Maggie upped the treadmill to eight miles an hour. Lucky for her, the fire station was equipped with everything she needed to sweat Cole’s face from her mind.

It had been a quiet day at work, but that meant she had time to think. And considering the only thing she thought about these days was Cole, thinking was dangerous. Good thing Blue wasn’t her fire captain because he’d seen the kiss and the shift change with him yesterday morning had been brutal. The guys knew not to mess with her too much, but the mere knowing look in their eyes brought a heat to her face that she wished she could suppress. The only way she knew how to deal with this strange and unexpected longing for Cole was to run it off on the treadmill and hit the weights hard.

Maggie’s phone rang through the speakers in her ears. She touched her phone to answer. “Yes?”

“Maggie. It’s Silver.”

“Silver. Sorry about not meeting with you before I left town. I needed to get back.”

“I prefer you to be frank with me, Maggie.”

Maggie appreciated how Silver called her on it. “I couldn’t face you after I’d messed up both functions.” She pushed the stop button on the treadmill.

“What are you talking about? Everyone was paired off by the end of the evening at the dating event and we brought in close to twenty thousand dollars for Muscular Dystrophy.”

“Twenty thousand dollars? How?”

“For one, turns out the football players who crashed the party that night thought Muscular Dystrophy was a good cause and donated through our online portal the majority of what was brought in. The woman who runs the Dallas Dating site asked me when we could do it again.”

Maggie coughed at her sudden dry mouth. She took a long sip of the cool water from metal bottle. “I’m speechless.”

“It gets better. You also drove up the price on Cole’s bid, which meant more money for our veterans.”

“But you asked me to win that bid, and I didn’t do that.”

“You’re right. You didn’t. But, in the end, you saved my client money, which brings me to my next offer.”

“Offer?”

“We had a guest at the Dallas Dating function who raved about the food that night and how you ran it. He wants you to not only cater a high-profile function at his ranch, but also plan the event down to the floral centerpieces, and by floral centerpieces, I mean edible arrangements or something, this guy has seasonal allergies so no flowers.”

Maggie knew she shouldn’t even entertain the idea of doing this. She’d already decided not to move to Dallas after her short weekend there, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “When is the function?”

“In two weeks.”

Maggie blew out a long breath. “Wait. If they’re asking for the same food, that means they want Mexican food and I don’t know how to cook that.”

“Got it covered. I’ve already asked my in-laws if you could come help them in their restaurant the week before the event. They love the idea.”

“Can I give you an answer in a few days?”

“I’m afraid I need an answer today. This event will also be filmed for a reality TV show, so I need to get someone on this ASAP. And because it’s last minute, the owner of the ranch is paying three times the normal rate. We’re talking thirty thousand dollars for the week, all yours.”

Maggie grew more excited by the second. She would make in one week what it would normally take her over six months to earn. “And this event will be on TV?”

“I can guess what you’re thinking, and yes, this could catapult your career into the big leagues. I guess what you need to ask yourself, Maggie, is if this is what you really want to do, where you want to be, and who you want to be with.”

Did Silver’s comments mean she knew about Cole? “Who I want to be with?”

“I can’t explain it, but my in-laws fell in love with you. Not just my in-laws, Gracie has been talking about you non-stop. We want you here with us, Maggie.”

The tones blared through the fire station.

“Silver, I have to go,” she said, sprinting down the hall, “I’ll have an answer for you tonight. Thank you.”

Maggie returned to the fire station less than an hour later with down trodden spirits. More times than not, they weren’t able to save someone from cardiac arrest. She sat in meditation, focusing on how she had made a difference by resuscitating Cole’s dad and rescuing that little girl. Thoughts of the young girl bouncing around in her floral dress on a sunny Mother’s Day would be a happy memory to warm Maggie’s soul forever. She could leave firefighting knowing that she had accomplished something significant.

She plopped down on her bed and flipped her phone in her hands as it turned on. When it was ready, she shot off a text to Silver. “I’ll do it.”

* * *

Maggie stepped out of the airport and into the sauna. Dallas had warmed considerably since she’d been here a few weeks ago. She had asked for heat and holy cow did she get it. She needed to be more specific in what she asked for.

After dropping her luggage off at her hotel, she went straight to Los Tios restaurant. At two o’clock in the afternoon, Los Tios only had a few patrons.

“You must be Maggie,” a stout young man with a similar look to Ace said as he approached her. “I’m Alex. Come on back.”

Alex led her through the bright red and yellow adobe style restaurant to the cluttered kitchen with clean pans and serving platters piled high on nearly every surface. Ace’s mom, Fabiana, let out an excited cry when her eyes met Maggie’s, causing Maggie to jump.

“Margarita! I’m so glad you’re back.” Fabiana gave Maggie a hug and kiss on her cheek.

Surprisingly, Maggie warmed at how Fabiana said her name with a slight roll of her r’s.

“Thanks for allowing me to come learn from you.”

Fabiana shook her finger. “Not me.” She motioned to her sister and brother-in-law. “You remember Veronica and Jorge?”

They tipped their heads and smiled their greeting as they passed ingredients back and forth to each other.

“Yes,” Maggie responded. “It’s nice to see you again. I hope I can be of some assistance as I learn.”

Fabiana clapped her hands. “I have complete faith in you. That’s why I’ve decided to spend the afternoons with Gracie and let you work here with Veronica and Jorge. I saw the menu that you’ll be serving at la finca, and we make those dishes every day. In three days you’ll know everything you need to know. But first, you must try Veronica’s special tamales.”

“Oh, I’m not hungry.”

Fabiana raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms.

Maggie repented. “But I would love to try one.”

Fabiana smiled as she grabbed a tamale wrapped in caramel colored corn husks from a large stock pot and bounced it in her hand as if it were a hot potato straight from the oven. She placed it on a white ceramic plate and handed it to Maggie.

“Now?” Maggie coughed out.

Maggie had been starving after her flight and stopped to grab a bite of fast food on her way to Los Tios. She already felt a bit bloated from the salt and grease of the French fries. Now there was an original French food that Americans savored—although the Belgians claimed it as their own culinary invention. Maggie shook her head. She had to strike French food from her mind and focus on Mexican cuisine, at least for the next two weeks.

“You need a fork?” Fabiana handed her a fork. “Is that why you haven’t started eating?”

Fabiana wasn’t joking around. It looked like she took her food serious. Maggie could empathize with that.

“Yes, a fork is all I need.” Maggie unwrapped the husks and dug her fork in. The steamy masa broke away in chunks like cooled cookie dough. “Thank you.” She smiled up at Fabiana and Veronica to find them eagerly awaiting her first bite. No pressure.

Maggie brought the fork up to her nose and tried to decipher what spices were used. In tasting food, she could almost always pick out the spices. She had attempted recently to train her nose as well to detect the ingredients. She caught a hint of a familiar aroma, but she couldn’t place it.

She folded her lips over the fork and moved the warm, savory tamale around her mouth with her tongue before chewing. As she bit into the spicy pork, she closed her eyes and her mind carried her back to a place and time of her childhood she cherished above all other memories, but in this flashback her memory was more vivid, as if it happened in real time.

The cold water on my toes takes my breath as I stumble along the slippery stones that tumble along the river and over the waterfalls into the magical aqua pools. Abuelita says my eyes are the color of the magical milky blue and green waters. I give a happy yelp as I jump from the ledge and fly through the air until the cool, peaceful water flows around me, over me, and through me. I swim like a happy fish until Hidalgo neighs for me to go. I squeeze the water from my shirt as I run and jump onto Hildalgo’s back. When I reach the stable, mi abuela is waiting. I run into her arms. She doesn’t scold me for being wet or taking Hidalgo. She hands me food instead. She loves me. “Gracias, Abuelita. Te quiero.” I bite down into her specially tamale and…”

Maggie woke from her powerful dream, or memory; she wasn’t sure exactly what it was. A strong hand found her shoulder as her tears surfaced.

“I spoke Spanish?” Maggie said in awe to Fabiana who continued to hold her shoulder. “I swam in magical aquamarine waterfalls? And rode my grandmother’s horse?” Maggie rubbed her eyes. “But I couldn’t have been older than four or five.”

“Chiapas!” Fabiana nodded to Veronica. “I knew it. You’re from Chiapas.”

“Why do you think that?” Maggie questioned.

“Some of the most mystical waterfalls in the world are in Chiapas called Aguas Azules. It’s close to the ancient city of Palenque. In that jungle, you can visit the beautiful pyramids of our Mayan ancestors.”

“Our Mayan ancestors?” Maggie questioned.

“In the tamales,” Veronica pointed to Maggie’s plate. “My special ingredient is a pepper that only grows in the lush jungle of Chiapas.”

“Can you teach me how to make more food from that region?” Maggie said through her tears. “I feel like I’ve finally come home.”

“You know,” Fabiana said with a wink. “Those tamales are Cole’s favorite.”

The mention of Cole’s name sent a flush of heat through Maggie’s body. She had been successful over the past few days to block him from her mind as she prepared the menus and organized the events. She had decided that she would see if a friendship would work with him. She missed Pineapple and wanted, needed, another connection like that, but she’d wait until she completed this assignment. The job required a level head. She had to be able to focus.

Alex bolted into the kitchen in a rush. “I just seated a table of twelve. I need three chimichangas—”

“Ahem!” Veronica cleared her throat.

“Si? Yes, Tia Veronica?” Alex questioned.

She waved a metal ladle at him. “Why don’t you ever cry when you eat my tamales?”

Fear crossed his face before he relaxed into a smile. “Because you work me so hard I never have a chance to eat them.” He took a hot tamale out of the pan, unwrapped the top section and bit down, fanning his mouth from the heat. “Oh, tia!” He pretended to cry. “These are amazing!”

The metal ladle twirled through the air and bounced off Alex’s arm. He rubbed the site of the hit, pretending as if she’d maimed him. He handed Maggie the ticket. “Can you read this?”

Maggie read back the order to him. “Yep.”

“Yes!” Alex exclaimed. “Maggie, I sure hope you don’t leave. Everyone is happier with you around.”

Pineapple was the only person Maggie knew who brought happiness to others just by being around him. “I’m Pineapple?” she questioned with excitement.

“Sure,” Alex drawled out, giving her a look like she’d just said something crazy. “You’re a … pineapple.” He laughed as he bounced out of the kitchen.