“How did it go?”
I glance at my business partner, Daniel Drexel, sitting across the table. It’s four in the afternoon. We’ve just finished a round of golf and are now enjoying a cup of coffee at a resort a few miles from El Ocaso. Daniel would have stayed there if they had a golf course, an amenity he can’t do without whenever he travels. But I can’t complain; it’s nice to step away from the flood of memories, even for a few hours. “It went well. You are attending the event tonight, right?”
“Of course. But that’s not really what I’m asking.” A knowing smile plays on his lips. “We’ve managed to play a round of golf and have coffee without you saying a single thing about what happened when you delivered the painting in person. Which tells me two things: nothing happened or something happened. So, how did it really go?”
As if I haven’t replayed my time with Lucia in my head over and over since we parted ways at the stables hours earlier. After twenty-five years apart, I needed some time alone to process everything that happened between us. Every word, every glance, every touch. And then there was that breathtaking moment when we traced the initials we carved into that tree trunk when we were too young to know better.
I still remember the way her body felt so close to mine, igniting an ache, a need, a desire to have her. This time, I dared think, for forever.
But as thoughts of Lucia enter my mind, there’s another that follows, leaving me in a state of confusion. If she awakened all these feelings in me, did that mean I loved Emily less?
It’s ludicrous to think such things, but I can’t help it. I’ve always been an overthinker. It’s what got me to where I am today, chief financial officer of one of the country’s top hedge funds. And across from me, the man who started it, someone I’ve considered a good friend ever since he took me on fifteen years ago.
Daniel had already lost his precious Pearl to cancer five years before Emily received her diagnosis—Stage 4—and without his support, I don’t know how I would have managed it, especially after I lost Emily two years later. She fought so courageously, much like Pearl Drexel had, and I loved her even more for it.
But what are these feelings I’m having now for Lucia? Is it normal? Am I being selfish to assume I can move on so quickly, even if Emily did make it clear she hoped I’d find someone to love again?
You’ve got so much love in you, dearest Hiro, she told me after one of her tough chemo sessions, as I stayed home to attend to her every need even though we had full-time nurses on staff. It would devastate me to have you keep your heart boxed up forever.
Still, I’m sitting in front of a man who hasn’t moved on to another woman ten years after his beloved wife died. If he can last ten years without someone new by his side, why can’t I?
“Do you ever think about settling down again?” I ask as Daniel takes a sip of his coffee.
“We’ve had this conversation before.”
I shrug. “So let’s have it again.”
He thinks for a few moments. “The thought has crossed my mind, but I haven’t found her yet.” He pauses, his brow furrowing as he studies me. “What’s up?”
“Seeing Lucia again when I delivered the painting…it was as if twenty-five years never happened,” I say slowly. “Scared the hell out of me, to be honest, and not much really scares me. You know that.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Daniel leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “It means there’s still something there, something worth exploring.”
I nod, staring into my coffee cup. “It’s just…complicated.”
“How so?”
“It feels selfish.”
He looks at me, perplexed. “Selfish?”
“It’s just that if you love someone—really love someone—how can you turn around and feel the same way for someone else without making the love you felt for the first woman…less?”
“How could it be less?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure anymore.”
Daniel considers this for a moment before speaking. “I understand why you might feel guilty, my friend. But feeling something for someone else doesn’t diminish the love you had for Emily. I believe there are many different kinds of love—and I mean romantic love in this sense—but one doesn’t have to make the others less.”
“What about you?” I ask. “It’s been ten years since Pearl passed away, yet you haven’t settled down with anyone else.”
“Because I’m happy with my life the way it is,” Daniel replies. “I’ve got my kids, my grandkids, my dear Nana.” At this, he grins. His mother-in-law’s cooking is one of the reasons he flies back to Taos every month, and I can’t blame him. I’ve flown in a few times myself, just to taste her cooking.
“The firm keeps me busy enough, but I also haven’t found a woman to settle down with. Not that I’m looking or anything,” he pauses, a knowing smile on his lips. “But I suspect you have found her.”
“I wouldn’t be too quick to say such a thing,” I bristle. “I only just met her again. A lot can change in twenty-five years.”
“True,” Daniel says, “so the real question is whether you’re willing to wait another twenty-five years to see if you might regret not exploring what could be right now.”
* * *
The ornate iron chandeliers of El Ocaso cast a warm glow over a sea of glittering gowns and sharp tuxedos. Laughter mingles with the soft melodies of a string quartet, the notes floating through the grand hall, its high ceilings bolstered by exposed wooden beams reminding me of the resort I grew up in. Back then, everything felt so gigantic, unattainable, even, to the boy that I was.
A foreman’s son.
But all that’s changed. The foreman’s son has grown up, become successful, and has returned to give back something that used to belong to the family that let him and his father go, sending them away like thieves in the night—all because he dared to fall in love with their daughter.
Yet, I can’t fault them for what they did. If they hadn’t done it, I’d have never made it as far as I have. I wouldn’t have traveled the world while serving my country or pursued a college major that I once never imagined excelling in as a young boy.
There wouldn’t be a Manhattan brownstone or a summer house in Westchester where Emily and I would raise three beautiful children. No opportunities to mingle with the rich and powerful, helping them become even richer and more powerful. And I wouldn’t have come across that painting on a billionaire’s wall, where, for the first time, my poker face faltered during negotiations conducted ‘over a handshake,’ leading to the declaration, “You’d pay anything to acquire this, wouldn’t you, Hiro?”
And I did.
Seeing Lucia again after all these years was worth every penny.
The moment I spot her across the room, everything around me comes to a standstill. It’s as if she’s the only light in a room suddenly dimmed, her beauty drawing me like a moth to a flame. Engrossed in conversation, her laughter resonates like music. The way her gown, a striking shade of red, hugs her form, accentuating the curve of her waist and the elegance of her shoulders, sends a familiar ache shooting through me.
“You’re staring.”
Daniel’s voice snaps me back to the present, his words teasing.
“Just admiring the beautiful artwork,” I deflect, gesturing vaguely to the paintings adorning the walls though I barely notice them with Lucia in the same room.
“Right. The artwork,” Daniel says, chuckling. “That’s definitely what has you so enraptured.”
I shrug. “It’s a lovely event. Lucia has outdone herself.”
“Indeed, she has,” Daniel agrees, his tone turning sly. “And speaking of the lovely Lucia, I believe she’s been hoping for a chance to speak with you all evening.”
My heart stutters in my chest. “Has she?”
“Oh, don’t play coy with me, Hiro.” Daniel claps me on the shoulder, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “I know you’ve been dying to talk to her, too. The way you two have been orbiting each other all night, it’s like watching a dance.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Daniel cuts me off with a knowing look. “Go to her,” he urges, his voice softening. “Life’s too short to waste time on fear and doubts.”
“You missed your calling as a motivational speaker.”
“Trust me,” Daniel laughs. “I’m doing everyone a favor by sticking to my day job. Ask my children.”
“You’re right,” I mutter, resolve hardening in my gut. “I’ve let too much time slip away already.”
Daniel nods, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Attaboy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some mingling of my own to do.” He inclines his head subtly towards the mayor, who is making a determined beeline in our direction. We’d spent most of the morning’s golf game discussing investments with him, and from the gleam in his eye as he makes his way through the crowd, it’s clear he’s eager to continue the discussion.
With a final, encouraging clap on my shoulder, Daniel moves smoothly to intercept the mayor, leaving me free to pursue the only thing that matters.
As if sensing my attention, Lucia glances up from her conversation, her gaze meeting mine across the crowded room. Drawn as if by an invisible cord, I weave my way through the throng of guests, my heart pounding in time with my footsteps. “You look stunning,” I murmur as a blush color her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she says as the Master of Ceremonies steps up to the podium and clears his throat.
The room quiets down.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please?” His voice carries across the hall, drawing every gaze to the front. “It is my great honor to present a long-lost masterpiece, painted by none other than Pedro Galtero in 1870, generously donated by Mr. Hiroyuki Asato. This painting has finally returned to its rightful home here at El Ocaso.”
The velvet cloth is lifted and gasps ripple through the crowd.
Lucia’s parents are standing near the front, their expressions a mixture of awe and deep emotion as they gaze at the piece of their family’s legacy, a reminder of the sacrifices made by their ancestors to keep El Ocaso alive.
As Lucia turns to look at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, the room fades away.
“Thank you, Hiro,” she whispers. “This means more to us than you can ever imagine.”
I thought only of you when I saw the painting, I want to tell her, but I don’t. “It belongs here, with your family. It’s where it was always meant to be.”
“Would you do the honor of saying a few words?” the Master of Ceremonies asks, holding out the microphone.
I take a deep breath, stepping forward. Everyone’s attention is on me now, but my focus remains on Lucia.
“It’s a privilege to be here tonight,” I begin, my voice steady. “El Ocaso is not just a resort; it’s a living testament to the strength and dedication of the Galtero family. This painting is a symbol of that legacy, and I’m honored to return it to its rightful place. I hope it serves as a reminder of the history we all share and the enduring spirit that defines El Ocaso and Orange County.”
The applause is thunderous, but it’s Lucia’s smile that matters most to me. The way she looks at me makes my pulse race, the butterflies in my stomach coming to life after so long that I wondered if I’d ever feel them again.
If I’d ever find love again.
And I have.