“Did he tell you he’s thinking about running for Mayor next year?”

“Yeah, he did.” Isabel glanced at Romero whose smile was now gone.

“Mayor uh?” Isabel could see Romero was trying to sound nonchalant, but there was a definite change in his overall demeanor. She should’ve mentioned it to him. This wasn’t an insignificant little tidbit you forget to tell someone. “Of La Jolla?”

Pat smirked. “Oh, no. He’d never consider anything smaller than San Diego.” She turned back to Grace, done acknowledging Romero. “I think he has a very good chance. I’ll told him I’d help him campaign. Gina said she’d take a few months off and come home to help out, too.”

The waitress dropped off the salad. Isabel was happy for the interruption. She was also glad she’d put her foot down when she did, otherwise Pat might’ve continued with her interrogation of Romero and things could’ve gone south real fast. By the time dinner was over, although the tension between Romero and her sister was still there, it was such a relief to have gotten their first meeting out of the way.

Pat wasn’t done. Not by a long shot. Isabel knew this, but at least Pat knew now, that Isabel wouldn’t be just sitting there, letting her do and say what she pleased.

When they were back at Isabel’s apartment, Romero sat on her sofa and opened his arms out for her. She sat down at his side and leaned into him. “Your sister isn’t that bad.”

“Yeah, she is,” Isabel smirked.

Romero stared at her for a moment before smirking himself. “Yeah, she is.”

Isabel laughed. “Don’t worry. I think she gets it now that she’s not going to have freedom she thought she would to interrogate you like it’s any of her business.”

“I don’t mind an interrogation as long as she can take it as well as she can dish it.”

Isabel kissed him. “Well, that’s what I don’t want—you two starting a war. My brother and her hardly speak ever since he told her off. She’s never approved of his fiancée. I don’t want that happening between me and her but if it has to be that way, then so be it.”

Romero smiled. “I think I’d like to meet your brother.” His hand crept up her back under her blouse.

“You will.” She smiled, kissing him. “Next time he’s in town. So when do I get to meet your uncles?”

“Soon. I’ll set something up. Neither will be making mayor of anything anytime soon. In fact, I’m not even sure they’re registered to vote.” He laughed. “But I think you’ll like them.”

“I’m sure I will.” She felt him unclasp her bra. It sort of bothered her how good he was at doing that.

“Why does your sister care so much about who you and your brother date?”

Isabel frowned. “She’s always been that way. Image is everything to her. So even though she won’t admit it, it’s about her. She loves nothing more than to brag to all her other snobby friends about her family, so who we’re dating, or in my brother’s case who he’ll soon be marrying is just another thing she can brag about.”

“What’s wrong with your brother’s fiancée?” Romero rubbed her back. It felt good.

It was so petty she was almost embarrassed to tell him but she did. “She lives in a trailer park. Her family is not the classiest I guess. She’s also putting herself through school so it’s taking her a lot longer than it did all of us who had the luxury of going full time.”

She felt him stiffen and his expression changed. “So it’s not just about her education; it’s about how classy you are or aren’t? Wow. Your sister is a piece of work.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She straightened out, so that she faced him better now and kissed him again. “I’ll deal with her.”

He brought his hands around the front and cupped her br**sts, smiling. “And I’ll deal with you.”

She lay back on the sofa and he moved over her, kissing her. Thoughts of them messing the sofa didn’t even cross her mind this time.

***

The next morning, Isabel got the call she was expecting and she was ready for it.

“I just don’t think he’s right for you, Bell. Don’t get all defensive about it.”

Isabel was on her way to work and didn’t need Pat to ruin her day before it started, but she wasn’t backing down for the sake of not arguing like she had so many times in the past. “I’m not getting defensive. You’re entitled to your opinion, but I like him and he’s gonna be around a lot now so get used to it.”

Her sister exhaled. “Daddy’s not gonna like him either.”

Isabel gripped the wheel. She dreaded her father meeting Romero. Though he wasn’t as judgmental as her sister, appearance and image were a pretty big thing for him, especially now that he was considering running for Mayor. She hated to have to ask Romero to change anything about himself, but her father—who dealt with low class criminals all day—always said, Only the less intelligent resort to foul language to color their conversation. Romero had quite a mouth on him. “Well, he’ll just have to deal with him, too. It’s my life—my choice.”

“Okay, okay. Change of subject.”

This was a first. Had Isabel actually won an argument with Pat?

“Guess who I ran into a few days ago?”