Man up

As it turned out Valerie came back only a handful of times to pick up more of her things. The girl had had the worst luck with guys during the time she’d stayed away from Alex. A nightmare ex-flame from her past came back to haunt her just as she and Alex were trying to make things work. He turned out to be a stalker of the worst kind, but when the chaos he ensued was all said and done he’d been arrested and to everyone’s surprise, Valerie and Alex were married on a whim in Bermuda.

Isabel couldn’t be happier for her and didn’t even care that she’d be left holding the bill on Valerie’s end of the lease. But Valerie had been adamant about paying her half still until the end of the lease was up. With Valerie gone now, Romero was at Isabel’s place more and more. She liked it that way, but Pat was still at it, putting in her jabs about him.

“Well, he was over here last night and after talking to Charles he decided to do it. Charles is going to have a dinner to announce it on the base and invite all the influential people he knows—and he knows a lot. This is so exciting. We’re getting it all together as fast as we can. The dinner is two nights from today. Gina’s flying in and Art already said he’d be there, too.”

Isabel frowned. Her sister probably had Charles working fast and furiously before her Dad could change his mind. The last time she’d spoken with her dad he had his reservations about running. He wasn’t sure if he was up for all the campaigning. But she should’ve known her sister would stop at nothing to get the chance to say her father was the mayor of San Diego. “Are you sure he really wants to do this, Pat? He didn’t sound too enthused about it when I spoke to him last.”

“Of course he does. He was just getting cold feet, but with Charles and me helping him, he’ll be fine. You will be able to make it right?”

“Umm you may want to come alone because, we’re having speakers and presentations and stuff. I’ll need you to help me make sure everything runs smoothly. Then there’s the family photo ops. The local papers will be there. They might even want to interview you or take statements. You’re really not gonna have time to entertain anyone.”

Isabel scooped the scrambled eggs onto two plates. “He’s coming with me, Pat.” Unless he couldn’t go for whatever reason. Pat was crazy if she thought Isabel was going to allow her to continue dictating her life. Romero meant everything to her now and she’d be damned if she was going to make the same mistake twice.

“Isabel, can you think of Daddy for a second here? Art is coming alone.”

“He is?” That surprised Isabel. The last time she spoke with Art he said he didn’t give a shit what Patricia had to say about Sabrina anymore.

“Yes, he knows how important it is that this be perfect for Daddy.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “And how would bringing Sabrina make it not perfect?”

“Do we really need to get into that?”

Romero walked into the kitchen. He kissed Isabel then poured himself some coffee. “I’m gonna have breakfast now. Tell Daddy I’ll be there Wednesday.”

Setting her phone down she grabbed her plate off the counter and she sat down next to Romero, but not before planting a big one on him.

“Where you going Wednesday?”

“My dad is running for Mayor, after all. They’ll be announcing it Wednesday night at a dinner on the Navy base. You think you can make it?”

Romero stopped chewing and stared at her. He still hadn’t met her father. Because he was also in Alex’s brother’s wedding, the wedding and the events leading up to it had taken up a lot of their weekends, these past several weeks. And since his business had picked up so much work he’d been really busy lately. But she knew Romero wasn’t anxious to meet him. “I have something going on late Wednesday afternoon. What time’s the dinner?”

“I don’t have all the details yet but she’s calling me back tonight.”

“I thought you said your dad didn’t wanna run?”

Isabel got up and poured herself some milk. “He said he wasn’t so sure he wanted to. But I guess he changed his mind.” She wouldn’t tell him she knew Pat was behind it all. He had enough reason to dislike her sister. She’d begun to notice how when Romero was bothered by something he’d stare off into space. He was doing it now. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He was obviously surprised that she noticed. “I just got a busy day today.”

Isabel was actually looking at a day off. The district was making so many cuts lately they kept adding collaboration days to the school calendar. She got the day off but, of course, she didn’t get paid for it. “Where are you working today?”

“I just signed a contract with the uniform distributor. They have several factories; they want us to drop in and do a surprise security inspection. Make sure they’re covering everything the way they’re supposed to, then I gotta meet with some dude that wants his girl followed around. He thinks she’s cheating.” He shrugged. “It’s crazy how many people out there think their partners are fooling around. How do you think someone is cheating on you?”

The question confused Isabel. “Why not? If she’s done something questionable or he’s noticed something different about her lately.”

“Exactly. If you think it so much you’re willing to hire someone to find out, you already know.” He drank some of his coffee and continued. “You’re just in denial, holding on to the miniscule hope that you’re wrong.”

“That’s not fair though. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt. Their partner could just be having a bad week—month.”

Romero shook his head. “I’ve yet to prove even one of these clients that thought their spouses or partners were cheating, wrong. I actually feel bad taking their money just to tell them something they already knew.” His expression went suddenly hard. “I think I’d know.”

In the relatively short time she’d known Romero, she’d seen that lethal expression several times now. Most memorably, the morning of Michael’s call. She touched his hard arm. “I’ve always been a firm believer that cheating is inexcusable. I’ve seen it so many times on television and even read articles of people trying to justify it. I was lonely, felt neglected, my partner treated me badly—it’s all B.S. If you’re not happy and there’s no working things out, you leave. Plain and simple, you don’t sneak around. I just don’t see the point. If someone else makes you happier, then you do the right thing and end the relationship you’re in.” She leaned in closer to his face that had somewhat relaxed a little. “So you’d never have to worry about me cheating, my love.” She kissed him. “And if you keep me as happy as I feel now, I don’t see how anyone else could ever make me happier.”

He finally smiled. “I don’t think it’s something I ever wanna think about.” He kissed her longer than she did then stood up. “I gotta go. What are your plans today?”

“Clean and grade some papers.”

Romero glanced around with a smirk. “Clean what?” he laughed. “This place is spotless.”

Isabel smiled, picking up her plate and glass from the table. “I’m cleaning out the fridge and the restroom could use a good scrubbing.”

After putting his watch on and grabbing his keys off the counter he walked over to Isabel and pulled her to him by the waist, kissing her like only he could. “My perfect, Izzy,” he whispered.

“Will you stop saying that?” She giggled. “God are you ever gonna be disappointed when you find out I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. And you could never disappoint me.” He patted her behind then let her go. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Romero hadn’t slept in his own apartment in days. Strangely, neither he nor Isabel had addressed the fact. It’s like neither wanted to bring up the idea of moving in together. It only made sense. Why pay two rents? Then she could stop taking Valerie’s money for her half. But it felt too soon. And if he wasn’t bringing it up, maybe he thought so, too.

***

The plans Romero had for Wednesday weren’t anything that couldn’t easily be rescheduled. It was just a meeting with another client who suspected her husband of cheating. Romero knew he could either reschedule or have someone else meet with her. It was no big deal, but he saw it as his way of getting out of having to meet Isabel’s dad under these kinds of circumstances. Meet him during a dinner where he announces he’s running for mayor, surrounded by a bunch of other snobs? Could there be a fucking worse time? Nope. He wasn’t rescheduling shit. He’d just tell Isabel he’d have to meet her dad another time.

After the surprise inspections at the uniform factories, he met with the poor sap who suspected his girl of cheating. Before meeting Isabel, he didn’t understand why these guys would bother. Fuck the bitch was what he’d always thought. No girl was worth this kind of aggravation and he most certainly wouldn’t be spending hard earned money just to find out the obvious. Now what he didn’t understand was how these guys could have the patience to wait around and wonder. Romero would get right to it if he so much as suspected Isabel might be doing something behind his back.

More than anything what he found so hard to understand now, were the reactions these guys had to seeing pictures and video of their girls with someone else. It was mind blowing. He hadn’t thought much of it when he presented the last guy with pictures and he looked through them shaking his head and made a few comments about how he knew it. To see a picture of his Izzy so much as cozying up with another dude, would be beyond devastating. He didn’t even want to think about what he would do. He was only glad she’d told him how she felt about the whole subject of cheating that morning. The very thought of her with someone else, before she said it, had made him furious.

He met with the guy at his office on a construction site. Romero was going to have to think about leasing a small office space. This driving around all over to meet with clients was getting old. He’d talk to Valerie soon about looking for a place for him. According to Isabel, she really knew her real estate.

The guy filled him in on why he suspected his girlfriend was being sneaky—same as always—increased amounts of out-of-town meetings, secrecy and caught in lies, but most telling and one he got a lot, were the texts and phone calls at odd hours of the night. He almost felt like telling him, “Dude, we both know she’s cheating. Why do this?”

He stopped at his place before heading to Isabel’s to pick up some more clothes. As long as she didn’t object to him staying with her every night, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever come back to his place. In fact, his lease was up soon. Maybe he’d casually mention that to her.

When she opened the door for him at her place she held her hands out as to not touch him, but she still leaned in to kiss him. “My hands are covered in tomato, I was just dicing some. Maybe I should get you your own key.”

“That’d be cool,” he said, trying not to sound as excited as that made him. All right, he’d admit it. Living with her would be fucking awesome.

He started telling her about his day when she brought up her dad’s dinner. “Oh, by the way, the dinner is at six but my sister wants me there early to help out.”

Romero put on his best-disappointed face. “I can’t, babe. I’m meeting that client at five.” He couldn’t help feeling like an asshole when he saw the discontent in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said, coming around the counter. “We’ll set up something with your dad another time. Okay?”

He kissed her. He was just getting going, thoughts of putting her on the counter and making it up to her entering his mind. Her loose shorts would make for easy access. Then her phone rang. “That’s probably my sister,” she said breathlessly, pulling away from him.

Well, damn.

He picked at the food in the different bowls she had on the counter. She wasn’t kidding when she said she was cleaning out the fridge today. He bit in to a piece of carrot and leaned against the counter.

“No. I’ll be alone. He has to work, but I’ll be there early to help you.” Isabel smiled at him and motioned for him to eat the food on the counter. He nodded with a smile of his own, checking her out. He could hardly believe she was all his. “When is Gina flying in?” There was a pause while her sister answered then, “And Art? Is he in town yet?”

Romero felt another twinge of guilt. This would’ve been the perfect time to meet the rest of her siblings. All of them in town at once—how often would that happen? Still, the thought of meeting them all under those circumstances was unsettling to say the least. He swallowed back the guilt.

Isabel wrapped up her phone call surprisingly fast. Her sister usually kept her on for much longer. Romero couldn’t be happier. Just watching her in her soft shorts and tank she wore—obviously bra-less, made him forget about his appetite and how much he’d rather be doing other things with her.

She started to tell him about what her sister had to say, as if he cared, when he pulled her to him and devoured her mouth. Forgetting his thoughts about putting her on the counter he started her out of the kitchen. He wanted her underneath him now.

“Where are we going? Don’t you wanna eat?”

“Oh, yeah I wanna eat.” He smiled then laughed, when he saw her face go beet red in an instant.

***

By Wednesday morning, with all the talk about the damn dinner he’d heard and listening to how excited Isabel was that her brother and sister were both in town he could hardly fight the guilt anymore. Isabel wasn’t the type to make him feel guilty about having to work. But she did say it sucked that neither Gina or Art would be in town until Wednesday afternoon. If they would’ve been she might’ve been able to set up something before then and have him meet them.

Still completely convinced that meeting them all tonight at that dinner was a bad idea, Romero had managed to finally shake off the feelings of guilt. Then he got a call from her just after lunch. “I’m so nervous about tonight.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I just saw something about my dad’s upcoming announcement on the local news. This is pretty big. I’ve been trying not to think about it too much but… my dad’s running for mayor! Holy cow! This is huge. God I wish you could be there with me tonight. But I know, I know, work comes first.”

The hell it did. “Listen, babe. I gotta take this call on the other line but I’ll call you right back okay?”

What the fuck was wrong with him? The girl he was crazy about wanted him there with her at one of the most important events in her family’s lives and he was passing it up because he was scared? Just a few weeks ago he was pissed that she hadn’t told them about him and now she wanted nothing more than for them to meet him. Time to man up. He called one of the guys on his payroll and arranged for him to meet with the client later that evening. Then he called Isabel back. “Izzy, guess what?”

“What?”

“That was the client I was supposed to meet tonight. They cancelled. I can go to the dinner.” He didn’t like to lie, but wasn’t about to tell her the truth about how easy it was to get someone else to meet the client.

“Really?” The excitement in her voice only made him feel worse. “Yeah, really. You said you have to be there early. What time do I have to be there?”