Araceli clapped her hands together, calling the family to attention. “Break time!”
Rafael peered over Victoria’s shoulder and inspected her project. He was impressed she’d shown up, since her weekend had been as crazy as his. In her last text, she’d mentioned being slammed with events on Friday and Saturday night. “I thought you said you weren’t crafty.”
“All I’m doing is sticking candy on the house,” she said. “I’m much slower than the rest of your family. They’re so talented. Thank you so much for recruiting them to help.”
A rush of tenderness shot through him. He didn’t know why it mattered, but he was pleased Victoria liked his family. “Missy’s projects are in good hands with this crew. I would have come sooner, but the restaurant was packed.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Yeah, just kind of exhausting.” He was grateful Araceli had taken charge of dishing up the food. “Do you want anything to eat? I brought leftover carnitas, arroz rojo, and some of that pork with mole sauce. The dish you love.”
She bit her lip in a way that was both cuteandsexy. “Can you make me up a plate? I have to secure a final row of gumdrops, then the rainbow will be complete.”
After waiting for the others to fill their plates, he dished out food for himself and Victoria. And then he sat with her, knowing full well his family would take notice. But he couldn’t help himself. When Victoria took a bite of the pork in mole sauce and let out a tiny groan of pleasure, his groin tightened in response. He’d be remembering that groan all night.
As the conversation swirled around them, he coaxed Victoria into sharing a few anecdotes from her hectic weekend. In the background, a holiday rom-com played on full volume. He enjoyed the festive vibe and appreciated the way his family had come together to help him out.
By the time they finished eating and cleaned up, it was ten.
“Great job, fam,” Araceli said. “But Jaime texted and said he’s on his way back from poker night, so it’s time to shut this party down. You can leave your stuff, and I’ll box it up.”
The family filed out, exchanging the usual jokes, hugs, and fist bumps, but Rafael lingered, helping Araceli and Victoria put away all the projects. The gingerbread houses were done, as were the jingle bells and half the white glass ornaments.
“I can’t believe how much you all accomplished,” Victoria said.
“We made a big dent in Missy’s list,” Araceli agreed. “I might host a smaller get-together later in the week to finish up everything, but we’re way ahead of schedule.”
Victoria bagged up the remaining candy and placed it into one of the bins. “Make sure to keep track of your expenses and add them to the catering bill.” She pushed up her sleeves. “Can I help you with anything else? Like the dishes?”
“Nah, I’ll stick everything in the dishwasher.” Araceli gave Rafael a pointed look. “Can you make sure Victoria gets to her car? She shouldn’t be walking alone at this hour.”
Victoria tensed up visibly. “Why? Isn’t it safe out?”
Rafael suppressed a chuckle. Araceli knew damn well the neighborhood wasn’t that bad. She was giving him an excuse to spend a few minutes alone with Victoria. “It’s fine. But I’ll go with you just in case.”
“You can leave the stuff from the restaurant,” Araceli said. “I’ll drop it off tomorrow.”
He gave her a quick hug, then waited as Victoria retrieved her purse from the bedroom. Once she was ready, he escorted her out of the apartment toward the visitor parking on the west side of the complex. As she unlocked her car door, he told himself to leave well enough alone.But he wanted to clear the air between them. He touched her arm. “Victoria?”
“Yes?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “About Wednesday night. I want to apologize for crossing the line.”
She did that adorable lip-biting thing, which only weakened his resolve. “No. I’m sorry. All you did was send a few texts. I’m the one that called you, and then I shut you down. But I heard my father come home, and…”
“I get it.” And because he was an idiot who didn’t know when to quit, he said, “You wouldn’t want to get a drink or anything, would you?”
From her surprised look, he wanted to kick himself.Stupid. When would he stop acting like a lovesick teenager?
“Now?” she said. “It’s after ten.”
Right. Not everyone had Monday off. “You probably have to be up early for work tomorrow.”
Even if she didn’t, she’s not getting a drink with you, dumbass.
But then she smiled. A sweet, inviting smile that lit up her whole face. “Actually, I don’t. Since I worked all weekend, I’m not going into the office on Monday.”
Her response filled him with far more excitement than it should have. “So…one drink?”
