Chapter Fifty
Hours later, the sun was setting, and the final touches had been put on his plans. There were still plenty of things to do, but he needed to make a call first. Enrique twisted back and forth in the desk chair, admiring the ring as he listened to the phone ring against his ear.
“If you’re calling to complain about the pact, then you’d best believe I will rat you out to the rest of the boys.”
Enrique’s lips quirked when his brother’s gruff voice came across the line. “Relax, big guy. Remember who you’re talking to? Enrique Rodriguez never backs down from a pact.”
“Good. He’d better not,” he replied, smiling. “Then this better be good, Rique. I’m a busy man.”
“Oh, you’ll like this one,” Enrique replied, rubbing a thumb over the box. “I need to know if you are aware of any real estate opportunities in Florida, specifically the keys. Something you and I can both sink our teeth into. I want to try something new but am not yet prepared to learn all the ropes of real estate development.”
“That’s a little sudden,” Gabriel said. “But as it so happens, I do. I recently purchased a little hotel on Islamorada in the Upper Keys that was severely damaged in a hurricane. It’s already been torn down, and I’m in the final permitting stages of building an eco-friendly resort.”
Enrique smiled. “That’s perfect. What do you think about having a 50/50 partner? I wanna be a part of it,” he said, sitting up and placing the ring on the desk, excitement running through him at how everything was falling into place.
Gabe quickly agreed, looking forward to sharing this opportunity with his brother and wondering what had caused him to suddenly feel the urge to start a business in Florida.
The men spent the next hour talking about the project and Gabe’s different connections down there. By the time the call disconnected, Enrique was overjoyed by the progress and felt more confident about the conversations that would come later that night.
Then he went into the kitchen and tossed the ingredients he had prepared earlier into the salad, leaving the dressing for later.
It was 8:30, and he had told her to arrive at 9:00. He knew she hated to be late, so he started rushing to put the final touches on things in case she arrived early.
First, he dashed to the ballroom to light the candles he had scattered around the room and lined the path to the table. Then he sprinkled the rose petals he had picked up fresh from the florist that morning, ensuring they still smelled fragrant and held their shape. He played a string quartet on the stereo, which reminded him of his brother Anthony’s wedding. He was the first to marry and, up until this point, the only brother to marry. After tonight, he was hoping that would change.
He took the stairs two at a time, raced through his shower, quickly combed gel into his hair, and was spritzing on his cologne when Mrs. Ellis called his room to inform him that Leighann had arrived five minutes early. Enrique let out a hushed breath as he stared at himself in the mirror. His fingers shook slightly as he adjusted his bow tie, and he licked his lips with a nod.
“Okay,” he said to himself, grabbing his jacket and quickly slipping his arms into it. “It’s time. You can do this.”
Leigh looked up from her conversation with Mrs. Ellis to see him descending the stairs. She was clearly stunned by his formal attire. She had worn the dress he had provided her, but it was much simpler than the formal gown she had worn the first night and would not have given away his intent for the evening. He also didn’t want her to feel as uncomfortable as she shared she had been on their first date. Perhaps the tux was a little too much, but he believed in the motto ‘Go big or go home.’ He took her hand and excused her from his housekeeper, escorting her quickly into the ballroom before she got cold feet or had time to overthink things.
Before he opened the door, he said, “I guess in my excitement to start the evening, I skipped a step. Good evening, Leighann. You look stunning.” He lifted the hand hooked in the crook of his arm to his lips and kissed the back of it.
“Hello,” she whispered, her belly fluttering with the contact of his lips. “I’m feeling a little underdressed for this date, Enrique. Please tell me there isn’t a party behind that door.”
He chuckled, “Trust me, on our last night together for who knows how long, I’m not sharing you with anyone. It’s just you and me tonight.”
He swung the doors open, and the sudden change in pressure made the candle flames dance and flicker.
“Oh, Enrique, it’s breathtaking. Mrs. Ellis told me you prepared everything yourself. This must have taken you all day!” she exclaimed in awe.
“Pretty close,” he admitted, leading her to her seat at the finely set table and helping her into her chair. He then poured sparkling cider into her glass and took his seat.
“Wow,” she breathed, a bright pink blush staining her cheeks as she looked around and met his gaze again. She was so surprised by the enormous effort in this incredibly romantic gesture that she couldn’t find the words. “I don’t know what to say. I- This is so beautiful, Enrique. I’ve never –”
“Hey, hey, don’t cry, baby,” he said softly, quickly cupping her cheek and wiping the tears from her eye with his thumb. He smiled as he ran his thumbs over her cheekbone.
“I’m glad you like it. It was a lot of fun putting this together. I can see why you appreciate the effort in the action more than something extravagant prepared by others. Speaking of which, let’s eat, all this work made me hungry.”
They sat opposite each other at the table, unable to hide their grins as Lorenzo came to serve them their first course of the night. He placed bowls of delicate lobster bisque in front of them to start, followed by a classic caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a drizzle of aged balsamic.
“Oh my,” she grinned, lifting her spoon to her mouth as the tempting aroma tickled her nostrils. She couldn’t wait to dig into the beauty in front of her. “This looks heavenly.”
They enjoyed their meal for several moments before Leighann started on the main topic she felt needed to be addressed.
“I visited my grandmother today,” she said before eating the last bite of her salad and pushing the plate away.
“Oh nice. How is Stella?” Enrique asked, adding his bowl and plate to the pile of dirty dishes needing to be taken away.
“She’s good. I forgot for a moment that you’ve met her. Poor thing, I rambled on and on about you today like you were a stranger.”
“And she let you, I bet. She has a way of just sitting and listening. I like her a lot. Sorry, what were you going to say before I interrupted?” Leaning forward on the table, he gave her his undivided attention.
“She said that you can’t put a timer on love and that as long as we communicate, strive to understand each other, and compromise, then we will be fine. We are on completely different ends of the spectrum on money, so I am just wondering how we are going to compromise on that. It is really the only serious issue I can see to our happiness.”
“I’m not sure how to reassure you on this, Leighann; I just need you to trust me. You have made yourself clear on wasteful spending and living a life of excess. I have explained that even when I make purchases that seem ridiculous to you, I usually have a multifaceted purpose for them. We will figure this out as long as neither of us is holding too hard to a line. There is plenty of room in the middle for us to succeed. Speaking of which, I spoke with my brother Gabe today and I will be moving to Florida in the next month.”
Leighann was shocked, “Really? Like, permanently?”
Enrique chuckled at her response, “Yes, permanently. I’m not interested in a long-distance relationship. Now that I have found my one-in-a-million, I’m not going to let you go. Gabe is working on building a small resort on Islamorada about twenty minutes south of where you are located in Key Largo. I will work on finding us a home while I’m in New York transitioning my business, and hopefully, by the time I’m ready to move, we will have that taken care of.”
Leighann sat back and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Tell me what you’re thinking right now. I can see the wheels spinning.”
“I just never imagined any of this, and it is happening so fast. It’s exciting and terrifying all at once. I want this more than anything, but sometimes I feel like I can’t catch my breath,” she admitted honestly.
“We’re in the same boat. Do you want to slow down? I don’t want you to feel pressured.” He reached across the table and placed her trembling fingers in his.
“No, I’m thirty-two, and now that God has given me a wonderful man to love, I want it all. Once I see a clear path, I’m not usually one to dawdle. So, what are your thoughts on kids? I would like at least two, maybe even four. Three is an odd number, and I feel like someone will always be left out.”
“Let’s start with one and see what happens. I agree; two or four would be wonderful. Now for a compromise.” His eyes twinkled, but he looked serious.