that. Referred to as “Charming” by the women in town, he was six feet tall with broad shoulders, dark hair, deep blue eyes, a square jaw and an easy smile that never failed to make Alyssa’s toes curl inside her running shoes.
So although she couldn’t deny that she was attracted, she was thankfully smart enough to realize that he was way out of her league. And that was okay, because when it came to the dating game, she was content to sit in the bleachers and watch others play.
Someday she might be ready to suit up and hit the field, but after so many years of being “coached” by her doctors and parents, she just wanted to call her own plays for a while. Which was why she’d finally moved away from the well-meaning but stifling attention of her family.
Eight months later, Renata Cabrera still hadn’t let up in her campaign to get her youngest daughter to come home. Her latest effort, begun when Alyssa was home for the Christmas holidays, had been a reintroduction to Diego Garcia. He was “handsome and single” as her mother had promised, but Alyssa simply wasn’t interested.
Unfortunately, Renata refused to believe it, and Alyssa couldn’t remember the last conversation she’d had with her mother without some mention of Diego. Most recently Renata had suggested that he might be traveling to Nevada to help his cousin, who lived in Elko and had recently split from his girlfriend, move out of their shared apartment and into his own. Alyssa hated to think that her mother had encouraged Diego to make the trip—or to think that she had any kind of personal interest in him—but she couldn’t disregard either possibility.
With her travel mug of coffee in one hand and car keys in the other, Alyssa had just stepped onto the driveway when her phone rang. Only one person ever called her early in the morning, so she didn’t need to glance at the display to know who it was.
She unlocked the car door and set her coffee in the cup holder on the console before pulling the phone out of her purse and connecting the call. “Buenos días, Mama.”
“I’m just calling to remind you that Diego’s going to be in Nevada this weekend,” her mother responded without preamble.
Alyssa closed her eyes and quietly banged her head against the open door. “I didn’t realize those were firm plans.”
“Then you weren’t listening,” Renata said.
“I’m working this weekend,” she reminded her mother.
“You’re working tonight,” Renata acknowledged. “And Diego said he would stop by this Diggers’ place so the two of you could make plans for when you’re not working.”
“I have another job, too,” Alyssa said. “And test papers and lab reports to mark this weekend.”
“You work too hard,” her mother protested. “At the school all day and then a second job at night.”
“Only two nights a week,” she interjected to clarify the part-time status of her bartending job at the local watering hole.
“If you don’t slow down, you’re going to wear yourself out,” Renata continued, as if she hadn’t heard her.
Alyssa didn’t bother to point out that her sister worked a full-time job and then cared for a husband and son when she got home, and nobody worried that Cristina was going to wear herself out. All she said was “I’m fine, Mama.”
“You need a break,” Renata said. “And I think spending some time with Diego will fit the bill nicely.”
“Diego’s a nice guy,” she began in an effort to appease her mother.
“From a good family,” Renata pointed out. “And ready to settle down and start a family of his own.”
Which was something Alyssa was definitely not ready to do. “Mama—”
“Would it be such a hardship to spend some time with an interesting and attractive single man?”
“Of course not,” she acknowledged. “But—” she needed to firmly and finally extinguish any hopes her mother had of striking a romantic match between Alyssa and Diego “—the truth is, I’ve been seeing somebody here.”
Except that it wasn’t the truth—it was a blatant lie.
But desperate times called for desperate measures.
“You’ve been seeing someone?” her mother echoed, not bothering to hide her skepticism.
“That’s right,” she confirmed.
Lied.
Again.
“And why am I only hearing about this now?” Renata challenged.
“I didn’t want to jinx the relationship by talking about it too soon.”
But apparently she didn’t mind going to hell, which was certainly her destination after she added more falsehoods and untruths to the conversation.
“Well, this puts me in an extremely awkward position, Alyssa,” Renata said. “If I’d known about this...relationship...I would not have encouraged Diego to look you up while he’s in town.”
She didn’t bother to point out that Elko was a different town in a different county. “Maybe it’s not too late to get in touch with him and recommend he change his plans,” she suggested hopefully.
“Unfortunately, it is,” her mother said. “He’s already in Nevada, so I’m just going to trust that, when you see him tonight, you’ll treat him as you would any friend visiting from out of town.”
“Of course,” Alyssa murmured, her mind once again scrambling. “But now I really do have to go, so I’m not late for work.”
“Okay,” Renata said. “But don’t forgot to call Nicolas next week to wish him a happy birthday.”
“I won’t forget,” she promised, already looking forward to talking to her almost-five-year-old nephew—because although he always told her he missed her, he never tried to guilt her into moving back to California. “Goodbye, Mama. Te quiero.”
After her mother had said goodbye, too, Alyssa disconnected the call and sighed wearily. “I’m going to hell.”
“I’m not a priest, but I’m willing to listen to your confession, if it would help.”
She jolted at the sound of Jason’s voice behind her, then pressed a hand to her racing heart as she turned to face him. Of course, seeing him now, freshly showered and shaven, her heart raced even faster.
“Sorry to startle you,” he said.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I didn’t expect—You don’t usually leave for work this early, do you?”
“No,” he admitted. “And you don’t usually leave this late.”
She glanced at the clock display on her phone and winced. “You’re right.”
“I don’t want to hold you up any
