As You Wish (The Summerhouse 3)

Mrs. Bellmont gave Elise a speculative look. “You’re not at all how your mother describes you, are you?”

“If you mean bland, with no personality, no, I’m not like that.”

For a moment they looked at each other, then Mrs. Bellmont nodded at the big drawing pad Elise was holding. “I take it you have something you’d like to show me?”

“I do.”

“Will it enrage your father?”

“Beyond all understanding.” Elise was beginning to smile. “And my mother too.” She lowered her voice. “And it will get rid of that annoying little Leonardo and his silly little fishpond. You go with my design for your garden and you can invite students from Juilliard up for the weekend and dance with them.”

“OMG as the kids say, but you sound just like your father trying to sell something.”

“Take that back!” Elise snapped without a smile.

Mrs. Bellmont laughed. “Come inside and let’s talk.” Turning, she walked to the house.

Behind her, Elise gave a double thumbs-up to the workmen. Diego and Alejandro were smiling hugely at her.

* * *

It was two hours later that Elise left Mrs. Bellmont’s house. As she went back toward the men, she nodded with every step. “We got the job,” she whispered. They were all standing in front of her in silence, waiting for her to elaborate. “She liked all of it. The building, the dance floor, the sculptures, everything. It’s a six-figure contract and we’re going to need—”

Elise took a breath. “How the hell do I know what we need?” She looked at Alejandro. “I BS’d my way through all of it. I told her that what I didn’t know, you guys do. Have any of you ever built a twenty-foot-long dance pavilion?”

For a moment, they looked at her blankly. They weren’t builders! Then Alejandro jumped up on the flat top of a low wall and went into the stance of a flamenco dancer. He stamped his left heel a few times.

“We don’t need a dancer, we need a builder!” Elise said. Alejandro looked so puzzled that they all burst into laughter.

“Down!” Diego yelled at his brother. “There’s work to be done.” He stopped for a moment, then turned and put his hands on Elise’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

It was the first time in her life that Elise had been congratulated on something she’d done. Like all the other kids in school, she’d been given trophies no matter what they achieved, but this was real. So okay, her position as her parents’ daughter got her inside the door, but it was her ideas that had won the job.

“Hold on!” she said, then stuck out her cheek and tapped it. “All of you. Now!” Grinning, one by one, the men kissed her cheek—except Al

ejandro.

Miguel said he didn’t think it would be good to set the garden on fire before they even began, so Alejandro better not touch her.

At that, Alejandro grabbed Elise, bent her over his arm and... And kissed her cheek. “Damn!” she said when he released her, and everyone laughed some more.

All day, as they worked, there was a sense of excitement in the air. For years, Diego and his men had put up with bad designers and inept homeowners who told them what to do and how to do it. But in just one morning they had changed status. This was going to be their job!

That night everyone piled into Diego’s rented house. Someone brought a little barbecue grill and others showed up with beer and tequila. Diego called his wife at home in Mexico and told her he was going to be hiring more people—and maybe in the fall she could come here to live.

All in all, it was a glorious party and Elise didn’t fall into bed until midnight. Alejandro stood over her smiling. “You’ve done a lot for all of us,” he said softly, his Spanish sounding beautiful in the moonlight that came through the window. He started to turn away, but looked back at her. “About that promise to just be friends... I’m ready to go back on it.”

A very sleepy, not fully sober Elise put her hands up in invitation.

Alejandro took them and kissed her palms, but then put them down and stepped away. “Only when you’re fully sober and know exactly what you’re doing. I’m concerned that once you and I start, it may never end, so you need to be really sure of what you’re doing. As for me, I know exactly what—who—I want. Good night.” He left the room.

* * *

The next morning, as Diego was driving to the job, he couldn’t stop grinning. All morning he’d talked endlessly about their new business. Elise sat in the middle, Alejandro beside her, both of them so sleepy they could hardly sit up—or maybe they wanted an excuse for her to lean against him.

The ride was long since Diego had a job in the country. He’d been trying to branch out from just lawn care so they were repairing a stone wall today. Earlier, he’d told Elise that she was to talk to the owner’s wife.

“And say what?” Elise asked, yawning. Diego glared at her.