Chapter Nine

Amara rapped on the front door of her parents’ house on the mainland, then opened it and stepped into the cozy living room. “Guess who?” she announced.

“Amara!” her grandmother exclaimed. “It’s about time you finally decided to join your family for dinner again.” Isabel Perez was the undisputed queen of the kitchen and matriarch of the Perez family. Her graying hair had been pulled back into a bun, and a brightly colored apron covered her plain blue dress. She had pushed her red-framed reading glasses onto the top of her head, and silver and turquoise earrings dangled from her earlobes.

Before Amara could reply, her mother, Carmen, rushed to hug her daughter. “Mama,” she scolded the older woman. “Amara told us why she hasn’t been here.” She took Amara’s purse and sweater and hung them on a wrought iron coat rack. “What a pleasant surprise, though. Did you get finished with your dance practice early?”

Amara explained about the cancellation without going into details. "I hope there’s enough for an extra person at the table.”

“There’s always enough for one more,” her grandmother replied. “Always enough, especially for family, because what’s more important than family?” Her brows raised inquiringly.

“Mama,” Carmen warned again, drawing out the word.

“I know,” Isabel said, holding her hands out in a defensive posture. “But I still don’t like it.”

Amara moved to her grandmother’s side and hugged the woman. “Abuelita, nothing is more important to me than my family. But if I win the contest I’ll get money I can donate to the literacy program. Do you have any idea how much good that money would do? It’s five thousand dollars.” She emphasized the amount.

Isabel wiped her hands on her apron, mumbled something about a pot needing to be stirred and left the room.

“Don’t worry. She understands.” Amara’s father, Julio, sat on a moss green upholstered sofa, the daily newspaper strewn around him and his nose buried in the sports section. “She just doesn’t want to admit it. She’s a stubborn old woman.”

That stubbornness had paid off, especially when Isabel, her late husband and their son, Julio, had boarded a broken-down boat in their native Cuba and endured five days of terror to arrive on the shores of America and begin a new life. When others had given up, Isabel had refused to give in. Her family would survive. They would make it to America. And they would do whatever it took to succeed in their new home.

Isabel had taken in ironing and eventually built a reputation as a talented seamstress. She and her husband both struggled with learning the language of their new homeland, and eventually both had enrolled in a class similar to the one Amara taught.

Twelve-year-old Julio had been enrolled in school as soon as they settled in Naples, and he picked up the language quickly from the other students. He soon became his parents’ translator until their language skills improved.

Amara’s grandfather had been a doctor in Cuba, but had to settle for work as a janitor once they were settled on the west coast of Florida. Eventually he had found a patron and completed the course work needed to become a doctor in the United States. Neither Amara nor her father had to endure the same struggles thanks to Isabel’s persistence.

Julio had graduated first in his class in high school and attended college on an academic scholarship. There he met Carmen and they married after graduation. Both had business degrees, and while Carmen worked as an accountant, Julio had risen in the ranks of a large international corporation to become a senior project manager. Their simple lifestyle belied their professional success. But they never forgot their roots and chose to help others the same way Julio’s family had been helped after arriving in America.

“How’s the dancing coming along?” he asked.

“It’s better. My dance partner struggled at first. Jasper helped him, which was really nice on Jasper’s part since we’re his competition. I think he really wants to see someone from Allegro win, though.”

“With two contestants out of eight in the contest, that’s pretty good odds,” her mother chimed in.

“Three,” Amara corrected. “We have three contestants. Jasper’s partner is the woman who has the yoga studio on the island. My partner is the baseball coach. And the instructor who started teaching at Allegro a few months ago was paired with Nino Rossi.”

“Who is the one with the airplane banner? I see it almost every day,” Julio asked. “The women in my office think he’s gone too far with that.”

“He’s dancing for another studio on the island. And he’s even running radio ads.”

“I heard one,” Carmen said. “And how annoying. Does he really think that silly jingle will win him votes?”

Amara shrugged. At least Ryan hadn’t stooped that low. His frequent tweets were sincere and depicted his daily routine. They had also done a few from Allegro. Even Charity Grambling agreed Antonio was over the top. When Amara had stopped into the Super Min the previous day, the store owner had told her she voted for Ryan daily before commenting on how cute he was.

“That young man of yours is quite handsome,” Carmen interjected. “I saw him interviewed on the television sports about a new player the baseball team had signed. And all the women in my office follow him on Twitter and vote every day.”

“He isn’t my young man,” Amara insisted. A telltale flush raced up her neck and stained her cheeks bright pink. Carmen raised an eyebrow and Amara shook her head.

She didn’t want to discuss Ryan with them. There was nothing to discuss anyway. One kiss meant nothing, even if that kiss had left her breathless, light-headed and wanting more.

No, she wasn’t going to fall for Ryan Kidd. But why did that kiss have to be the most amazing kiss she’d ever had?