Piper
My mind raced with possibilities. Maybe the flowers and candies weren’t from Alonso. But nobody else would have put “on the right day” on a card. I hadn’t told my mother about the text from Henry, nor had I told my best friends. It was too humiliating. It could only be Alonso.
I stood behind him a moment before I said anything. He sat in his dark office, his head buried in his hands, his hair standing out on end. Was he upset? Embarrassed?
“Alonso?” My voice was so quiet I wasn’t sure he heard me until his head slowly lifted and he swiveled around in his chair.
Dark eyes shone at me and my breath hitched. The man I had spent seven years wanting to toss off a tall bridge stared at me, eyebrows raised. His lips were full and I watched him part them for a deep sigh. I was completely entranced. This was not the same man who had tried to hurt me years ago or even the man I had been furious to see weeks ago.
“Yes, Piper?” His voice was deep and it quivered just a bit. His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
It was like time slowed down. I watched him stand in front of me, his long, black eyelashes closing and opening and deep brown doe eyes glistened at my own.
“You? The flowers?” I could barely form a complete thought let alone full sentences. “Why?”
My hand instinctively reached out and touched his arm. I felt his muscles flex under my fingers and he took in a sharp breath. The goofy grin I had rolled my eyes at last week now made my heart skip a beat.
“Because I thought you deserved a happy birthday. And because I needed to be the one who put that happy look on your face.” His face grew a little closer and his fingers brushed my hair back from my cheek.
I blinked several times, sure my eyes were playing tricks on me, my skin feeling things that were not actually happening. This couldn’t be the same Alonso Ortiz. He smelled like soap and cinnamon, and the skin on his arm was soft and supple.
“I… Thank you.” I looked up to him and bit my lip, unsure what else to say. My fingers curled around his forearm and I squeezed lightly. I didn’t understand why tears pricked the back of my eyelids, so I closed them and whispered again. “Thank you, Alonso.”
His warm breath caused my skin to break into goosebumps and I shuddered involuntarily. Would he kiss me? Did I want him to?
No. I needed to get away from him. I hated him. He was immature, and I did not want him to kiss me let alone touch me. Maybe he was just messing with me, another one of his childish pranks. I needed to break the trance I seemed to be under, but I couldn’t move. If this was a prank I would be played the fool all over again.
A voice from behind us provided the much-needed interruption. “Everything okay here?” Rex sounded concerned, as he should be given my proximity to Alonso Ortiz.
Immediately I stepped back and my chest heaved. “Yes, everything is fine.” I looked at Alonso. “Thank you.” I retreated several steps and let Rex pass into their shared office space.
Unaware of what he had broken up, Rex looked from me to Alonso. “AO, you good?”
“Yeah, Piper just had a problem with her contacts. All fixed now.” His eyes were trained on mine, his face serious. “Happy birthday, Piper.”
“Oh, yeah. Happy birthday.” Rex raised his coffee cup towards me in a toast.
Forcing a smile I thanked Rex and went back to my desk. The floral arrangement was huge, a cheery display of pinks and yellows. Pink was certainly my favorite color and yellow was the color of friendship. Did he know that? The balloon bobbed under the air vent, announcing my birthday to everyone within viewing distance. I slipped the candies in a still-empty desk drawer. They barely fit.
Maria came back over. “Ready for the budget meeting?” When I stood, she added, “Did you figure out who they’re from?”
It would raise eyebrows if I said they were from Alonso. He hadn’t signed the card and I assumed that was on purpose. Workplace romances were discouraged and we were certainly not in a romance. We were barely working towards liking one another.
No, I couldn’t tell Maria. “Oh, they’re from a, uh, friend of mine. We’ve known each other a long time.” Satisfied with that, we walked together to the daily budget meeting.
An hour later and Alonso and I were in the car heading out to interview a family with six children who all joined the military. It was a good news story, my favorite kind. We were silent as we left downtown Savannah and headed over to Richmond Hill.
Once the landscape opened up to more greenery, I scrounged up the nerve to ask him the one question that had been plaguing me. “Why didn’t you sign the card?”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “You’ve been in newsrooms before. You know they’re like a high school with the rumor mill. I didn’t figure you wanted people asking questions about the two of us.”
I nodded. “That’s what I thought. And I appreciate that. We certainly don’t need tongues wagging.”
His laughter filled the car. “And I have a reputation to uphold.”
The warm feeling I had just developed for Alonso dissipated. “Excuse me?”
“Everyone knows I’m the bachelor in residence. So many people have tried to set me up with their sisters or friends. I don’t need a woman.”
His easy grin infuriated me. But I had just the right comeback. “Oh, so you’re gay? I should have known.”
The car wobbled back and forth for a second as he whipped his head toward me. “What? No!”
“You said you don’t need a woman, I figure that means you prefer a man.” I threw my head back and laughed.
“Listen, I have friends who are gay. Kenny at the gym is in a long-term, committed relationship with Carson. But I, Alonso David Ortiz, am not gay. I definitely enjoy the company of women.” He spoke so fast I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Noted.” I looked out the window and spoke before I realized. “Why are you a confirmed bachelor?”
The question sucked all the air from the car and I instantly regretted asking. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that. I know it’s personal.”
It took him a second before he took a deep breath and opened his mouth. “Um, I mean, my family life when I was a kid wasn’t great. My parents split up shortly after my sister was born, and then my mom just left us with my abuela and abuelo. I figured if that was what happened when you fell in love, I didn’t want any part in it.” He brought a hand up to his mouth and began chewing on the cuticle around his thumb, a habit I had noticed in weeks past.
I was shocked. My parents had provided my sister and me with a loving home with a large extended family and pretty much everything we could need or want. It never occurred to me that Alonso hadn’t been raised similarly.
“I’m sorry your parents abandoned you. Were your grandparents kind?” My voice was low and I picked at my own fingernails.
Alonso chuckled. “Oh, yeah, they were amazing. They took care of Maggie and me. Raised us right. They died within about six months of each other a few years back.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“No, no, it’s fine. They waited until they knew we were taken care of before they passed. It’s like they knew their work was done.” He scratched his head, making his hair flop all over the place. “So, since we’re fessing up. What happened with your fiancé? If you don’t mind my asking.”
My first instinct was to tell him to mind his own business, but I realized I was okay with talking about Henry and what had happened. It was cathartic to tell it to someone who was pretty impartial and hoped he would agree with what I did.
“So, wait, your fiancé got someone else pregnant and just abandoned her?” Alonso’s mouth hung agape as he turned into a residential section.
“Yep.”
“And you found out, gave her your engagement ring, and dumped his sorry behind?” We pulled up to a red light and Alonso parked and stared at me.
“Also yep.”
He leaned on the steering wheel and laughed. “You know how I feel about people who abandon their children. What you did—that’s amazing. Like, eres una verdadera dama machista.”
Whether he knew it or not, I understood him and his compliment at my actions. I shrugged. “I don’t know about that.”
Shock registered on his face. “You know Spanish?”
Laughter bubbled up and I couldn’t help it. “I know enough. My best friend growing up was Latina and I hung out with her family a lot. Anyway, I just wasn’t going to give him back the ring, and that poor girl was left with nothing. She was a temp secretary at his office. A five-thousand-dollar ring won’t go far, but I hope it helps her.”
We parked the driveway of a modest ranch home with American flags adorning the front porch. It would be perfect for B-roll. I looked at Alonso. “Thanks for listening. And for agreeing with what I did. Not many people agreed with me.”
“Yeah. I think it’s awesome. He got what he deserved.” He winked at me and swung himself out of the car. I sat stunned for a moment, mainly because I wasn’t sure why my heart began to race and I could feel the heat creep up on my cheeks in reaction to his wink.
You do not like him, Piper. Come on. It’s Alonso. Arch enemy. Except, he’s been incredibly decent, and he sent you all those flowers. Maybe you need to change your mind about him. Maybe.
“Piper?”
I jumped when he called my name. I was still sitting in the car, willing my pulse to return to normal. “Right, yes.” I fluffed my hair and climbed from the car, ready to interview a family with a long and rich military history.
Ninety minutes and three glasses of sweet tea later, we left an incredible family. My cheeks hurt from so much smiling and laughing. With the car loaded, we slipped into our seats to head back to the studio.
“Um, I hate to ask AO, but can we stop at a gas station?” I put my hand to my stomach. I didn’t want to ask to use the family’s bathroom, though I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded. I didn’t want them to think I was snooping.
“What?”
I grimaced. “I had too much tea and I need a bathroom. Please?”
He licked his lips. “Yeah, I got that. But you called me AO.”
“Everyone calls you AO.” I furrowed my brow and crossed my arms.
“But you don’t. You call me Alonso. And I kind of like that.”
Pink crept up my neck and I turned from him. “Oh. I could call you Senor Ortiz. I much prefer Alonso myself. I thought your name was Hey Yo when Tyrell first mentioned you.”
He pulled into a gas station and parked. I ran in and when I got back to the car, he looked at me. “What are you doing after work?”
“Nothing. It will be late, and it’s my birthday.” I checked my phone for the time even though it was right in front of me on the dash clock.
“Want to grab a bite and play pool?”
“With who?”
“Me.”
The smile that spread across my face was instant. There was no way I could have hidden it. “Yeah. Sure. As long as it’s your treat.”
“What? I bought you those flowers.” His Chesire cat grin was just as wide as mine and I knew he was playing with me.
“How many times do you think I turn twenty-eight?”
He bit his lip and my insides melted a little. Maybe I was thawing to Alonso Ortiz.
“Okay, birthday girl. My treat.”