Reunited...With Child (11 page)

“Yes, that would be perfect. It's a gift, Val. So it's important that I get it as quickly as possible.”

“I don't have one for sale in my shop but I do personally own a number of Chagall prints,” Val said.

“I know. That's why I called you.”

“I have a litho of
Les Trois Cierges
that is number 3 in the limited 450-print run, but it is one of my favorites.”

“Would you be willing to sell it to me?” he asked. “I know that you have a ton of art work and can easily move another print or painting into its place. And who
knows, maybe this will make room in your collection for another Chagall.”

There was silence on the phone while Val thought it over. “Okay. I will sell it to you for $1,700. That's a bargain.”

“Thank you, Val,” he said. He would have paid double that to get the perfect gift for Becca. “How soon can I have it?”

“How soon do you need it?”

“I'd love to have it today,” he said.

“If you want to come by my condo in Miami Beach, you can have it today.”

“Thank you, Val. I'm on my way.”

“Why is this so important to you, Cam? You've never been a big collector before.”

He didn't want to share the details of his personal life with anyone, even an old college friend. “It's a gift for someone and I need it today.”

“Someone? You mean a woman?” Val asked.

“Yes, a woman. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter. I will be at your place in forty minutes.”

He pocketed his cell phone and went to deal with other details at the club. Little things that needed his attention—made him realize that this time he wanted every detail of his relationship with Becca to be perfect. He was realistic enough to know that they weren't going to have smooth sailing, but he wanted to make up for the way he'd let things end between them before.

The Chagall print would do that. In his mind he could see the image of the man holding the woman in his arms, and he hoped that Becca would never feel
alone once she had it hanging on her wall. That Becca would know that he was always right there for her.

He left the club and got in his Tesla. He put the top down and drove out of Little Havana toward Miami Shores. He was a man who was very used to making things happen, and this was no different…Becca was no different. He was going to make her his completely. And if he made any missteps this time, he would make it up to her. It was important that Becca realize this time he was back in her life to stay.

He drove the hour or so to Val's house, handling business on his Bluetooth headset as he wove in and out of traffic. He arrived at her condo and parked, sitting outside for a few minutes while he finished up a call with Justin. Finally he got out of the car and went to Val's door. She had the painting all wrapped up and he handed her a check.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You're welcome. I'm always happy to see a piece go to someone who will appreciate it.”

He picked up the painting and put it in the trunk of his car. Val didn't ask too many questions, and Cam was glad. He wasn't ready to talk about Becca with anyone. What he felt for her was too private to be shared.

W
hen Cam got back from picking up the picture, he walked the short distance between Luna Azul and the Mercado. Now that Justin and Selena had returned to Manhattan, he had to oversee more of the marketplace project than he had previously. But that sat well with him because he liked to keep busy.

He had to remind himself that just because Becca had come back into his life, he wasn't going to change the basics of who he was. Today had reinforced that. He had no idea if she was aware of how much she shook him up. But he was determined to control his reactions to her and to keep her in just one corner of his life.

He liked the fact that they were going to be able to work together, and he hoped her designs for the Mercado were acceptable to the shop owners. But he
knew that, in his personal life, he had to ensure that she was…what?

Cam was interrupted in his thoughts by Selena's grandfather, lead shop owner in the Mercado project. “I'm glad you are here. The construction company is insisting on tearing down the sidewalk leading to my Cuban Grocery Store,” Tomas Gonzalez said as he approached. “How are my customers going to get into the store if there is no sidewalk?”

He shook Tomas's hand. “We'll figure it out. Who is in charge?”

“Junior. And that boy never did have any sense. I'm tempted to call his father,” Tomas said.

Cam bit back a laugh. Working on a project in a community where everyone knew everyone else, it was inevitable that emotions ran high. “I'll take care of it.”

“Good. I knew you would do right by me,” Tomas said. “We are family now.”

“That's right, we are. Why don't you go back to the grocery store and I'll come and find you when I'm done talking to Junior.”

Cam was given a hard hat by the work site foreman, and Junior Rodriquez met him halfway across the lot. “That old man is making me crazy. The sidewalk is cracked and a safety risk. I'm tempted to not let my men go in there to buy lunch.”

“We need to figure out a solution that will fix the sidewalk and keep his store open to customers.”

“He won't even talk about anything, Cam. He just wants his store left alone.”

“That's why you and I are going to work this out. Can you do it tonight after the store closes?”

“It would mean overtime and I would go over budget,” Junior said. “I pride myself on bringing jobs in on time and on budget.”

Which was one of the things that Cam appreciated about Junior. He was a hard worker and he did the job right the first time. “Okay. I will pay your men in a separate contract to do the sidewalk tonight. You tell me the rates and we'll do it. Just the part in front of the store—the rest of it you can do tomorrow during the regular workday.”

“Let me talk to my guys. I will get back to you in ten minutes or so,” Junior said.

Cam left the other man and walked out of the construction area just as he saw Becca walking toward the shopping site, holding Ty on her hip. Seeing her with their son never failed to stir strong emotions in him.

He had already admitted to himself that he cared for her and he wasn't going to deny it now. There was something about Becca that made him want to be a better man. And he realized he wanted a relationship that was more real than his parents' had been. He didn't want to have his own independent life…he wanted to be a part of hers.

She and Ty both waved when she saw him. The boy made Cam smile with his sweetness. He'd never been aware of kids before Ty, but there was something about seeing his son that made him think of the future in a way that didn't involve shopping malls or night clubs. Not just plans for a bigger and more profitable
Luna Azul, but a personal future that didn't involve his club—a future that included something more than work. A future with Becca and Ty.

“Hello,” he said, as they got closer. She wore a short pencil skirt that ended just below the knee, a big red belt and a button-down blouse. The belt drew his eyes to her tiny waist. Her hair was pulled back in a clip, and a layer of filmy bangs fell over her eyebrows. She had on a pair of large black sunglasses, which kept him from seeing her eyes.

“Hello. I didn't realize there was so much construction going on,” she said. “I would have dressed a little differently.”

“I'm glad you didn't. I like this outfit,” he said.

“I thought you would but these heels are going to make navigating the parking lot pretty difficult.”

He offered her his arm. She slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow, balancing Ty on her other hip.

“We have to tear down a lot of the older buildings because they aren't up to code. So I figured we'd get that out of the way while we were soliciting designers.”

“That makes sense. Who did you want me to talk to?”

“Tomas,” Cam said. “He owns the Cuban Grocery over there. Come on, I will introduce you.”

He held her arm as they walked over the cracked sidewalk at the entrance of the grocery store.

“Some of these places are in a sad state of disrepair,” Becca said.

“Yes, they are. But we got a good deal on the
marketplace, so we have the money to invest to make this a premier shopping venue.”

“I can see that. What do you envision?”

“Did you have a chance to look at the portfolio?” he asked.

“Yes, I made some preliminary sketches based on a market I saw in Seville last year when I was in Spain.”

Becca had always been a hard worker. Cam remembered that Russell said she was an asset to his team because she brought authenticity to the work she did. “Why did you stop working for Russell?”

She shrugged. “That's an odd question.”

“No, I was thinking about how dedicated you are to your job and how starting your own business while starting a single-parent family was a double whammy. Why did you do it?”

She looked over at him. “I couldn't continue my busy schedule with Russell and be the kind of mom I wanted to be to Ty.”

Cam tilted his head to study mother and child. She had said she was alone, but he realized as Ty continued to grow she'd always have her son by her side. He felt a pang knowing that they shared a bond he could never be a part of, but he knew he was building his own relationship with Ty.

“Russell would have let you work part-time.”

She shook her head. “I couldn't do it. I didn't want him to know I was pregnant and put two and two together. And I had agreed to a certain work schedule with Russell and I know I wouldn't have been able to
just do half the work I had done previously. It wouldn't have been fair.”

“You wouldn't have been working to your own standards?”

“Yes. I would have ended up working all the time and never seeing Ty. And that didn't sit well with me. If I was going to have a child, I intended to be the best mother I could to him.”

He hadn't thought he could respect her any more than he already did, but hearing her thoughts on working and parenting made him even more convinced of her basic integrity.

Becca was the embodiment of everything he'd ever imagined when he thought of the perfect woman. He leaned over to kiss her briefly on the lips.

“What was that for?”

“For being you,” he said. He wasn't going to say more than that. Already Becca was making him reveal things about himself that he'd rather keep hidden. He would never have admitted even to himself that he felt safer working all the time. Until Becca and Ty had come into this life and his home, he hadn't realized what he'd been missing.

 

Becca put Ty down as she sat in the café area at the back of the Cuban Grocery store. Tomas sat across from her, and even Cam managed to get his tall frame into one of the tiny café-style chairs. The store was in disrepair and needed fixing up, but there was a warmth in the café that made her feel at home.

The Cuban grocery store didn't feel like any super
market she'd shopped in during her life. It definitely made her want to come back here.

“What is your vision for this place, Tomas?” she asked. She'd found that once she talked to the people who were going to work in the clubs, hotels or buildings she designed, she had a better insight into what was needed from her.

“My vision?” he asked.

“Yes, tell me what you want your consumers to feel when they are here.”

He rubbed his chin and then glanced around the store. “I guess I just want it to feel like home so that they can remember the old ways and not lose so much of who we are to American commercialism.”

Becca was surprised to hear him say that so bluntly. “You know that Luna Azul also brings a lot of celebrities into the area. Is there a way that you can incorporate that consumer into your market?”

“I think that you and your brothers are looking to do something a little different here,” Tomas said, looking at Cam. “But we also carry specialty food items that can't be found in other places, so I think that will appeal to some of the Luna Azul clientele,” Tomas said.

“We are thinking about doing something different here. That's why I hope you will talk to Becca about the store you had in Cuba,” Cam said.

“It wasn't my store but my papa's,” Tomas said. For the next twenty minutes, Tomas talked about pre-revolution Cuba with a fondness that was infectious. Becca took notes as he spoke.

Ty was getting a little restless, which distracted her. She had to keep getting up to take things from him.

“I have to go check in with Junior outside. How about if I take Ty so you and Tomas can talk?” Cam suggested.

“Are you sure?” Becca asked. It would be a lot easier for her to take notes and concentrate on what Tomas was saying if she didn't have to worry about Ty doing something he shouldn't.

“Yes, I am,” Cam said. He walked over to Ty. “Come on, buddy, let's go outside where you won't be getting scolded.”

“Thank you, Cam.”

“No problem,” he said. She watched them walk away. Seeing Ty's little hand in Cam's, she felt a pang in her heart. She continued staring as Cam bent down and scooped Ty up when they reached the door leading outside.

“You and Cam have something between you,” Tomas said.

“Business, but also our son,” she said. She wasn't doing a good job of keeping her feelings for Cam hidden. She liked looking at him and being close to him.

“More than business, I think. Why do you try to hide your feelings?” Tomas asked.

She shrugged. She was used to being on her own, and a part of her was very afraid if she let Cam in and he left, then she'd feel even more lonely. “It's hard to own your own business and be involved with a potential client. I don't want to give the impression that Cam has
brought me here for any reason other than my skills as a designer.”

Tomas laughed. “You remind me of Selena, my grand daughter. She is the same way. Very much wants her business and personal lives to stay separate.”

“Do they?” Becca asked. “I think I could use some advice from her.”

Tomas shook his head. “Alas, they don't for her. At least not where Justin Stern was concerned. And I think it's the same way for you. No matter how many limits you put on Cam, he will always be more to you than a potential client.”

“I agree. I just didn't want the world to know,” she said, desperately trying to think of a way to turn the conversation back to business and not offend Tomas.

“What else do you want to know about Cuba?” he asked, changing the subject himself.

Tomas was at least seventy but wore his years well. He had thinning hair and a thick mustache, and he smiled easily, especially when he spoke of his family.

She thought about it for a minute. “Well, I want to know what your visual impressions were and why you remember those things. I think you mentioned you were a boy when you left. What is the one thing that lingers in your mind when you think of Cuba?”

Tomas leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “I remember lots of flowers and old brick streets. There were some fountains and of course the shops had lots of outdoor seating. The open-air cafés where poets and revolutionaries sat around and argued about their worldviews. The coffee shops where my father would
always buy me a cup of sweet coffee in the mornings and sometimes in the evenings as we'd walk back home from his store. I remember that the doors were always open and big paddle fans stirred the air.”

When he spoke, she had an image in her head that matched a little of what she'd seen in Seville, and she knew what she was going to do. She started sketching as he talked, just a doodle really, but it captured what she needed for this moment.

“Will the redesigned store be more focused on groceries or the café?” she asked. That would make a huge difference in how the interior would be designed.

“The café,” Tomas said. “When I was growing up I sat in the café part of my papa's store and listened to the old men tell stories while they sipped their coffee and smoked their big cigars. I want to ensure that the current generation and the future ones don't lose sight of where we came from. That the old stories stay important.”

“Maybe you could have murals on the inside walls of the store, Tomas. Ones that captured the scenes you were just talking about. I think that would be a nice way to make your store feel different than the local chains. And to give parents and other visitors something to talk about.”

“I love that idea. And I know the perfect local artist for the job,” Tomas said. “Do you want me to give you his name?”

“That would be great,” she said.

Becca knew exactly what he wanted. And she had a vision of how she could bring it all together. She liked working to bring the past and the future together. It was
something she'd learned working for Russell. His Kiwi Klubs were successful because they took the best of the existing culture and melded it with the trendiest things happening in the world.