“I didn’t know you had a brother,” Cindy said with a big smile.
“What she really means,” Lilly said, smiling even bigger, “is we had no idea you had a brother who looked like him.” Her mouth fell open incredulously. “Oh. My. God. How come this is the first we’ve heard of him?”
Sarah smiled. “It’s a long story. I’ll have to tell you about it another time.”
She walked away before they could ask the millions of questions she could already see dancing in their eyes. Leonardo’s eyes swept up and down her casually as she approached him, and he smiled when they met hers.
“Done?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, taking the stool next to him at the bar. “Now we just wait for Angel. He should be here real soon. His practice was over about twenty minutes ago. He’s coming straight here.”
Leonardo stared at her for a moment without saying anything then smiled. “I still can’t get over how much your and Omar’s eyes are alike. Of course, his are not nearly as amazing as yours, but, still, you definitely got his eyes.”
Smiling nervously, she turned to Jaime, the bartender who approached them from the other side. Leonardo had a nearly full beer in front of him, so Jaime pointed at Sarah. “Can I get you anything?”
“Just water, Jaime. Thank you,” she said then turned to Leonardo, who was still looking at her. “As many times as I’ve seen you online, it’s weird to actually be with you here in person.”
The conversation felt a little awkward at first, but within minutes, she was feeling more relaxed, and he even had her laughing a few times. Glancing out the window, she caught a glimpse of Angel’s car pulling into the parking lot, and she knew he’d be coming in through the back. Thinking it might be weird to have him come up to them without being able to explain why Leonardo had shown up early first, she excused herself for a moment. She met Angel at the back door just as he walked in. He was holding a single rose, and he handed it to her then brought his hand around her neck and kissed her.
She let the kiss run a little deeper than she normally would at the restaurant during business hours when everyone was there. But she figured they were way in the back. When she finally pulled away, she smiled then brought the rose to her nose and smelled it. “What’s this for?”
“Some guy was selling them on a street corner.” He kissed the tip of her nose sweetly and smiled; her eyes took in the deep dimples that formed on his cheeks, and she sighed. After all these years she’d never get enough of them. “I figured I haven’t brought my sweetheart flowers in a while. Why not?”
Smiling big, she pecked him again, thanking him for being so sweet then remembered, and her stomach got a little tense. Slipping her hand in his, she turned around and started back towards the restaurant. “We’ve had some excitement here today,” she said, turning back to look at his curious face. “So much so your brother saw fit to set up free dessert for all the customers.”
“What?” he asked, tugging her hand so she stopped just outside the office.
“Some jerk was giving Cindy a hard time. He got really loud and obnoxious, so Alex asked him to leave. The guy refused then started cussing at his girlfriend, and Alex had to physically throw him out.”
“You’re kidding me,” Angel asked with a too amused smile.
He walked into the office, pulling Sarah along with him. “You threw someone out?” Angel asked Alex, who was sitting at the desk.
Alex spun around and smirked. “I’m surprised no one texted you to tell you about it sooner.”
Sarah laughed. “I’ve been busy,” she said. “Otherwise I probably would’ve.”
“That’s right,” Alex said, standing up. “You’ve been entertaining your company. Where’d he go?”
Angel turned to Sarah, his smile not nearly as amused as it’d been just moments ago. “Who are you entertaining?”
“Leonardo is here,” she said nonchalantly.
Angel tilted his head, his forehead furrowing, but said nothing. Then there was the inevitable lift of that very telling annoyed brow. “Why?”
“He roughed up that idiot I kicked out,” Alex informed him as he walked past Sarah and Angel.
Suddenly Angel’s annoyed expression went a bit murderous. “What?” He turned back to Sarah. “Why? Did that guy do something to you?”
“No,” she assured him quickly. “He was rude to Cindy. It was her table.”
“The guy was one of them ass**les who like slapping women around.” Alex stopped at the door and explained. “It’s why I had to get physical with his ass. I didn’t like the way he talked to his girl. I guess when Sarah’s brother drove up in the parking lot the guy was being more than disrespectful with his girl, pushing her around or something, so her brother let him have it.” Alex chuckled as he began to walk away. “Popped the guy’s lip good.”
Angel turned back to Sarah again who nodded in confirmation, but she saw that look in his eye—the one she knew all too well. “So how long has he been here?” he asked. “I thought he’d agreed we’d meet with him later?”
Chapter 12
Angel
It was tiny—the almost undetectable movement of her brow—but Angel saw it. The just as seemingly insignificant lift of her chin only confirmed it. Already Sarah was going to become defensive, defensive of a guy she’d only just met for the first time: Leo—her brother.