Valerie wasn’t surprised Romero was impressed. She sure had been when Isabel first told her about her insanely accomplished siblings. Isabel was the only one that didn’t have a master’s degree, but then she was the youngest and was still working on it. Her oldest sister Patricia was always on her about it.

“So, yesterday, I was on the phone with my sister Pat at Romero’s place. I didn’t think he was listening to my conversation. I told her I was home getting ready to take a shower. When I hung up, he asked why I lied about where I was.” Isabel shrugged. “I didn’t really have an answer. So, then he asked if I’d even told her about him.” Valerie watched Isabel sprinkle some more cumin into the soup and waited. Isabel turned and bit her lip. “I haven’t.”

“Why?”

“I don’t need to hear what I know she’s going to say.”

“What’s that?” Valerie thought she knew. Patricia hadn’t even liked Lawrence the professor. It wasn’t just because he was an idiot. It was because she felt he wasn’t ambitious enough. She thought that at his age he should own his own place by now, not still be living in an apartment.

Isabel rolled her eyes. “You know what she’s like. Romero doesn’t have a degree. He works security at events and bars.”

Valerie frowned. “But he’s not just a security guard, he owns the company.”

Isabel shook her head. “It won’t matter. I promise. She’ll say he’s beneath me, regardless. I can already hear her.”

That made Valerie mad. Romero was a hard-working honest guy, currently proving that the word commitment was actually in his vocabulary. Unlike some people she knew. “You didn’t tell him all that, right?”

Isabel shook her head. “No. I just admitted I hadn’t told her about him yet.”

“What did he say?”

“At first not a lot, but I could tell he was hurt. Then he asked who I have told in my family. He hears me on the phone with them all the time, so, he knows how close I am to all of them. So, when I said I hadn’t told any of them, that’s when things got heated.” Isabel sighed. “I told him he hadn’t been real clear about what we were exactly. I didn’t want to tell them anything until I was sure. Then he really blew up. He couldn’t believe that all this time I didn’t consider us to be in a relationship already. He started asking if I was still going out with other people. He made a really huge deal out of that and kept asking if I was sure about this or not.”

Valerie couldn’t help laughing. “I hope you said you were.”

Isabel stirred the soup some more. “Of course I am.” She turned to Valerie. For the first time Valerie saw the worry in Isabel’s eyes. “I really am, but this is going to be tough. My family is so nit-picky about this kind of stuff and Romero holds nothing back. They’re going to butt heads. I’m not looking forward to it.”

Valerie rubbed Isabel’s back. “Well, if they really care about you, they’ll just have to accept it.” It hadn’t hit Valerie until this conversation. “I think you’ve really fallen for him, Isabel.”

Isabel’s expression said it all. She definitely had. Before the shower, she would’ve never imagined Isabel with Romero. This proved the theory even further. Opposites did attract. Isabel had told her sleeping with Romero was different than with any other guy she’d been with. Valerie got the feeling she was holding back the juicy details because Isabel felt bad for Valerie. She knew the struggle Valerie had just trying to get so much as a flicker out of Luke’s kisses. Judging from Isabel’s past experiences with all the uptight guys she usually dated, she was probably enjoying the best sex of her life.

“Did you hear about this weekend?”

Valerie groaned. “Yes.”

“You’ll be okay. Romero just told me about it today.” Now Isabel’s eyes were the sympathetic ones. “I’ll be there with you.”

Valerie pulled a bowl out of the cabinet. “Is that almost ready? I need comfort food.”

“Yeah, it’s done.”

Valerie served herself a big helping just as the doorbell rang. She took her bowl to her room to give Romero and Isabel some privacy. Isabel insisted she didn’t have to, but Valerie wanted to be alone. This week would to be hell, having to prepare herself mentally all over again to see Alex. She’d be back for more soup that was for sure.

*

Feeling like a damn nervous teenage kid, Alex approached Sarah as she filled salt and pepper shakers. The restaurant hadn’t opened yet, and Angel wasn’t due to arrive for a couple of hours. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in front of him. He almost stopped and turned around but forced himself to keep walking. She looked up. Her big green eyes sparkled when she smiled. Angel was a lucky guy. He resisted telling her for the millionth time how beautiful her eyes were. Only because Angel wasn’t around, otherwise riling Angel by flirting with his soon to be sister-in-law was one of his most entertaining past times.

“Hey.” She picked up a few shakers. “Need some?’

“No, actually I just wanted to talk to you, if you have a minute.”

He had no intentions about confessing the truth to Sarah about the tutor… for now. All he wanted now was to find out more about Valerie and Luke. He needed a little insight before this weekend. Maybe if he knew a little more, he’d know at least if he had a chance in hell of winning her back.