“Okay,” he said, glancing back at me. “I’ll set it up and call you.”
We said our goodbyes and I left, wondering what I’d gotten myself into this time, but what choice did I have? Especially with a baby on the way? Still, I hoped Keola wasn’t involved in something too bad. Ha! Who was I kidding? Considering all the trouble a gang person could get into, I should probably expect the worst.
With that troubling thought, I pulled into my garage and noticed that Chris’ car wasn’t there. My watch read six-twenty, and panic gripped my chest. Where was he? We needed to leave within the next ten minutes. I grabbed my cell phone and sent him a quick text, then hurried inside to change my clothes.
Since this was a backyard barbeque, I figured it was all right to wear jeans along with a nice top, and maybe a sweater to ward off the chill. Chris texted me back that he was on his way, and I sighed with relief. We might be a few minutes late, but still close enough, and I was grateful that Jackie had refused my offer to bring a salad since I didn’t have time to make one.
A few minutes later, Chris got home and hurried into our room to change into something more comfortable. I called to Savannah and Josh that it was time to go. Josh came into the kitchen wearing the same clothes he’d had on for school. He’d also been playing basketball and was a little sweaty. I got close and sniffed.
“Uh… Josh, why don’t you put on a clean shirt while we wait for Dad?” I wrinkled my nose, and he let out a big sigh before heading to his room. “And wash your face while you’re at it.”
I glanced at Savannah, grateful I didn’t have to tell her what to wear. She looked real cute in her outfit of jeans and a sky-blue crewneck top. In fact, she looked a little older than normal, probably from all the makeup she was wearing. “You look good.”
“Thanks. Uh… Miguel’s going to be there, right?”
“Yes,” I answered, picking up that she was both excited and nervous to see him again. “Uh… Savannah… Miguel thinks we are real cousins, and it means something to him that he has family here. He grew up in Mexico with just his mom and no one else, so we’re like the only extended family that he’s ever known. Try to remember that, okay?”
“Oh… sure.” She hadn’t thought of it that way, but she could see what I meant.
“Good,” I said, relieved to get something through her crush-addled mind.
Both Josh and Chris came into the kitchen at the same time. “Is everyone ready?” Chris asked, looking us over. At our nods, he continued, “Okay. Let’s go.”
On the way to Uncle Joey’s mansion, I thought it best to prepare my kids that he was filthy rich, so it didn’t come as a complete shock. “Uh… just so you know, Uncle Joey has a lot of money and influential friends. He lives in a mansion, and he’s your Dad’s biggest client, so try not to get on his bad side, all right? And be on your best behavior.”
Chris raised his brows, wondering what I was doing warning the kids like that. “Uh… don’t worry guys, he’s…” Chris almost said a good guy, but couldn’t quite make the words come out of his mouth. “He’s… uh… it should be fun.”
“Does he have a swimming pool?” Savannah asked.
“I honestly don’t know, but probably,” I answered.
“So he’s Dad’s client as well as your uncle?” Josh asked. “Have you worked for him too?” He thought it was strange that I’d been hiding him from the family. Why was that?
“Uh… yeah. I’ve helped him out a few times,” I hedged. “He’s… uh… kind of an influential person. Anyway, this little get-together should be fun. I’m sure Miguel will be happy to see you both. Like I was telling Savannah, he’s never had a lot of family around so, in a way, we’re his family, you know?”
Josh nodded, thinking that Miguel was cool, so at least that would save an otherwise boring night, and if he could glean more info on Uncle Joey, he was all ears.
Savannah took a deep breath to help contain her eagerness and could hardly wait to see Miguel again. Then she thought about how cool it was that he was rich, and she bounced in her seat with excitement to see where he lived. Plus, if he thought they were cousins… well, maybe he’d be more open and friendly. That could work in her favor.
Before I could shake my head in despair, we pulled into the long driveway that led past a neatly manicured yard to the front of the house. I sighed with relief that an armed guard wasn’t standing by the big, front door, and hoped Uncle Joey had sent them all home for the night.
Catching sight of the mansion brought an explosion of surprise from my kids. Even though I’d told them he was filthy rich, they’d never realized exactly how rich that was. Josh was even more curious about Uncle Joey now. He had to be worth millions, so what did he do for a living?
Savannah’s thoughts turned toward the romantic, and I caught that she thought Miguel’s story was like a rags to riches sort of thing. And now he was like a prince in a castle. Yum.
Oh hell. This was going to be pure torture. Maybe I should just put up my shields and be a normal person for the night. It might be the only way to keep my sanity around my kids. But then I wouldn’t know what everyone else was thinking, so I nixed that idea. I’d just have to work hard on my poker face and do my best to keep my expression serene and pleasant.
Chris parked the car at the end of the circular driveway, and we all marched up to the beautiful front door with etched glass panels on either side. Savannah impatiently pushed the bell, and we waited only a few seconds before Miguel answered the door. His handsome face lit up with a happy smile. “Hey guys. Come on in. We’re out in the backyard. Dad’s cooking up a storm.”
The mental image of Uncle Joey wearing an apron and armed with a spatula and hot pads sent a wave of hilarity through me, but I managed to hold it in. Miguel led us through the house and into the kitchen, where he opened the French doors which led outside onto the beautifully covered stone patio.
My breath hitched to find an amazing outdoor kitchen built off the side of the house. It held state-of-the-art appliances, including a grill to die for. Beautiful rockwork surrounded the appliances and ran the length of the kitchen, then circled around into a tall pillar with a wide-arched opening into another pillar on the other side of the patio. This side held an outdoor table and chairs, along with some nice outdoor couches and easy-chairs.
But the sight that took my breath away was the pool. Between the two pillars, stairs led directly into the dark, turquoise-blue water. At the other end, the pool curved around a beautiful, natural-looking rock waterfall. Along the side of the waterfall, I caught sight of a slide that curled into the pool. It looked just like something out of a trend-setter magazine, and my jaw dropped open in wonder.
“Shelby, Chris, nice to see you,” Uncle Joey said, leaving the grill to greet us. “Hello kids.”
I snapped my mouth shut and managed to smile. “Hey Uncle Joey, thanks for inviting us.”
“Hope you’re hungry,” he answered. Then he turned back to the grill and the sizzling aroma of top sirloin. “How do you like your steak?”
We all hurried to respond, each of us feeling the instinctive need to please him. Then Jackie joined us, asking me for help in setting the table. The relief of doing something normal broke the tension, and Miguel took Josh and Savannah on a tour of the pool and pool house, while Chris and Uncle Joey began a conversation about sports.
It hit me that Uncle Joey didn’t look one bit out of place, even while cooking our steaks. Of course, he didn’t wear an apron or anything, but he still ruled that grill, just like he ruled about everything else.
Soon everything was ready, and we sat down to eat. The only awkward moment came when Savannah made Josh trade her places so she could sit next to Miguel.
I picked up that Miguel knew she had a crush on him, but he had the grace to hide his smile, not wanting to embarrass her. He thought it was cute. And even though they were cousins, he thoroughly enjoyed the attention. Glancing around the table, his heart swelled with happiness
to be surrounded by family.
Guilt flared, sending a pain to my chest since it was all a lie. In fact, this whole charade was laced in lies. My stomach clenched, and I cringed. What were we doing to our kids? We were supposed to teach them to be good, honest people. Not lie and deceive them. What kind of an example was that?
Ready to begin, Uncle Joey called for everyone’s attention. He thanked us for coming, saying it was good to be with family. Then he bowed his head and said a prayer over the food. Luckily, he didn’t catch the shock on my face, but what the heck? A mob-boss… praying? After that, I figured nothing else he did would ever surprise me again.
We began passing the food around, and everyone dug in. As we ate, Uncle Joey asked my kids questions about their favorite subjects in school and other things they liked to do. They answered all of his inquiries with deference and respect, mostly because the authority he exuded would make anyone afraid not to. Then he cautioned them about not wasting too much time in front of the television and encouraged them to do their best in everything they tried.
“Hard work is important in this family,” he continued. “It’s the key to success, so you need to make sure you get good grades and go to college.”
Sitting at the head of the table, his fatherly advice came across like a scene right out of The Godfather, and shock hit me like a punch in the stomach. Not so much that he offered his advice, but that he meant every word.
With a jolt, I realized that he actually cared about my kids. And here I didn’t think anything else could surprise me. I must have been staring at him, because he caught my gaze and raised one eyebrow, thinking what are you looking at?
I blinked and quickly turned my attention to my plate. Luckily, Savannah chose that moment to tell him all about our Aikido classes, and how we’d both advanced to fourth kyu. I glanced up to find Uncle Joey smiling at me with approval.
“I’m happy to hear that,” he said to her. “You should keep at it. Someday, it might come in handy.” He was thinking that it had already helped me a time or two, and he was glad I had the foresight to see that Savannah got some training too.
Well damn! While I tried to form a coherent response, the conversation turned to Miguel and his plans after he graduated from high school. I sighed with relief to be off Uncle Joey’s radar and managed to swallow the food in my mouth.
“I’m planning on working for Dad this summer,” he said. “I’ve been accepted to the university, so I’ll probably start there in the fall.”
“But what about your musical career?” I asked. “Did the talent scouts get back to you?” Miguel had an amazing voice and was the lead in the high school musical of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In fact, talent scouts from New York had come just to hear him perform.
He shrugged. “Yeah. But I’m not sure what I want to do, and it’s too late to apply to the music programs at the university level.” He was thinking that the scouts had wanted him to audition for a part in a musical on Broadway, but he hadn’t told Uncle Joey about it yet. He wasn’t sure how his dad would take it, mostly because it meant he couldn’t work for him this summer. Plus, he’d have to put off college for a while.
Holy cow! A chance to audition for a Broadway musical? And he hadn’t told Uncle Joey? That was huge. Somebody needed to spill the beans. So naturally, I took it upon myself to get it out in the open. “Wait, so what did they want when they called you?”
His brows drew together in alarm, and he caught my gaze. “What do you mean?”
“You just said they got back to you, but you weren’t sure what you wanted to do… so I was asking what they said.”
Miguel licked his lips, unsure how to answer that question without giving himself away.
“I thought they were talking with Chris, not you,” Uncle Joey said, picking up the underlying friction of deceit. “Did they call you personally?”
Miguel would have to talk now, and I had to hand it to Uncle Joey that he was so perceptive.
“Uh… yeah.” Miguel let out his breath and decided to come clean. “They wanted me to audition for a musical on Broadway.”
“What?” Jackie blurted. “A Broadway musical? Which one?”
“Aladdin,” he said. “I guess the lead’s contract is up, and he’s moving on. The scouts actually thought I might have a good chance to get the part. Not that I’d get it for sure or anything… they made that clear. It’s just an audition.”
“That’s so cool!” Savannah said, bouncing in her seat. She thought with his long, dark hair and good looks, he’d totally rock the part.
“It’s a good thing you didn’t cut your hair,” I said, mentally agreeing with Savannah.
“When’s the audition?” Uncle Joey asked. “You haven’t missed it, have you?”
“No.”
Before Miguel could explain further, Uncle Joey turned to Chris, barking orders to get the scouts on the phone, and find out all the pertinent details. While Chris took out his phone and stepped away from the table, Uncle Joey glanced at Miguel, disgruntled that he’d been left in the dark. What else hadn’t Miguel told him?
He glanced my way with a nod, wanting me to listen in and get to the bottom of it. Instead, I turned to Miguel and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I think you should do the audition. Like you said, auditioning doesn’t mean you’ll get the part, but it would be a great experience, right Uncle Joey?”
“Of course,” Uncle Joey said, clearing his throat. “If that’s what you want.”
Miguel hated to disappoint his father, but just thinking about auditioning sent a thrill of excitement through him. He’d tried to ignore that hunger and be more practical, but now it might actually happen, and he couldn’t deny it any longer. He’d even practiced all the songs. And his teacher had given him some special vocal coaching on how to sing them.
He glanced at his father with enthusiasm shining in his eyes. “I’d like that. If you’re okay with it.”
Uncle Joey nodded, then sighed, wondering why Miguel didn’t just talk to him about these things. Didn’t Miguel know that he wasn’t some tyrant? “Sure. Let’s get it set up.” He was thinking that it wasn’t likely that Miguel would get the part, but who knew? It could happen.
Chris came back from his phone call, telling us that the agent would put Miguel on the list and call Chris tomorrow with the details. That’s when it struck me how quickly Chris had jumped to do Uncle Joey’s bidding, and a trickle of unease ran down my spine. When had Uncle Joey so totally taken over our lives? How would this affect our kids?
As if he’d heard me, Chris sat down in his chair beside me, sending a tight smile my way and squeezing my hand under the table. I picked up a flicker of worry from him, and my breath hitched in response. What had we gotten into now?
Somehow, I managed to calm down and finish eating. After that, we all pitched in to clear the table. Miguel asked Josh and Savannah if they’d like to go swimming, telling them that there were all sizes of swimming suits in the pool house, and the water was plenty warm. Josh jumped at the chance, but Savannah wasn’t sure she wanted to ruin her hair and makeup.
“You should totally go for it,” I said to her. “I mean… look at that slide.”
“Okay.” She smiled and followed the boys to the pool house. Soon, they were in the pool having a great time, like they’d known each other their whole lives. It was kind of like they were part of one big happy family, just like Uncle Joey kept insinuating. My stomach clenched. He’d told me I was family, and now I was beginning to realize just what that meant.
“Shelby,” Uncle Joey said. “Help me take these inside.” He motioned toward a couple of trays, along with the salt and pepper and the other accessories needed for grilling. I hurried over and took one of the trays and followed him into the kitchen. “Just set them on the counter.”
“Okay. I can wash them up if you want.”
“There’s no need for that,” he said, thinking the housekeeper would do it in the morning. Then
he glanced out at the patio, making sure we wouldn’t be interrupted. “I’m worried about Ramos. There’s something going on, and I’d like you to find out what it is.”
At my raised brows, he continued. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t for his own good. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’ll send you on an errand with Ramos tomorrow. I have a delivery that Ramos usually does on his own, but I’ll tell him that you need to go so you can learn if anything suspicious is going on. Should be simple. While you’re out, maybe you can pick up what’s bothering him. Sound good?”
I didn’t have the courage to tell him that Ramos had come to my rescue earlier today, so I asked Uncle Joey a question instead. “But what if he doesn’t want me to know?”
“Just try and figure it out. Ask a few questions. He might be willing to tell you, and then you can tell me.”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do, but he knows how to block his thoughts pretty well.”
“Yeah, but you’ll probably pick up something. Any kind of a clue might be enough to confront him with it, and he’ll open up.”
“Uh… how about I tell you the clues and you confront him?” I asked.
He snickered. “Afraid he might be mad at you?”
“Well… yes. He’s kind of scary when he gets mad.”
Uncle Joey shook his head. “Fine.” But he was thinking Ramos had a soft spot for me, so I shouldn’t worry so much. “Another thing,” he continued. “What do you think about going to New York with Miguel? If you went, you’d know what they thought of him, and I’d really like to know if he has a shot at making this a career. If not, I’d rather he didn’t waste his time.”
“Uh… I see what you mean, but don’t you think it might be weird if I went? I mean… he’s eighteen. He can certainly take care of this himself, right? So having me along… I don’t think that would go over very well.”
Uncle Joey sighed. “I suppose you’re right, but I don’t think he’d object. In fact, he might like having you along. Better than going alone, don’t you think? It would just be for the day, or maybe overnight depending on when it was, and you could go in my private jet.”