“So she’s making you dump me,” Adelina said dryly.

“She’s not making me do anything,” he said, wanting that to be perfectly clear. “I just want to avoid any future problems.”

That silenced her for a moment, so he went on assuring her she’d be fully compensated and she’d get all she was owed for the Mercedes-Benz endorsement. “If you need a letter of recommendation or anything of that sort, feel free to ask. This has nothing to do with your work ethic. I was completely satisfied with that. But I hope you understand why I have to do this.”

“Well,” she said in a strange chirpy tone. “I had a feeling I was playing with fire when I decided to get involved with you that way. I guess if you play you get burned, right?”

“Sorry it worked out this way” was all he offered.

“At least it burned real good while it lasted.” She laughed softly.

Not wanting to comment on that, Felix cut the call, saying he had to go, and didn’t give her another thought. His mind was already on the next task at hand.

Felix thought of what he’d assured Preston just minutes ago, aware of the irony. He’d promised him he’d changed his ways and would stay out of trouble, and now here he was on his way to San Pedro to confront Grayson’s ass. His reasons for needing to keep his cool when he did so just doubled. Maybe he could use this to his advantage when the time came. He’d remind himself that he had even more riding on his staying in control today.

But even this wouldn’t stop him from doing what he had to do. He was only determined to do this the right way—the mature way—for Ella’s sake.

Chapter 21

Ella

Breakfast had already been her first unspoken message to Grayson. She might not cut him off completely because she didn’t think it necessary to be so dramatic about it, but major changes were coming. Their relationship from here on would mimic how she’d behaved toward him at breakfast. She’d courteously said good morning to him as she did to everyone else then sat as far away from him as possible without exchanging another word.

Instead, she got caught up deep in conversation with her dad and Margie. Already they were planning to go to a Dodgers game when they got back. This made Ella happy. After last night’s conversation with Grayson, she’d been a little worried that maybe Grayson had put Margie up to acting so interested in Ella’s father. But it appeared her interest was sincere and Margie’s wanting to hang with her dad would extend beyond the cruise. Good. Ella was certain Memo would be just as pleased with this turn of events.

When breakfast was over, she’d excused herself, once again smiling politely at Grayson when she said goodbye to him. They’d still had a few hours before they docked, and she didn’t want to spend any time alone with him today—or ever. She explained that she still had some packing to do and then went back to her room and grabbed her book. She spent the rest of the morning reading in a cozy secluded area of the ship she’d discovered the day she’d taken off exploring.

The waiting to board the ship had been exciting, now it felt like an eternity as they waited to disembark. She knew her anxiousness had everything to do with the fact that she’d soon see Felix. She could hardly stand it, and the more she thought about it, the more anxious she got.

Finally, they made their way down the escalator to the lower part of the arrival station where awaiting families stood. Once they reached the bottom, Ella, her father, and Margie moved aside and waited for Drake and Meri, who’d gone back when Meri realized she’d left her sunglasses on the upper deck. Margie explained that Grayson had some kind of issue with his credit card being overbilled and had also stayed back to clear that up.

So now they waited because Ella’s dad didn’t want to leave Margie all by herself. It was frustrating to say the least, but Ella agreed. They should wait with Margie. It’d only be a few more minutes before they could get going and she could see Felix finally.

The hand and arm that came around her waist startled Ella, making her flinch. Her first thought was that somehow she’d missed Grayson coming down the escalators and he’d snuck up from behind her. She turned, ready to push him away, but her mouth fell open and she was immediately choked up at the sight of Felix holding a huge bouquet of roses for her.

Ella brought both hands over her mouth for a second, overwhelmed with emotion, and then wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Jesus, I’ve missed you so much,” he said, squeezing her tightly and burying his face in her neck.

“I’ve missed you too,” she said, pulling back to look at him and taking the dark glasses he wore off him.

She wanted to see his eyes. The dimple as he smiled was amazing. It flabbergasted her now that she’d never noticed it until after Carmen pointed it out. Back then she only talked to him once and it’d been blindingly nerve-wracking. She knew now she’d missed a lot.

Felix handed her the roses, and she took them, smiling so hugely she was sure her face would hurt later, but it couldn’t be helped. The flowers were beautiful.

Her dad pointed at him, wide-eyed. “I know you!” he said loudly as a few people’s head’s turned.

Ella quickly put the glasses back on Felix and shushed her dad before they were mobbed.

“Daddy, I was gonna tell you about this,” she said, pulling Felix a little further away from the crowds still spilling out of the escalators. “Yes, this is Felix, and you know I’ve been working full-time at 5th Street now. I met him a couple of months ago, and, well, one thing led to another, and now we’re seeing each other.” She turned to Felix and smiled. “This is my dad, Guillermo.”