“No. I broke up with him. We had talked about that night being our… first time.” She glanced away from him and he took a very deep breath. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn but he wanted to continue to be supportive, so he worked on keeping his expression the same. “I never quite agreed to it, because I wasn’t completely sure I was ready. Then after everything that happened with my grandma, of course it wasn’t happening. I guess because when I saw my sister at the hospital so broken up, I tried my hardest to be strong. I cried, but not as much as I wanted to. I put up a front again. I needed to be strong for her. Well, my boyfriend who wasn’t close to any of his grandparents took it as a sign that it wasn’t that big a deal and when we got back to his car he told me about the room he’d already paid for and was planning on surprising me with. He actually suggested we still go there.”

Wow, and here Sal thought the guy was an idiot before she explained it.

“I was so unbelievably disgusted there was no way I could continue a relationship with him.” She pulled away from Sal’s embrace and sat up straight. “Anyway, I’m glad you asked. Those two instances in my life are probably the most painful of all, but there have been a lot of good times, too.”

Grace insisted on hearing more about his family. Sal told her more about how close they’d always been and she laughed when he told her about how poor Sofia had to deal with all of them including Eric and Romero watching over her so closely when they were all growing up. “We were all bad, but Alex has always been the worst. You’ll probably notice he’ll get that way with you eventually. He’s very protective over his family and friends.”

She smiled. “I think I already did a little bit. If Melissa wasn’t female I have a feeling he would’ve hurt her today.”

Sal winced. “I’m sure he would’ve. Damn. I’m sorry about that. Gracie.”

“Stop. I won’t allow you to apologize for her. It wasn’t your fault. Maybe I shouldn’t have confronted her the way I did.”

Sal laughed.

“What?” She stared at him in that cute confused way, she did so often.

“Alex told me what you said and about you pulling off your earrings.” Grace’s face flushed. “Don’t be embarrassed.” He hugged her again, chuckling. “You’re gonna fit right in with the rest of my family and friends. Don’t even get me started on Romero.”

They moved to the lounging sofa that faced the pool with the overstuffed pillows. Sal sat back, pulling her to him and she leaned against him. “It’s so beautiful out here. If I lived here… ” She stopped.

“If you lived here what?” Sal liked where this was going.

She turned to face him. “I’m just saying hypothetically. I don’t want you to think that—”

“Oh, I’m thinking it, Grace. If I have it my way, you will.” He kissed her. “So go on.”

Her eyes were glued to his for a moment, taking in what he just said. “All I meant was if I lived some place like this, I’d be out here every night. I’d probably never cook inside. Except maybe when it was too cold.” He saw her glance at the outdoor fireplace. “Even then I’m sure I’d figure out how to stay warm.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Sal said, leaning further back, bringing her with him so they were practically lying down. “I’d like nothing more than to have you here every night, so if you’re game we can come back here every night and hang out from now on.”

Her eyes brightened and it drove him crazy. Unable to hold back any longer he kissed her long and deep. They made out for the longest time since he’d first kissed her and though there were moments he thought of trying for more than just kissing and enjoying her soft delicious neck, he didn’t. He remembered her mentioning she’d never. If that meant what he thought it meant, as torturous as it was to hold back, he had to take things real slow. She was absolutely worth waiting for.

CHAPTER 18

Sal picked Grace up after class the next day. Even as they drove to Moreno’s on the Marina, everything still felt so surreal. She’d hardly been able to concentrate in class, daydreaming instead about the past several evenings with him.

So far, Rose had been the only one who’d met Sal and hadn’t gushed about his looks. While she said he was good looking, she didn’t like that he seemed too serious, reminding Grace of her first impression of him that now felt like a lifetime ago. Never would she have imagined the day he interviewed her that things would turn into this.

It didn’t take very long for her to teach the two cooks that were there at the time how to make the new dishes. As Sal had anticipated, Angel was especially excited about the shrimp dish. That afternoon when Sal was done with all the interviews, they took a walk on the pier of the Marina. It reminded her of the awkward night she’d spent walking the pier with Frank. It amazed her, how different it felt with Sal now and how at ease she was with him. She leaned into him, taking a deep breath, glad that she was almost done with school so she didn’t have to rush home to do homework.

They walked up to the rail and looked over into the water. Sal stood behind her and kissed her temple.

“Only two more weeks,” she said.

“For what?”

“And I get my culinary degree.”

“Perfect timing. Although,” he chuckled, “you don’t even need it now.”