Chapter 12
Twelve
Piper did eventually give in to a siesta, and Gus joined her, but Emilio stayed downstairs for some quality time with his
grandmother. Not that he didn’t want to sneak upstairs and give in to a few carnal instincts with Piper. He did. But Piper
had been clear she didn’t like the idea, and he was going to abide by that.
“Are you feeling better about your season after Imola?” His grandmother wrote down the score for the most recent hand of their
card game. She was currently kicking his ass at gin rummy.
“You watched?” He shuffled the cards and dealt them.
She pursed her lips as she arranged her hand. “You know I never watch it live. I make sure you are okay, and then I watch
the race. It makes me too nervous.”
He found it charming, but he also didn’t want her to worry about him so much. “F1 is much safer now. The last death of a driver
was over ten years ago.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s still possible. That makes me sick to my stomach.”
“I’m sorry.” Emilio hardly ever thought about it. He was too busy chasing faster lap times and podiums to worry about the
danger.
“You risk your life every time you get in the car.” She put a card facedown on the discard pile. “Gin.” She laid out her hand
on the table.
“I risked my life asking you to play this game.”
Gus galloped into the kitchen, followed by Piper at a more leisurely pace.
“You’re up,” Emilio said, unable not to notice how adorable Piper looked. He’d experienced her well-rested face that morning
when he’d rolled over to see her lying next to him, looking truly angelic. “Just in time. You can save me from the family
card shark.”
His grandmother turned to Piper. “It’s years of playing. Nothing a little practice can’t do.” She showed Gus some affection
with a scratch behind his ears. “Now, who’s ready to open a bottle of wine? My grandson is only here until early tomorrow.
I want to squeeze every moment of fun out of this visit.”
One bottle of wine in the kitchen led to a second out on the patio, with the sun dipping down to the horizon and conversation
flowing. Emilio found a great deal of amusement in watching Piper and his grandmother fall into sync as each new glass of
wine made it a little easier.
“Emilio told me you like to bake,” his grandmother said.
Emilio was simply watching. Taking it all in. He’d switched to water. He needed to stay hydrated for the race weekend ahead.
“Nothing fancy. I bake dog treats. Did he tell you that part?” Piper replied.
“He said they’re very good. He said Gus loves them.”
“Gus also loves drinking out of mud puddles, so he might not be the best judge.”
“What about the dogs in the neighborhood?” Emilio interjected. “That’s how you make your dog friends, so you know they’re
great.”
Piper nodded. “You’re right. My target audience enjoys them.”
“I think they’re better than good,” Emilio added. “They’re fantastic.”
“Are we talking about something else here? Did I miss something?” Piper slid a glance in his direction, her eyes more difficult
to read now the sun had almost set and the only light was from the licks of flame from the fire. Damn if she wasn’t beautiful.
Dammit if he didn’t look at her and see someone he wanted more time with.
“I told him you should do something with them. Start a company,” his abuela said.
“I tried selling them at my local farmers’ market. They did okay, but that was two years ago.” She glanced at Emilio. “A few
things happened, and the venture got disrupted. I haven’t picked it back up.”
“So start again,” his grandmother pressed.
“Piper, I want to point out this is coming from a woman who is a winemaker and presses her own olive oil and was an art history
professor.”
“I was also an expert bartender when I was young, and I know how to bind books. What’s your point?”
A breathy laugh left Emilio’s lips. His grandmother did have her fiery moments.
“I only think you could be more, Piper.” His abuela tilted her head to one side, nodding slowly. “I see a spark in you. My
question is, do you have a dream?”
“No one has ever asked me that.” Piper sat back in her chair and stuck out her lower lip. “I don’t know. I love my job. I
have an amazing family. Do I need aspirations that go beyond simply having a happy life?”
Emilio took a beat. The answer to her question was no, but he’d never taken the time to think about it. Not everyone had to
have lofty dreams. Some dreams were smaller than others and that was okay. But he lived in a world where achievements were
larger than life and big dreams were the things that made them happen. Maybe he’d lost sight of the little things because
he’d been so focused on things that made headlines.
“Actually, I take that back.” Piper sat up a little straighter. “I have a dream of living in a nicer place. Where I can have
my own dog. Or three.” She laughed as she peered into the fire. “I do dream of not struggling. So maybe I should try to expand
the dog treats business. Maybe that’s my chance to earn a better living. Unfortunately, I have no clue where to start.”
The earnestness in her voice and on her face made Emilio’s chest feel tight. “Lean into what makes you unique. They’re all-natural,
healthy dog treats,” Emilio said. “It would be a woman-run company. Those are selling points. I think it would do well. I
think you would do well.” It wasn’t so much about the dog treats as it was about wanting Piper to see more in herself. She’d told him
of her struggles, and he wanted to help her find a way out of it.
“I don’t know anyone in the industry,” Piper said. “I have zero connections.”
“Maybe we don’t need connections. I could bankroll the whole thing.”
A nervous laugh escaped Piper’s lips. “Now you’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I?” Emilio countered.
A few moments of silence played out, during which Emilio dared to confront Piper with his eyes. He wanted her to know how
serious he was. She’d helped make his life better. He wanted to do the same for her.
“I’m afraid I must go to bed.” His grandmother rose from her chair. “Thank you both for a lovely day. It was so nice having
you here.”
Emilio stood to give her a hug. “I’m so glad we could come visit. Te amo.”
“She’s wonderful. I approve,” she muttered into his ear.
Of course, with Piper within earshot, Emilio couldn’t say a thing. He couldn’t point out there was nothing to approve of—he
and Piper were friends. Boss and employee. Only twenty-four hours into being lovers and she was leaving soon.
“Good night, Mama Ximena.” Piper hugged his grandmother. “You’ve been such an incredible host. Today has been like something
out of a movie.”
“You’re welcome any time, Piper. I’ll see you both in the morning. Bright and early, right?”
“Yes,” Emilio answered. “We need to leave by seven at the latest.”
“All right, then.” As his grandmother sidled past him, she slid Emilio another look. Another, “get your act together, Emilio”
look.
Piper wrapped her arms around herself, looking up at the house and smiling. “She’s amazing. No wonder she means so much to
you.”
“She always told me being a grandparent was easy. You just love and love, without having to worry about the serious things.”
Piper turned to him. “She worries about you. She told me so when you were inside getting Gus his dinner.”
“I know. She worries about the driving.”
“Actually, she said she worries because she knows how difficult the last year has been for you.”
“We all have challenges.”
“Of course, but you’ve really been through it. I’m so sorry.”
“You’ve had similar loss.”
Piper shook her head. “Loss isn’t comparable. It’s different for everyone, and the way it affects us is different, too. All
I’m saying is that if you were feeling a bit lost or like your foundation had been shaken, it’s completely understandable.”
Piper had such a way of cutting to the core of things. “Do you feel like your foundation was shaken?”
She nodded. “I do. But I’m better now.”
“Good. I am, too.”
“I was doing okay before I took this job, but being away from Florida has helped me see things more clearly. Maybe I just
needed a break from the impending wedding.”
“Maybe. Let me put out the fire before we head up.” He retrieved a shovel leaning against the house, then scooped some sand
onto the fires. It made him melancholy to see the flames snuffed. This perfect day was coming to a close. Tomorrow, he’d be
back to work. Still, he was excited about that. He hoped to continue his positive momentum.
He and Piper made their way upstairs, stopping when they were outside their respective rooms. Piper’s door was open, so she
peered inside. “Looks like Gus decided to sleep in my room tonight.”
He goes where he’s most comfortable. He leaned closer and took her hand. “You were right to say we shouldn’t sleep in the same room. If we did, I would only
want to make love to you. These beds are old as sin. The squeak would be noticeable.”
A warm and sexy smile crossed her lips. “I’ll take a rain check.”
He reined her in with his arms. Being this close to her and not having her was agonizing, but they’d have privacy once they
got to Barcelona. She raised her lips to his and delivered a kiss that put his whole body on notice. He wanted it to go on
forever. “Good night, Piper. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yes. See you then.”
The sun was just beginning to stream through the sheer curtains of Piper’s room when she heard a nearly imperceptible creak
of door hinges. “Gus. You came back,” she said softly. She’d taken him out to pee around 4:30 and he’d curled up on the kitchen
floor, presumably to wait for jamón. She’d left her door ajar in anticipation of his return.
“It’s not Gus,” Emilio answered with a voice rich and husky.
She rolled over to see him silently close her door, dressed only in dark gray boxer briefs. It was too early in the morning
for that much sexiness—the sight of his naked chest was enough to make her swoon. “What are you doing?” she whispered.