasional snark. In fact, she treated him the same way she did her friends’ fathers, respectfully but with ease. Relief washed through Eve.

After Luis polished off his second Scotcheroo, he turned to Eve. “That was one of the best meals I have ever eaten.”

Not for a moment did she believe him. “I suspect your pleasure had more to do with the company than the food.” She glanced at Grace, whose fascinated gaze was locked on her father.

“A truly excellent meal is always more than the food.” He swept his hand around. “It includes the beautiful table, the excellent wine, and most especially, the warmth and brilliance of my two lovely companions.”

Eve shifted on her chair at his continued flattery. “Shall we move to the living room for coffee and brandy?”

“Por supuesto.” He rose with a fluid motion and pulled out Eve’s chair as she stood. When he bent close to her, she caught his faint, exotic scent that evoked fresh air and the sea. Her bare arm brushed against the soft cotton of his shirt, sending a flicker of delight across her skin.

She had to get a grip.

“Grace, will you pour the brandy while I prepare the coffee?” Eve asked, nearly bolting into the kitchen.

As she turned on the coffeemaker, Eve decided that her reaction was not so surprising. This whole evening had been a kind of seduction. Luis had exerted all his considerable charm to win over both Grace and her. He had made Caleva sound like an earthly paradise and his family seem close-knit and interesting. There had been no further mentions of kidnapping, mutilation, security teams, or DNA tests.

Eve sighed. As a ruler, Luis would be adept at manipulating people. She needed to keep that in mind.

But, gosh, the man was hard to resist. The spell that he wove threatened to swamp her Iowan common sense.

A few minutes later, she carried the coffee tray into the living room. Luis leaped up to take it from her, their fingers brushing with a delicious friction. She looked up to find his face alight with what looked like happiness. Being with Grace gave him pleasure, and she couldn’t begrudge him that.

She smiled at him as she released the tray into his grasp. His gaze sharpened and heated in a way that sent a sensual flame licking through her. Thank goodness he was holding the tray because she would have dropped it.

He bent to carefully place the tray on the coffee table, and she watched the play of muscles under the fine cotton of his perfectly fitted shirt. She wanted to run her fingers over the swells and valleys of his shoulders. She averted her eyes and sat.

After she poured coffee for all of them, she decided it was her turn to ask the questions. It might keep her mind off his body. “Where are you staying while you’re here in Ames?”

“At a house to the west of town,” he said. “I would like to invite you to dinner there tomorrow night.”

“We’d love to come,” Grace said, her face bright with enthusiasm.

“Muy bien.” Luis nodded. “I will send a car to pick you up. Would cocktails at five thirty be agreeable? I would like to spend as much time with you as possible before I have to return to Caleva.”

Grace’s glow dimmed. “When do you have to leave?”

Luis frowned. “In two days. I wish I could stretch my visit a little longer.” He leaned forward. “But you must come to Caleva! We will organize that as soon as possible.”

“I’m on rotations at school, and I don’t have scheduled time off for another two months,” Grace said. “We can video chat, though, can’t we?”

“Most definitely,” Luis said, but he looked dissatisfied.

Eve relaxed a little. A couple of months of video chats would give her adequate time to talk with Grace about the more complex implications of her new identity.

Not that Eve could stop this train now that it was barreling down the tracks.

“May I request that you bring some of your Scotcheroos tomorrow?” Luis’s eyes gleamed. “And perhaps share the recipe with my chef?”

Eve slanted him a skeptical glance but nodded. “I’m sending a batch back with Mikel for your team, so you can grab one of those if you get a craving.”

Luis lifted his eyebrows at her. “Are you trying to subvert the loyalty of my staff? Because Scotcheroos might do it.”

“I’ve used them to bribe a couple of professors,” Grace volunteered. “Works every time.”

Her daughter radiated delight as her gaze traveled from Eve to her father. Eve felt a flare of anger. This was what Grace should have had all her life—two parents to support and love her. Damn Ben for being a selfish, narcissistic jerk!

Grace cast an odd, apologetic look at Eve before turning to her father. “This might be too difficult to arrange, but would you like to come to my graduation ceremony?” Grace asked. “It would be fantastic to have you there.”

His face blazed with joy, and Eve’s heart melted.

“I would be honored to attend,” he said. “Please tell me the date so I can make sure it is on my calendar.”

“The date is engraved on my brain,” Grace said. “I’ll text it to you. Oh, wait, am I allowed to do that?”

For a moment, he looked uncomfortable. “As long as you use the secure cell phone Mikel brought you.”

The king issue was starting to come to the fore…and Luis didn’t want it to.

“Got it,” Grace said, unbothered.

His smile held relief. He swallowed the last of his brandy and stood. “We all have to work tomorrow, so I will say goodbye. It has been the most pleasurable of evenings.”

Grace and Eve rose as well.

“There’s one thing I want to confirm,” Eve said, her shoulders tight with tension. “I assume you won’t announce the news concerning Grace until she has made decisions about her legal standing as your daughter?”

“Of course not.” Luis looked offended, but his expression softened when he gazed at Grace. “Our relationship will be private until you wish to share it with the world. Then we will discuss the best way to handle the revelation together.”

Eve felt a sense of reprieve, although she wished she could discuss this situation with one of her levelheaded friends. An outside perspective would be useful.

“I won’t say anything either,” Grace said with a nod.

Grace also wouldn’t be able to lean on the support of her friends. Eve would have to try to view this crazy development in their lives from every possible angle and guide Grace to her decision solo, a daunting prospect. All the secrecy made her role even harder in many ways.

“You should know,” Luis said, his face solemn, “that my heart wants me to stand on the highest tower of Castillo Draconago and shout to the entire world that you are my daughter.”

Eve fell a little in love with the man right then because Grace’s eyes brimmed with tears, even as a huge smile spread across her face. “Thank you,” Grace said in a voice that quavered slightly.

As they started toward the door, Eve realized that Luis had left his blazer draped over the back of the dining room chair. “Let me get your jacket,” she said, pivoting.

As she collected it, she marveled at the gloriously soft wool and caught again the distinctive scent that made her think of open water. She was tempted to rub the jacket’s lapel against her cheek.

“Muchas gracias,” he said, taking it from her with a slight bow.

More Spanish words had crept into his speech as the night had gone on, perhaps as he had grown more comfortable with them. She liked that. Not to mention that his elegant baritone made the Spanish sound like music that rippled inside her.

When they entered the front hallway, Eve started at the sight of Mikel standing by the front door, holding the Scotcheroo-filled plastic container she had given him earlier. Somehow, he managed to make it look normal for the king’s scary security chief to be carrying Tupperware.

But how had he known Luis was ready to leave? She shrugged internally. A king’s security was beyond her.

Mikel nodded to her and opened the front door, the drift of air sending the fragrance of vaho hibiscus swirling around them from the vase on the table.

“Oh, that smells so good.” Grace closed her eyes and inhaled.

“It is one of the trademarks of Caleva.” Luis looked pleased. “You must experience it in its natural habitat.”

Luis turned to Eve. “Thank you for a most memorable evening.” He took the hand she offered before leaning in to barely brush his cheek against hers in a European air-kiss. Then he drew back before doing it beside her other cheek.

The scent of his skin, the silken tickle of his beard, and the heat of his body sent a rush of desire flooding through her body.

She stepped back abruptly.

What the hell is wrong with me? This was her daughter’s father…and a king!

He repeated his European farewell with Grace.

And then he was gone, the door closing quietly behind him.

Grace did a little dance. “Mom, he’s incredible! He’s so down-to-earth that I almost forgot he’s a king.”

He had a different effect on Eve, but she could never admit that. “He’s pretty impressive.”

Grace broke off a hibiscus blossom, sniffed it, and then tucked it in her hair. “He loved your cooking too.”

“Speaking of which, I’d better clean up.” And forget about his praise of her meal. Eve started toward the dining room. “You’re excused from clearing duty since you have school tomorrow.”

“No way. I want to talk about…Luis.” Grace was bubbling with excitement.

Eve picked up a couple of wineglasses while Grace began to collect the dessert plates from the table, talking all the while about various snippets of the evening’s conversations. Eve interjected encouraging comments whenever necessary as the two of them worked like the smoothly functioning team they had melded into over the years.

A cloud of melancholy settled around Eve’s heart. How many more times would she and Grace do this together? Yes, her daughter would be graduating later in the year—with her royal father in attendance—but Eve had expected to have these last months with Grace to savor and build memories from. Now Luis had changed the dynamic of her little family. Selfishly, Eve resented the intrusion into this last stretch of mother-daughter time before Grace struck out on her own, probably somewhere other than in Ames, Iowa.

As Eve handed the last scrubbed pot to Grace to dry, her daughter went still. All the light vanished from her face as she said, “Mom, I think there’s something wrong with me.”

“What? Do you feel sick?” Eve examined her daughter’s face for flushing or paleness.

“No, not that kind of wrong.” Grace’s gaze shifted to the pot in her hand and then back up to Eve. “This sounds twisted, but I want to meet Odette Fontaine.”

Luis settled into the back seat of the SUV with a deep sense of satisfaction. “My daughter is an extraordinary young woman,” he said to Mikel, who sat next to him. “I have found my lost child.”

Luis had always felt his family was incomplete, but he had put it down to his frustrated desire for more children. Now he believed he had somehow felt the tug of Grace’s presence in the world because she shared his Dragón blood.

“I truly celebrate for you,” Mikel said, his voice warm. “You deserve this happiness.”

“Gracias, amigo mío,” Luis said with satisfaction. “It is amazing how much she reminds me of Raul. They even have some of the same mannerisms.” When Grace was considering an idea with seriousness, she narrowed her eyes slightly, just as his son did. She also had the same way of going from solemnity to charm with a sudden flash of a smile.

“Your genes are very strong,” Mikel said.

Luis laughed, more as a way to release his buzzing excitement than because he was amused. “I take no credit. Those were bequeathed to me by my ancestors.”

“And how soon will Grace be coming to Caleva?” Mikel asked.

“She is doing something called rotations that do not allow her any time off from her studies for two months. I cannot wait that long.” Luis considered for a moment. “I think that Caleva needs to open a veterinary school in the near future to fill a glaring gap in our institutions of higher education. We will begin to develop our plans by polling a group of fourth-year students and their professors about what should be included in their educational experience. Why not start with the top five students from Iowa’s well-regarded veterinary college…so Grace won’t be singled out? All expenses paid, and with a sizable donation to Iowa State, of course. Bruno will work out the details.”

Mikel sighed in resignation.

Luis reached over to squeeze his forearm. “I have missed my daughter’s entire life until now. I cannot bear to miss more.”

“I know that hurts you, Se?or. Another cruelty to lay on Odette Fontaine’s shoulders.”

“Let us not talk about that viper on this joyous occasion.” Luis released his grip on Mikel’s arm, brushing against the plastic box resting on the seat between them. “Are those the Scotcheroos?”

“Yes. Eve wanted the security team to have a treat.”

“Ah, Eve,” Luis said, the image of her face gilded by candlelight rising in his mind’s eye. “I will have to be careful with her.”

“She seems like a sensible woman,” Mikel said. “I don’t see the problem.”

“She and Grace are a tightly melded family unit. It will require finesse to become a significant part of Grace’s life without upsetting that balance.”

He faced an additional issue that he wouldn’t share with Mikel. Every time he got near Eve, he felt the urge to wind his fingers into her glorious hair, tilt her head back, and taste her generously curving lips before he slid his mouth lower.

He wasn’t sure what attracted him so strongly. She was not beautiful in the classic sense, but she had a warm sensuality that called to him. Perhaps it was also because once she had relaxed this evening, she had treated him like any other dinner guest. He had found himself at ease in a way he hadn’t been for a long time. If she hadn’t been the adoptive mother of his daughter, he would be tempted to begin a discreet affair with her.

He seized the plastic container of sweets and popped off the top before offering it to Mikel. “Have one. You’ll be amazed at how delicious it is.”

As delicious as the woman who had made it.