South beach (25 page)

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Alexa didn't miss a beat. "Mah-jongg," she mouthed back.

"She's playing mah-jongg with friends." Holly told her parents. She gave Alexa a big smile. "I'll tell her to call you when she gets in." Holly was so thankful to have Alexa there with her.

Holly's parents confirmed that they'd be meeting her at Newark on Friday morning, and that they'd continue their discussion then. Holly said good-bye and clicked off, triumphant. Her parents might still decide to ground her when she was back home, but that didn't matter. The point was, Holly had faced her fear head-on. And talking to the 'rents hadn't been a nightmare at all.
Maybe things always seem scarier in your head,
Holly thought.

Alexa leaned across the table and planted a kiss on Holly's cheek. "See? You did it, Hoi. And you were so inspiring." Alexa had never seen her old friend pull herself together so well; over the course of these past few days, she seemed to have blossomed.

"I literally could not have done it without you," Holly replied truthfully.

"All I did was let you crush the feeling out of my hand," Alexa teased, sliding her fingers out of Holly's grip.

Holly giggled.
"And
you came up with that last-minute mah-jongg save."

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"Well, you were, like, on a roll, being so honest!" Alexa exclaimed. "I was terrified you were going to spill the beans about the Flamingo."

"Please," Holly said, shaking her head. "These are my parents we're talking about! One thing at a time."

After the girls left the News Café, they strolled back to the beach with their arms lightly linked, enjoying the mellow afternoon sunshine on their shoulders and faces. Holly was reluctant to interrupt their moment of silent bonding by reaching for her cell phone again. But she had to call Grandma Ida to relay the latest about her parents, and ask for that loan.

Fortunately, Holly's chat with her grandmother was a brief one. They made plans to have dinner in South Beach that evening so Grandma Ida could pick up her Pontiac, lend Holly the money, and hear all about the girls' week. Holly shut her phone with a satisfied sigh.

"Where are we meeting Ida?" Alexa asked as they meandered down the promenade.

"Puerto Sagua, a Cuban place," Holly replied. At the same instant, both she and Alexa made the mental leap to Diego. And Holly realized there was still one more call to make. But this time, she decided, she shouldn't be the one making it.

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"But I don't think you should come with us," Holly said.

"Why not?" Alexa asked, startled.

"Because there's someone else you should probably see," Holly explained, finding Diego's number in her cell. "Alexa, I want you to call Señor Mendieta. You know he called me yesterday, but I think it's pretty obvious who he really wanted to talk to."

Alexa shook her head as a blush slowly warmed her face. "Holly, can we both just forget about Diego? It's too messy --"

Holly gave Alexa a long, steady look. "Alexa,
I
am on my way to forgetting about Diego. But I don't think you are, no matter what you say about being 'off boys.'"

Alexa didn't respond. She
did
want to see Diego again. She wanted to stay in touch with him in some capacity -- even just as a friend.

At the sight of Alexa's scarlet cheeks, Holly felt even more confident that she was right. She could always talk to Diego another time. But, judging by the look on Alexa's face, she needed to be in touch with him -- the sooner the better. Diego and Alexa her two old friends -- together made sense to Holly now, even if that realization was tinged with a bit of sadness.

"Look," Holly said, pushing her cell phone into

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Alexa's hand. "You convinced
me
to make a scary phone call today, right? So ... consider this payback." Holly held her friend's gaze, serious, for a long moment. "Okay?"

A smile of comprehension bloomed on Alexa's face. On the beach that morning, she and Holly had each said that they were sorry. But Alexa supporting Holly during the talk with her parents, and Holly now encouraging Alexa to call the boy she'd once loved, were their
true
ways of apologizing.

"Okay," Alexa said softly, accepting the cell phone. She hoped her expression conveyed the depth of gratitude that she felt toward Holly for showing such maturity.

"I think I'll give
you
some privacy now," Holly said over her shoulder, starting off down the promenade. "Meet me back on the beach, okay?"

Alexa clutched the cell phone, insanely nervous. Last night, she'd told Diego that they shouldn't see each other again, but now here she was, calling him up. What would he make of that? What would
she
make of that?
Friends,
Alexa told herself firmly.
I'll
say we should be friends.

Alexa wasn't quite sure if she was acting wisely, but it was too late to stop now. She was already clicking on Diego's name and holding Holly's phone to her ear. It

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was as if Alexa were being driven forward by an irresistible and irrational force. Because, even though she still felt a little confused about the whole boy issue, Alexa was absolutely clear on one thing: She couldn't go back home without seeing Diego Mendieta one more time. She only hoped he'd want to see her, too.

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Meant to Be

That night, after Holly left to meet Ida, Alexa stood waiting outside the Flamingo, fiddling with the gold bangles around her wrist. Her nervous hands had to play with
something,
and the bracelets were her only accessories. Alexa was deliberately keeping her look simple that night; she wore a silky, daffodil Betsey Johnson slip dress and gold ballet flats, and her freshly washed hair spilled down her back.

During her slightly stiff conversation with Diego on the phone that afternoon, Alexa made it clear to him that she wanted nothing more than friendship, but mentioned that she wouldn't mind seeing him again -- just for coffee or whatever. Diego had suggested a casual dinner, and offered to pick Alexa up at the Flamingo, since the café he had in mind was

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driving distance from the motel. Ida was taking back her car that night, leaving Alexa without a set of wheels, so she had agreed.

And now she stood on the corner, her stomach in knots, as she saw the familiar dark-blue Honda make its way toward her.

Diego pulled to a stop at the curb. Alexa walked toward him, watching through the passenger window as he put the car in park and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He looked a little nervous, but also more breathtakingly hot than ever.

"Good Lord," Alexa muttered to herself. Suddenly, she wanted to get into that car, slide her arms around his neck, and run
her
fingers through his hair.
Friends,
she reminded herself sternly as she stepped off the curb. To settle the butterflies in her stomach, Alexa mentally ticked off all the reasons she shouldn't be lusting after Diego: There was her need to be single for a while. Her lingering worries about Holly's feelings. And the fact that it was simply silly to get invested in a boy who lived all the way down in Miami. The whole long-distance thing was
so
not Alexa's style.

She was reaching for the handle on the car door when Diego emerged from the driver's side. Their eves met. He smiled, and Alexa felt her knees weaken at the sight of his delicious dimples. Diego walked

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around the car, over to where she stood, one hand behind his back, the other in his pocket.

They faced each other on the street, just as they had on that fateful Sunday night. Then, there had been fiery anger between them; now, there was just palpable, almost excruciating tension. Diego's dark, soulful eyes lingered on Alexa's face, and she wondered if he was feeling as she had felt about him two seconds ago: dying to touch her, but knowing he shouldn't.

"Hi," Alexa said, sliding the bangles up and down her wrist.

"Hi," Diego said. He moved his hand from behind his back and held it out to Alexa. He was holding a single, perfect white orchid.

"For me?" Alexa asked, her heart jumping. Orchids were her favorite flower -- exotic, rare, wild.

But not exactly "friendly."

"Diego, you shouldn't have --" she began, her voice quivering, but he shook his head and smiled.

"Blame my mom," he said. "She taught me to always bring a girl flowers. Even girls who are just friends," he added, his expression slightly teasing.

"Well... thank you," Alexa relented, taking the orchid. Diego opened the car door for her, and she slid inside with a smile. There was something funny about getting into the very car that had brought her and Diego together in the first place, Alexa reflected

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as Diego returned to the driver's seat. She longed to share her thoughts with him, but she held back. She could bring it up over dinner, when she was feeling less on edge. She set the orchid in her lap and took a deep breath.

"So where's this café?" Alexa asked as Diego turned the key in the ignition and steered the car into the traffic.

"Hmm. Not too far," Diego replied mysteriously, his eyes on the road. He was an amazing driver, Alexa noticed: Smooth and slow when he needed to be, fast and almost reckless when he could
be. I bet he's good at everything else, too,
Alexa thought, her skin flushing hot.

"What kind of food is it?" Alexa asked, forcing herself to think chaste thoughts.

"Oh, you know," Diego said, changing lanes, and flashing her an incredibly sexy smile.

"Italian?" Alexa guessed, suddenly intrigued. She loved going out to eat, and had practically memorized the "Eating & Drinking" section of her Miami guidebook. "Is it Caffe Abbracci in Coral Gables?" she asked excitedly.

"Not exactly," Diego said.

"Well ... so is it sushi, then?" Alexa asked.

Diego shook his head, his dimples showing. "Stop guessing, Ms. Impatient."

Alexa laughed, feeling some of the tension between

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them ease. As Diego drove through the shimmering South Beach streets, they talked easily about movies they'd seen that year, songs they'd recently downloaded onto their respective iPods, and the big bonfire and concert that was taking place at Lummus Park Beach the following night.

We work well as friends,
Alexa thought as Diego parked the car in front of a tall apartment building. But she couldn't ignore the fact that even talking about everyday things with Diego felt somehow electrifying to her.

Diego opened the door for her, and Alexa got out of the car, still clutching her orchid. She looked around in confusion. They were in a tree-lined residential area of South Beach that was unfamiliar to her, and there didn't seem to be any cafés nearby.

"Are we going to walk from here?" she asked Diego, who was, inexplicably, guiding her toward the front door of the apartment building. Alexa was about to ask him where they were going when she saw three slender ivory orchids, tied with a piece of twine, propped up against the door. Tucked into the twine
was
a folded piece of white paper with alexa written in bold, blocky handwriting. Her breath caught. The flowers were meant for
her.
Disbelieving, she walked toward the doorway and scooped up the orchids, their heady scent dizzying her. Diego was holding the door open,

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and Alexa, too confused to ask any more questions, stepped through it into a gleaming lobby. This was clearly a swankier building than Grandma Ida's, with tall mirrors and shiny floors.

"Where
are
we?" she asked Diego at last, turning to him, her arms full of orchids.

"This is where I live," Diego explained, his eyes dancing.

"We're going to have dinner at your house?" Alexa exclaimed anxiously. Her mind was racing. Did Diego want her to meet his parents? Or were his parents not even home? Either setup would be
way
too serious.

Diego shook his head, grinning. "Not unless you want to spend the evening watching
CSI
with my mom or helping my dad organize his medical journals."

"So then where are we ..."Alexa trailed off, catching sight of another bouquet of orchids resting delicately in front of a nearby bank of elevators, also bearing a note with her name on it. Once again, her heart skipped, and she looked at Diego, confused but curious. "Am I supposed to follow the orchids?" she asked with a slow smile of understanding.

Diego tilted his head to one side, saying nothing. Instead, he gently took her elbow and led her toward the elevators. Alexa picked up the flowers, and they stepped inside. Diego pressed a button marked r and the elevator swept them up. Alexa realized she was