"That sounds good. I know just the place, too."

"You think maybe we can go through a drive-thru and go some place where we can be alone?" Grace squeezed his hand with a hopeful expression. "I've had enough crowds for the day."

She'd read his mind. He wanted nothing more than to be alone with her. "We could take the food back to my place if you'd like. Unless you'd rather not."

"No. I'd love to check your place out," She grinned. "I'm nosey like that."

"All right then, my place it is."

They picked up the pastramis and headed to his house and Grace told him about everything they bought for her sister, mentioning how she'd have to pay Taylor backay div hei since he offered to pay for the dress that just wasn't in Grace's budget. "Your mom didn't pay for any of it?"

Grace rolled her eyes. "My mom hasn't paid for anything extra for me and Rose in years. The only thing she paid for since I got my first job, was the tuition for me to get my bartending license. And even that wasn't a selfless act. She did it so that I could get a better paying job to help her pay the bills."

Sal tried not to frown. He didn't want her to know that the more he heard about her mother the less he liked the woman. The thought of her asking Grace to go out with men for her own selfish reasons almost made him hate her. But he wouldn't. She was the only mother Grace had. Grace was already leery, thinking he would judge her. He didn't want her getting the wrong idea if he expressed himself negatively about her mother.

They got to his place and Sal watched as Grace's eyes widened with every room they walked through. He hadn't originally planned on purchasing such a large home, but Valerie talked him into it. She said it was a good investment and she'd worked her magic to get him the best deal possible. He couldn't pass it up. He only hoped it didn't intimidate Grace. His neighborhood was a far cry from the area she lived in.

Her conversation had begun to wither as they drove through the winding streets up to his house and she stared at all the homes. The one thing he loved the most about his house was the backyard view. Situated up in the hills of La Jolla, the view was spectacular. "We can eat out back. It's nice out tonight."

Grace followed him out the sliding patio door, and he set the food down on a glass patio table which sat twelve. His mother had helped pick it out, making sure there was enough room for everyone, because it was rare for just one of his family members to show up without all the others showing up, too, and that included Romero and Isabel.

He turned to Grace, who had stopped at the door, taking in the view. The ocean was visible off to one side while the cityscape of downtown La Jolla was visible at the other end. Then her eyes went to the outdoor kitchen. The only time he'd ever used it was when his family had come over and his mother and Sofia had made him a birthday dinner. That was the end of last summer, when he'd first bought the place. Even then, he hardly touched it except to figure out how to get it going then his mom took over. Sal had been home less and less since then, especially now that he was helping Alex out with running the restaurant.

"It's beautiful." She turned to Sal. "And you get to see this everyday?"

He smiled holding out his hand for her. "You could, too, you know, if you come over every day."

She took his hand and came over to sit next to him at the table. He wouldn't tell her just yet, but the thought of having her around all the time was definitely something he'd be suggesting and a lot sooner than he would've ever imagined. He was certain what he was feeling, like today when he closed up and could think of nothing else but wanting to be with her was not going away any time soon. In fact, he anticipated the need to be around her only getting worse.

Other than her eyes widening, she didn't appear to be put off by the suggestion. "I should've known your house would be amazing, but I just didn't expect all this."

Sal shrugged. "My sister-in-law knows her real estate. She did a good job helpingod uld' me find this gem."

"I'm sure you had plenty to say about the details." She grinned.

He leaned over and kissed her. "You don't know that."

They ate quietly at first. She must've been as hungry as he was because she dug right in. After a few bites, she wiped her mouth, staring out into the view again. "Before we moved out here, I'd never even seen the beach." She turned to him with the napkin still over her mouth. "I didn't even know how to swim."

"Did you ever learn?"

She held her hand out opened and moved it side to side. "More or less. I still get nervous, though."

Sal motioned to his pool. "You can come over and practice any time you want. Bring Rose, too."

He loved seeing her excited smile. It reminded him of how young she was even though she was mature beyond her years. Obviously everything she'd been through had forced her to grow up far before her time. "When I was a little girl we used to go camping every year to a place called Elephant Butte in New Mexico. It was our summer trip. They actually closed down my grandmother's restaurant for a week so we could go on vacation. It's the only time I ever got to swim, but I loved it. I just never got very good at it." She gazed out into the his backyard view again. "I loved camping-those are some of the best childhood memories I have. Swimming all day, then fishing. Dad and I caught a real big one, one time. My grandma gutted and cleaned it and we had it for dinner. And there was nothing like sleeping in a tent, roasting marshmallows... for some reason a simple sandwich or in our case a cold torta tasted so much better when we were camping." For once, she looked so at peace and actually smiled when speaking of her past.

"Elephant Butte, uh? I heard of it somewhere. What's up with that name?"

"It's named after some island in the lake that supposedly looked like an elephant butt, but I didn't think it did." She took another bite of her sandwich and stared out into the view again for a moment before turning back to him. "My dad always said he'd take me to the beach someday but..." She took a deep breath. "Rose only got to go camping with us a few times. She probably doesn't even remember. My mom didn't like camping so she wouldn't come on the trips. After a few years she made my dad feel so guilty about leaving her behind, we stopped going." She stared at her fries, lost in thought.

Sal squeezed her hand. "So how'd your dad die?" Uncomfortable or not, this was obviously a significant aspect of her life. Sal wanted to know everything. What made her smile, what made her laugh, even what made her cry.

She looked up from her food and met his eyes, but she didn't cry. "He was murdered."

Sal tried not to react, in hopes she could get through the story without crying but he was not expecting that at all.

She continued, dry-eyed. "It was no secret that my grandmother's restaurant was doing well and Saturdays were especially busy. It was getting so busy that like you, he'd begun to talk about expanding when I was old enough to run a restaurant on my own. It would be on a smaller scale but ier ttit would be all mine." Her eyes were excited for the moment. "One Saturday night just as he closed up, three men walked in and robbed him at gunpoint." Sal squeezed her hand again when he saw the grimace and the tears begin. He was surprised she'd gone this far without crying. But she took a deep breath and continued. "He gave them all the money he had, did everything they asked and they still shot him. My sister and I were already home with my grandmother. My mom is the one that found him. She'd gone out to move the car around front, while he closed everything up. It was the reason why the back door wasn't locked. Since he was shot at such a close range he was gone before the medics ever arrived." She wiped a single tear that escaped from the corner of her eye, took a deep breath and went on. "It was all over the local papers for weeks, that's how I found out we were selling the restaurant. They hadn't told me yet but my mom had mentioned in an interview that the restaurant would be up for sale and we were going to be moving. It happened during the summer. By Christmas we were living in El Paso."

Sal leaned over and kissed a tear away that trailed down her cheek. His heart ached for her. "Did they ever catch the guys that shot him?"

She let out a sarcastic laugh. "I doubt they ever even tried."

Sal pulled her chair to him, suddenly needing her closer, and caressed a few strands of hair away from her forehead. "I'm sorry that happened. I can see it's something that still hurts a lot."

Grace tilted her head and her eyebrows furrowed as she cleared her throat. "The funny thing is I only cried when I first got the news. I was in complete shock and denial. I didn't want to believe it. But after that I refused to cry because I didn't want Rose to see me cry. She was only five and though she was sad she didn't quite understand the enormity of it. She didn't really get that he was never coming back, so it wasn't as devastating for her as it was for me, and I didn't want it to be. She caught me crying one time when I thought she wasn't home and it really scared her. So I vowed it would never happen again. Though sometimes I did where I knew she couldn't catch me, like in the shower or at night when she was asleep and she's always been such a sound sleeper I didn't worry about her waking. But I put up a front for so many years. Then when my grandmother died something changed." Sal played with her hand and she glanced down at it. "Even though I tried, like with my dad, to hold it in for my sister's sake. As the years passed, I've gotten so much more emotional about it all now and I don't understand why."

Sal kissed her hand, wanting more than anything to take her pain away or at the very least lessen it. "Grief is a process, sweetheart. Even though you thought you understood it at the time, you really didn't." He was glad now for choosing to take that extra semester of Psychology. "You can't heal if you don't allow yourself to grieve and it sounds like you never did. But it's inevitable and it will happen. I think it's what's happening now. You're finally letting the emotions manifest." He kissed her forehead. "It's a good thing."

One side of her mouth went up slightly but it was hardly a smile. "I'm such a downer." She sniffed.

"No. I wanted to know. You really think I thought you wouldn't cry? It's natural, Gracie. I'm gonna ask you something else and I don't want you to hold anything back either." Her eyebrows shot up. "How'd your grandmother die?"

She didn't give it much tgivone timehought before answering. "Heart attack."

Sal cringed. It couldn't have been anything less sudden? But Grace didn't cry. Instead she reached for her purse on the other seat and fished out her wallet, then pulled a picture out and handed it to Sal. It was a snapshot of herself in a formal gown with her hair up. She was younger and looked stunning. His jaw involuntarily clenched at the sight of the guy holding her hand in the picture but he pushed the unreasonable jealousy away. He knew this had nothing to do with him. A short older woman with a white braid and a big smile held her other hand.

"This was the last picture I took with her. It was hours before she had the attack. I was actually on my way-" She stopped when her voice betrayed her and she brought her hands to her face.

Sal wrapped his arms around her, feeling a deep ache inside for her. This happened on her prom night? "It's okay, baby. Let it out. You'll feel better."

She didn't cry long enough, pulling away after only a few moments. Sal frowned, handing her a napkin. She wiped her face and went on with her story, clearing her throat. "We were on our way to an after party when I got the call." She took a deep breath but no longer cried. "By the time we arrived she was gone." She gave him a crooked smile as he handed her the picture back and she tapped her finger over the guy in it. "To top it off, we broke up that night."

"He broke up with you that night?" That pissed him off. How could the idiot do that to her that night?

"No. I broke up with him. We had talked about that night being our... first time." She glanced away from him and he took a very deep breath. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn but he wanted to continue to be supportive, so he worked on keeping his expression the same. "I never quite agreed to it, because I wasn't completely sure I was ready. Then after everything that happened with my grandma, of course it wasn't happening. I guess because when I saw my sister at the hospital so broken up, I tried my hardest to be strong. I cried, but not as much as I wanted to. I put up a front again. I needed to be strong for her. Well, my boyfriend who wasn't close to any of his grandparents took it as a sign that it wasn't that big a deal and when we got back to his car he told me about the room he'd already paid for and was planning on surprising me with. He actually suggested we still go there."

Wow, and here Sal thought the guy was an idiot before she explained it.

"I was so unbelievably disgusted there was no way I could continue a relationship with him." She pulled away from Sal's embrace and sat up straight. "Anyway, I'm glad you asked. Those two instances in my life are probably the most painful of all, but there have been a lot of good times, too."

Grace insisted on hearing more about his family. Sal told her more about how close they'd always been and she laughed when he told her about how poor Sofia had to deal with all of them including Eric and Romero watching over her so closely when they were all growing up. "We were all bad, but Alex has always been the worst. You'll probably notice he'll get that way with you eventually. He's very protective over his family and friends."

She smiled. "I think I already did a little bit. If Melissa wasn't female I have a feeling he would've hurt her today."

Sal winced. "I'm sure he would've. Damn. I'm sorry about that. Gracie."

"Stop. I won't allow you to apologize for her. It wasn't your fault. Maybe I shouldn't have confronted her the way I did."

Sal laughed.

"What?" She stared at him in that cute confused way, she did so often.

"Alex told me what you said and about you pulling off your earrings." Grace's face flushed. "Don't be embarrassed." He hugged her again, chuckling. "You're gonna fit right in with the rest of my family and friends. Don't even get me started on Romero."

They moved to the lounging sofa that faced the pool with the overstuffed pillows. Sal sat back, pulling her to him and she leaned against him. "It's so beautiful out here. If I lived here... " She stopped.

"If you lived here what?" Sal liked where this was going.

She turned to face him. "I'm just saying hypothetically. I don't want you to think that-"

"Oh, I'm thinking it, Grace. If I have it my way, you will." He kissed her. "So go on."

Her eyes were glued to his for a moment, taking in what he just said. "All I meant was if I lived some place like this, I'd be out here every night. I'd probably never cook inside. Except maybe when it was too cold." He saw her glance at the outdoor fireplace. "Even then I'm sure I'd figure out how to stay warm."

"I'll tell you what," Sal said, leaning further back, bringing her with him so they were practically lying down. "I'd like nothing more than to have you here every night, so if you're game we can come back here every night and hang out from now on."

Her eyes brightened and it drove him crazy. Unable to hold back any longer he kissed her long and deep. They made out for the longest time since he'd first kissed her and though there were moments he thought of trying for more than just kissing and enjoying her soft delicious neck, he didn't. He remembered her mentioning she'd never. If that meant what he thought it meant, as torturous as it was to hold back, he had to take things real slow. She was absolutely worth waiting for.

CHAPTER 18.

Sal picked Grace up after class the next day. Even as they drove to Moreno's on the Marina, everything still felt so surreal. She'd hardly been able to concentrate in class, daydreaming instead about the past several evenings with him.

So far, Rose had been the only one who'd met Sal and hadn't gushed about his looks. While she said he was good looking, she didn't like that he seemed too serious, reminding Grace of her first impression of him that now felt like a lifetime ago. Never would she have imagined the day he interviewed her that things would turn into this.

It didn't take very long for her to teach the two cooks that were there at the time how to make the new dishes. As Sal had anticipated, Angel was especially excited about the shrimp dish. That afternoon when Sal was done with all the interviews, they took a walk on the pier of the Marina. It reminded her of the awkward night she'd spent walking the pier with Frank. It amazed her, how different it felt with Sal now and how at ease she was with him. She leaned into him, taking a deep breath, glad that she was almost done with school so she didn't have to rush home to do homework.

They walked up to the rail and looked over into the water. Sal stood behind her and kissed her temple.

"Only two more weeks," she said.

"For what?"

"And I get my culinary degree."

"Perfect timing. Although," he chuckled, "you don't even need it now."

She turned to look at him. "Of course I do. You never know what the future holds. I know better than anyone that things can change in a blink of an eye. I'm always prepared for the worst, so if it happens, I'm ready. "

His expression went hard. "You mean with your job or with us?"

"Both."

"That's a little pessimistic isn't it? I have faith that both will work out."

She shrugged, turning all the way around to face him. She wished she could be more optimistic, but it was hard. "They do go hand in hand. I just wanna be prepared."

He leaned in, his hard body pressing against hers making her heart speed up. "I'll tell you right now. Unless something unthinkable happens, my feelings for you are already so concrete, I don't see how things couldn't work out."

Her heart swelled, but she had a hard time concentrating with his body pressed against hers. The night before things had gotten pretty heated, but as usual, he didn't push. She wondered how many more nights they could spend on that sofa in such a romantic setting before things moved forward. Just the way he looked at her even now warmed her insides. Before she could respond, he kissed her so passiona didn't tely, she held on tight feeling her legs go completely weak.

As promised, the rest of the week they went back to his place every night, including her day off Tuesday. Every night, they spent hours talking, then getting very cozy on the lounge chair that was now Grace's favorite place to be-under the stars, with an amazing view-in Sal's arms.

Her mother hadn't asked her much until Friday night when she'd texted her at work to tell her Frank was in town and wanted to see her.

She tapped out an answer, furious. Absolutely not!

It was closing time and they'd be headed to Sal's place again, just like they had all week. The text had been sent an hour earlier, and she'd just noticed it. She dropped the phone in her pocket, knowing her mom would be texting her again.

Sure enough just as she walked back toward the kitchen where she'd worked all day it buzzed in her pocket.

Graciela be reasonable the man is Ruben's boss. All he wants is a few hours then he's gone again possibly for weeks.

Her mother was outrageous. Did she really expect Grace to continue this charade for good? All week she'd gotten home so late her mother had been asleep. She knew she was out with someone but Grace hadn't had a chance to tell her about Sal. Before she could text back her phone buzzed again.

He's picking you up at work. When you didn't respond to my last text I assumed you were okay with it so I told him to go ahead. He's on his way there now. Just be nice one last time. Ok mija?

"Something wrong?"

Grace almost jumped. Her face must've been as white as it felt because Sal stared at her, concerned. "Uh... no, it's just my mom."

"She okay?"

"Oh yeah, she's fine." As inconspicuously as she could, she glanced past his shoulder to the front door and her heart sunk. Frank stood out there, leaning against his car, just like the last time, holding a bouquet of roses. Her eyes were immediately on Sal again. There was no other way out of this but to just tell him. "She set up another date with me and my step-dad's boss."

Taylor had hit it on the nose about Sal's flaming eyes, because she saw them flare now. She reached for his arm. "It's not like I'm even remotely interested in him."

His eyes opened wide. "So you're going?"

She turned towards the front door, feeling defeated. "What am I supposed to do? He's already here."

Sal's head jerked toward the front of the restaurant as soon as she said that. "You tell him you don't want to go. That's what." He started walking. "I'll fucking tell him."

Grace squeezed his arm. "No, Sal. Please."

Sal glared at her. "Do you want to go with this guy, Grace?" His loud words turned the heads from of the few employees that were still there cleaning up and theyng e still t glanced out the front to see who Sal was talking about.

"No. Of course not."