Diego slammed a book of trucking regulations down on his desktop just as the knock sounded on his office door. He brushed his hands down his immaculately tailored maroon dress shirt and stepped around the desk in the direction of the door. Blinking his eyes once and letting out a long, slow breath, he said, “Come in.”

Rhea opened the door. “I was worried there was a gunshot in here. Are you okay? You don’t have enemies taking potshots through the window, do you?”

She carried a small stack of mail and a clipboard. Diego said, “I’m working out a little frustration. I had an unpleasant phone call.”

Rhea placed the mail in the center of his desk and situated the clipboard to the right side of the mail. It contained a single typewritten sheet of paper. It was Diego’s to-do list for the day. He e-mailed it to Rhea first thing in the morning. At noon, he sent her a revised version covering the rest of the day.

She said, “I hope that it wasn’t bad news from your family. Is everyone well in Veracruz?”

“I certainly hope so. It was a phone call with Alan from Tar-Mor.”

Rhea frowned. “We lost the contract? Maybe they’re looking for companies they’ve used in the past.”

Diego shook his head. “We didn’t lose the contract. In fact, I think we still have an excellent chance at the deal. You should start drawing up the papers for our formal proposal. I think most of it can be boilerplate, but I’ll write the introduction to the cover letter.”

Rhea canted her head to one side. “But there was other bad news? I’m curious about whether there is more of a connection to Mr. Hansen than I know. The conversation made you emotional.”

Diego pointed at a chair and said, “Can you take a few more minutes before lunch?”

Shrugging, Rhea said, “I suppose the solitaire game can wait.” She smirked as she situated herself in the chair and pulled her skirt down over her crossed legs.

Diego chuckled softly. She frequently calmed his emotion with witty humor. He stepped back behind his desk and lounged informally in his desk chair. “I might as well tell you. I’m sure you will find out sooner or later if anything goes my way.”

Rhea was always eager to discuss any details of Diego’s personal life. She found her boss fascinating. The occasional conversations revealed a wealth of information. She knew most of the details about his family including the untimely deaths of his parents and his brother’s unsavory criminal connections. The details left her with the raw material to calm Diego’s emotional outbursts and stop them from threatening his professional relationships.

He said, “Yes, I have past connections with Alan. I met him several years ago at the border between the U.S. and Mexico. We had a moment of mutual misfortune.”

“Misfortune?”

“We were caught behind the same car crouching out of the way of a gun battle between local drug warlords.”

The first time Rhea heard Diego talk about gun violence, she thought he was exaggerating. She soon found out it was all true. His stories matched the news that filtered north from the drug battlegrounds in Mexico.

Rhea no longer reacted emotionally to most of what she heard from Diego. However, something was different about the new story, and she raised her hand to her mouth. Then she pulled it down and said, “That’s awful. Were either of you hurt?”

“Not physically. At least I don’t think so. Alan helped me out of the situation, and we spent the night together.”

“You hung out drinking?”

Diego shook his head. “No, we slept together. You might as well know that about me, too. It was all in the heat of the moment. One hotel room, two men.”

Rhea took a deep breath. Something about the idea of her boss in bed with another man made her face flush. She wanted to take the next question back as soon as she asked it. She sounded shallow. “Is he handsome?”

“I’m not in the habit of going to bed with ugly men.”

She smirked. “I didn’t say that you were. So I guess you answered my question about hanging out at the hotel. Did you say there was bad news today?”

Diego sighed heavily and looked down before slowly raising his head to stare into Rhea’s eyes. The corner of his mouth curled up into a self-deprecating smile as he said the word, “Rejection.”

“You were trying to re-connect? Is that wise? What were the chances of seeing him again? Did you keep in touch?”

“The chances were 1,000 to 1. I’m shocked. He’s single and more attractive than before. Remember, he’s potentially hiring us instead of the other way around.”

“I suppose you’ve already thought about this but isn’t the possibility of a conflict of interest an issue? I’m sure Tar-Mor is a nest of that with all of the nepotism, but still, I think I can see his point. If that was his point.”

“It was implied.”

Rhea reached a placating hand across the desk and covered Diego’s with it. “I’m sorry. Rejection is never easy. Did I ever tell you about the first man I pursued after Charlie?”

“You mean the cheater?”

Rhea nodded. “I couldn’t bring myself to even think about dating again for the first five years after we divorced. Then I met an old high school friend by chance. We were at the same campground up in northern Minnesota. A good friend of mine had a family cabin, and next to us was a cabin with two men of approximately our age.”

“Does this story have a point that you’re trying to make?”

Rhea squeezed his hand. “Yes, it does, and I’m enjoying the memory, so hang in there, Mr. Flores.”

He relaxed and pulled his hand back into his lap.

“Anyway, it turns out they were both divorced, and Eddie was in my class in high school. It was a huge coincidence. I always admired him from afar. I found out that he felt the same. We liked each other, but we never had the guts to share our feelings.”

Diego said, “But you’re not married now…”

Rhea shook her head. “We decided not to rush anything, and I’m glad that we made that decision. We didn’t date until six months after meeting, and it was fun for three or four dates. Then it was over. He was fun, and he was sexy, but he wasn’t Mr. Right.”

“And what is this supposed to tell me?” asked Diego as he drummed his fingers on the surface of the desk.

“I was ready to marry him right then and there at the lake in northern Minnesota. I told my friend that I was. He was incredibly handsome, and I knew that I liked him all those years. Being patient and waiting has its virtues.”

Diego leaned back in his chair. “So you suggest that I wait while someone else snatches Alan from under my nose?”

Rhea shook her head. “I’m willing to place a bet that he finds you just as attractive. It’s just not yet the right time for him.”

“And when will it be?”

Rhea rose from her seat. She tugged her skirt down and said, “You will know. Relax and be patient. That’s my suggestion.”

Diego watched Rhea leave his office. He looked at the small slit in the rear of the skirt, and he wondered how attractive it was to straight men. If she ever did find the right man, Diego knew that he would be very fortunate to have her.

As he leaned back in his chair, Diego thought about the recent kisses with Alan. Perhaps Rhea was right about his feelings. He didn’t immediately pull back from the kisses or the hugs. If only Alan permitted his emotion to take over once in awhile.

Diego was pleased with the conversation with Rhea. He was calm again. He was ready to pursue the business deal with Alan, and he was not giving up on his personal desires. He only needed to be patient. Alan said that he was settling into Coldbrook Bend, so that meant he was not planning to go anywhere. Diego decided to put his search for a house in Red Wing on hold until he gathered more information. His condominium would do for a few more months or even a year or two if necessary.