She did, and had liked him enormously, until he’d turned on her. Maybe he’d come to his senses. She turned to the helpful housekeeper. “Looks as though you were right. Alejandro’s here.” She made him wait a minute. “We’re acquainted, Henry.” She opened her door when he knocked. In a navy-blue windbreaker and a blue cap, he did look like a deliveryman. He handed her the bag.
“I know, I should have called, but I thought you’d probably tell me go to hell. I got past the half-dozen paparazzi out front without a second glance.” He removed the cap and swiped his fingers through his hair. “You must be Fatima. How do you do?”
The housekeeper swept him with an appreciative glance. “You better be nice to Ana while you’re here, or I’ll toss you out myself.”
He raised his hand. “I promise. I brought you some of the cakes you like
.”
Ana peeked into the bag. “A bribe?”
“It’s part of the disguise. I needed to deliver something.”
Fatima took the bag and went into the kitchen. “I’ll make fresh coffee.”
“Thank you,” he said. The kittens came running by, and Romeo went right up his leg but his jeans protected him from sharp little claws. He caught the kitten and held him up. “He’s grown.”
“The real question is, have you?” Ana walked into the living room, and he put down the kitten and followed her.
“I knew that wasn’t you in the paper, and you wouldn’t have killed a photographer over a doctored photo. That’s ridiculous. If you need a character reference, I’ll be glad to give one.”
She sat on the sofa and crossed her legs. “Wait a minute. You didn’t think much of my character the last time we spoke.”
He walked over to the window and looked out at the tree-lined street below. “I deserve that, but I thought you might need some help. There are corporate attorneys working for the Ortiz Lines, and they’d be able to recommend someone practicing criminal law, if you need one.”
Fatima brought in two mugs of coffee, napkins and the sugary nut cakes on a fancy plate. “Would you like anything more?”
“Thank you, no.” Ana reached for a cake. “The situation is simply bizarre, Alejandro. I had no reason to kill Jaime, and there’s no evidence to even suggest I did, but the detectives who questioned me yesterday were creepy. I’d rather not see them again. They showed me the bogus photo, and today it’s hit the tabloids. It can’t be a coincidence.”
He took the wing chair and reached for a mug of coffee. “Do you think you’re being framed?”
“There are some models who’d like to earn as much as I do, but I don’t think they’d resort to murder to boost their earnings. By the way, did your father tell you he called my agent to ask about my doing some promotion for your cruise ships?”
His eyes narrowed, and he swore under his breath. “Did you say yes?”
She brushed sugar from her hands and reached for a napkin. “Of course not. I don’t want to be near him ever again.”
He took a cake and chewed it slowly. “I should have thanked you Sunday morning for having a new toothbrush out for me in the bathroom. Are you always so considerate?”
She swallowed a sip from her mug. “You have an amazing gift for saying the wrong thing. I don’t have a parade of men spending the night here. I have toiletries handy in case an occasional guest needs them. Don’t feel bad. Women think of these things; men don’t.”
“I’ll think of them now. Do you want to put on your Goth disguise and get out of here? The paparazzi wouldn’t recognize you, and we wouldn’t have to come back until late tonight.”
He was looking at the rug rather than her. She found his shyness touching, but she needed to make a point. “I don’t believe I heard an apology for the way you treated me last week.”
He brushed his hair off his forehead. “Can’t we just forget it?”
“Not without an apology.”
He looked up. “All right. I’m sorry.”
“Alejandro, you don’t sound sincere.”
His voice deepened. “Should I get down on my knees and beg your forgiveness?”
A fiery light shone in his silver eyes, and she knew when to stop. “Not this time, but if you make a habit of questioning my motives, I’ll demand one in writing.”
He stood and went to the door of the kitchen. “Is she usually this hard on men?”