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“I assume his son is nothing like him?”
“Nothing at all.” She picked up her bag and stood. “I’m sure you won’t whisper anything I’ve said to the tabloids, but please don’t tell anyone else I’m about to marry the heir to the Ortiz fortune, because I’m not.”
The agent’s expression lit with glee. “That’s such a delicious secret, Ana. Couldn’t I mention you know him?”
Fortunately, she knew he was teasing. “No, not a word. Please give Mr. Ortiz our standard refusal: my current schedule simply doesn’t allow time to promote his cruise line. You needn’t say I’m dreadfully sorry, though.”
He walked her to the office door. “You lead such an exciting life, Ana. You should begin working on your memoirs.”
Ana left without replying to his silly bit of unwanted advice.
A job kept her busy on Thursday, but the weekend appeared bleak. Saturday afternoon she put on her floppy hat and sunglasses for a long walk to burn off her restless energy. She stopped at a flower shop on Las Ramblas and had just picked up an iris and daffodil bouquet for her bedroom when she glanced up to see Libby Gunderson and Maggie Mondragon coming her way. She peeked over her sunglasses so they’d recognize her and said, “Hello.”
“Ana!” Libby exclaimed. “Come have a drink with us.”
Ana paid for the flowers and, eager for some company, joined them. They sat at a table at the closest café, and Ana ordered tea and a thin slice of lemon cake. “You’re not carrying anything. How can you walk down Las Ramblas and not buy something fun?” she asked.
“I’ll get some flowers before going home,” Maggie replied. “We were talking about school and not paying attention to the vendors along the way.”
“I’m coaching the women’s sports at the same America high school where Maggie teaches Spanish,” Libby explained. “Most of the kids are great, but others, are, well, a challenge.”
“They believe they know everything?” Ana asked.
“Yes, exactly,” Libby responded, “and they are sophisticated kids. Most of their parents are executives with American companies, and they’ve traveled and seen a lot of the world. That can make school seem a total bore, but they need to keep their grades up for admission to the best colleges. To make matters worse, parents put pressure on us if their students aren’t applying themselves.”
Ana sipped her tea. “I didn’t spend much time in high school and didn’t attend college, but aren’t most teenagers obnoxious?”
“Maggie was never obnoxious,” Libby exclaimed.
“I was the studious sort,” Maggie added, “unlike my sisters.”
The pair were half sisters and shared the same mother, but Miguel Aragon had been Maggie’s father. Ana could see him in Maggie, but she’d known her for nearly a year and gotten used to the striking resemblance. Miguel had been an extraordinarily handsome man, and Maggie was a beautiful woman. It wasn’t a thought Ana cared to dwell on. “It must be nice to have sisters. I’m an only child.”
Maggie sat forward slightly. “It doesn’t have to be a disadvantage.”
Ana nodded. “True, but it would have been nice to have someone else around so my mother wouldn’t have been so totally focused on me.”
“Siblings are definitely an advantage there,” Libby agreed. “I don’t want to pry, but did you call Javier Cazares?”
“Yes. He’s an excellent detective. It turned out to be a shoe designer who was sending me flowers, not an obsessed or dangerous fan. I still have the kittens, by the way, but I’ve gotten used to them.”
Their conversation turned to the fashions Ana had recently modeled, and she told them about the brief trip to Mallorca. “I love location shoots. I don’t have time to travel otherwise.”
Libby finished her drink. “We’re going out to dinner tonight with Rafael and Santos. Would you like to come with us?”
“Seeing you this afternoon was fun, and thank you for the invitation, but Santos would choke if he had to sit through a dinner with me. Perhaps we’ll see each other at another charity event.”
Maggie and Libby watched Ana hurry away, swinging her flowers in time with her steps. “Does she seem sad to you?” Maggie asked.
“Why would she be sad? She has everything, doesn’t she?”
“Everything except Santos,” Maggie reminded her, “and maybe you shouldn’t tell him we saw her.”
“Good advice,” Libby agreed.
Ana went to a French movie at a small theatre Saturday night and stayed in on Sunday. She hoped Alejandro would go to El Gato and sit on the patio all afternoon waiting for her, but she had too much pride to sit there alone hoping to see him. Instead, she danced in her home studio and even went so far as to don a tutu. Dancing always made her feel better, and so, tired, she slept all night without waking.
She’d just gotten dressed Monday morning, when Henry buzzed her condo. “Ms. Santillan, there are some detectives here to see you.”
