Her worst enemy is the one man she can't resist.
Maria Martinez thought it was a dream come true when Ritchie Perez - a sweet and sexy guy she met volunteering at a soup kitchen - took her delinquent little brother Joey under his wing. But her drea...
As days and then weeks went by, Maria was surprised how rarely she actually saw Ritchie. Depending on her schedule at the restaurant and the gallery, often entire days would go by with no communication other than a few text messages coordinating where Joey was and what time he'd be home. She still felt guilty that she wasn't able to spend nearly as much time with Joey as she'd like, but she had to admit it was doubtful he even noticed. Joey was now playing not one but two sports, and he participated in extracurricular activities at school. She hoped he was making friends.
If he had any spare time when Maria wasn't home, Ritchie made sure he was either at Ritchie's office or at his partner Sam'shouse, where sixteen-year-old Olivia was tutoring him.
Sam and Camilla had invited them over for dinner, and Maria was nervous as they approached an even more grandiose home than Ritchie's. What could she possibly have in common with these people? Ritchie was wealthy, she knew that, but something about him seemed down to earth, and he'd told her about the poor working class neighborhood he'd grown up in, right here in Miami. When she'd said she'd rather not go, Ritchie had pointed out that since Joey was spending a couple afternoons a week at their house with Olivia for tutoring, Sam's family just naturally wanted to get to know Maria.
Besides, he said, it was no big deal.
No big deal, she repeated to herself even as her stomach churned when a cool, sophisticated blonde opened the door to greet them. Before she could say a word, Joey pushed past her.
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"Hey Camilla. This is my sister, Maria. Is Olivia here?"
Camilla moved aside. "She's on the terrace with JD."
"Cool." Joey took off through the wide doors, and Camilla extended her hand to Maria. Her grip was cool and firm, her eyes appraising.
"Hello Maria, I'm Camilla. Obviously," she said, laughing. "Thank you for sharing Joey with us."
"Thank you for putting up with him," Maria said, managing a smile.
"Sam's out back manning the grill," Camilla said to Ritchie, and he headed through the house, abandoning Maria almost as fast as Joey had.
Maria heard a soft cry from upstairs, and Camilla turned, heading toward the wide staircase and motioning Maria to come along.
"There she goes – come with me, and we can chat while I get Sophia up. Honestly," she said, looking back over her shoulder at Maria as they went up the stairs, "that baby is determined that I never get a moment's rest. She's up at the crack of dawn, and she almost never goes down for a nap. So when she conked out right after lunch today, I just let her sleep."
Camilla laughed. "I had about a hundred and one things I should have gotten done, but I have to confess, I spent about two hours just sitting on the terrace reading a book."
Maria wondered why Camilla didn't have a nanny, but thought it would be rude to ask.
"You're probably wondering why I don't just hire some outside help," Camilla said, making Maria wonder if she could actually read her mind.
