Mia
The next morning, Mia’s legs ached as she turned onto her road. The birdsong and the rustle of the trees were her background music as she jogged towards her home. The heavy footfalls from behind her got closer. The hair on the back of her neck stood to attention. Her belly flipped and twisted into knots.
Was it him? Andre Stone was the only one who’d ever had her so tied up. Finding out her new friends were connected to him had stolen the breath from her lungs. Having him corner her in that bathroom had thrown her off her axis. He’d called her a liar, and it was like he could see through her. How did he know? Besides, not all lies were bad. Sometimes lives depend on lies.
She turned to look over her shoulder. His eyes darted from her backside to the road in front of them. Apparently, he wasn’t so immune either. Andre increased his speed yet again and passed her, his manly scent drifting over to tease her senses. Her already sweaty body had now gone up an extra ten degrees instantaneously. Why did this man affect her so overwhelmingly?
Too bad he had to be an asshole.
***
Mia made it back to her house, drinking some cool water before venturing to the backyard to move through her yoga poses. This time she didn’t have an audience.
After she showered, she got dressed in a simple pair of dark purple leggings that came to her calf and a black muscle shirt. She checked her watch. She had a few minutes to call Carmen before she headed towards the studio to meet the construction crew.
She pressed her friend’s contact information and the call buzzed through.
“Mia! Amiga, cómo estás?”
Mia smiled. “Bien! Y tú?”
“Niná, I miss you so much. I know you said you needed a change, but why did it have to be on the other side of the country?” Carmen asked.
Mia sighed. “I just wanted a fresh start. Too many memories back there.”
“Running from your problemas won’t make them disappear, cariño,” Carmen warned.
“I know. But it’s been mostly good things over here so far,” Mia said.
“Yeah? Have you made some friends? How’s the studio coming?” Carmen asked.
Mia smiled. “I did happen to make a couple new acquaintances. One woman owns a café here in town and the other a bed-and-breakfast.”
“Oh, good. So we have somewhere to stay when Mamá, Papi, Mateo, and I come to visit.”
“Yes. And I am heading out as soon as I get off the phone with you to meet the guys at the studio to begin renovations,” Mia added.
“I’m so excited for you. Mateo has been asking how you are doing,” Carmen said.
“I’ll call him sometime soon. Give your parents and brother a hug for me.”
“I will. Te amo, chica,” Carmen said, before making a kiss sound.
“I love you too.”
***
Thirty minutes later, Mia pulled into the parking lot of her new yoga studio. She stacked the boxes of donuts and placed the several cups of coffee on top, balancing the paper bag full of sugar and creamer as well. She walked towards the door as someone came from behind her to hold the door open.
“Good morning, Mia.”
“Buenos días.” She smiled back, entering where her future lobby would be. Mikel took the cups of coffee and the paper bag from the top of her pile and placed them on the card table set up in the corner with a few stacks of papers and tools.
“You brought sustenance?” Mikel asked.
“Yes. I figured your team would need it for the long day ahead.”
A few men wandered in and out with tape measures and various tools. Nerves somersaulted in her belly. This was it—the first step in making her dreams come true and fulfilling her promise to her mother.
“Dre!” Mikel called.
Oh no. It couldn’t be . . . could it?
Andre’s dark eyes met hers only momentarily as he entered the room. He had a tool belt clipped around his waist and tan Carhartt pants that led to his worn work boots. She swallowed, trying not to think that how he looked in a hard hat was a fantasy come to life.
Mikel came to her rescue, focusing her thoughts back to the job at hand. “So, let’s do one more walk-through to make sure we’re all on the same page before we begin construction. Sound good?”
Mia nodded.
As they went room by room, Mia paid careful attention to the detail that Mikel went into. She’d hired the right crew, even if that meant putting up with her ornery neighbor for the time being.
“I thought we were going to move this wall?” she asked.
Andre shook his head, and then spoke for the first time. “Can’t. It’s a load-bearing wall.”
“But I need this space opened up to have it feel airy,” she argued.
“No can do.” Andre smirked.
Anger lit her skin on fire at the same time as his smile brought heat to another part of her traitorous body.
“I think we’ve come up with a solution you might be happy with. Andre suggested we turn this wall over here,” Mikel said, pointing, “into a giant window. That would make this space feel more open while not causing structural issues.”
“Andre had this idea, huh?” she asked as she studied the broody six-foot man.
“Couldn’t let a project be done half-baked since it has my name on it,” Andre said as if insinuating somehow the shortcoming would be her fault.
This man liked to stir up trouble where there was none. He got under her skin like no one ever had.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone I hired,” she said, letting him know exactly who was in charge here.
Mikel stepped in front of his business partner and guided her along. She caught the death glare he gave Andre as they passed.
“Now, let’s talk about this flooring. It’s really nice hardwood. It almost feels sacrilegious to pull it up. Are you sure you want to do that?” Mikel asked. “It would save you a few thousand to leave it be.”
His phone rang, interrupting her response.
“Sorry. It’s my wife. I should take this. She doesn’t call unless it’s important,” Mikel explained.
“Go ahead.” She nodded.
“Why are we ripping up hardwood floors? They’re timeless, durable, and eco-friendly. We can sand and stain them a different color if that’s the reason,” Andre said, stepping closer into her space. You’d have thought he’d have learned his lesson last time.
“You really don’t think I know anything, do you? I’m having a shipment of selenite crystals delivered to the studio. I want the bags of crushed stones to be distributed underneath. Then you can relay the flooring.” She wouldn’t tell him that it was because it was her only connection to her mother. That she wanted a piece of Mamá to always be in the foundation of making her dream come true.
His mouth hung open as he stared at her speechless. “Rocks? You want to throw away thousands of dollars and a ton of man hours to rip up a floor and put rocks in it?” He burst out laughing. The harder he laughed, the angrier she got.
He had no idea what this place meant to her. What it was like to have nothing left of your parents, to live through the tragedy she had. She clenched her fists. “El Cabrón!”
“You’re crazy, woman!” He held his stomach as another fit of laughter overtook him.
“That is something people say when they don’t understand something. When it’s too big for them to wrap their little minds around. You work for me. I didn’t hire you to see my vision. I hired you to bring it to life.”
He stood taller, finally getting a hold of himself before he shrugged. “Your money to waste.” Her victory was short-lived as his eyes narrowed in on her. “Unless it’s Mommy and Daddy’s dollar and you’re just some rich spoiled princess with no idea what she’s doing.”
It was the furthest thing from the truth.
The blood drained from her face as she blinked. The heavy weight settling on her chest made it hard to breathe. No, not here. Not in front of him. She searched around them for her quickest escape route. She would not have a panic attack in here. She turned away as the tears stung her eyes. She swallowed the lump of emotion that roiled within her. She counted, trying to slow her inhales, as his strong hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her back to face him.
“Running away from the tru—” Andre stopped. His anger morphed into a flash of something softer before letting her go.
She spun back to the exit and forced her legs not to run out of the room, hoping to hold on to a shred of dignity. Mia left embarrassed, determined to never let herself be so vulnerable with that man again.