Jazz: Vol 3 of the Still Waters Series

Chapter 64

Rico pulled her jacket back slowly and stopped at her breasts. Her jacket and her dress were the same beautiful turquoise-blue that had greeted us when we first stepped out of the airport, and that now accented the entire room around us. It was like they had dressed the room to match the girl.

Rico's hands slowly outlined her silhouette as he appeared to undress her before us. It looked more like he was showing her off, creating a visual for the men at the table, than helping our guest with her jacket.

It was the last day of our trip and Rico had just walked in with the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen. I recognized her immediately from the copies of El Debate, the local publication that was on display all over town.

She was on the cover.

The new Miss Mexico.

She was even more breathtaking in person.

Even Remmey couldn't help but stare.

Two men walked in behind Rico, also Mexican, who must have been with the woman. Three men followed behind them. Rah, Chris, and another Mexican man that I had never seen before.

We had all been lounging in the cocktail area by the bar, waiting for them to arrive, before being seated for dinner. After Rico handed the woman's jacket to the bartender, who remembered Christian and I from the night before and immediately gave us two tequilas on the rocks – both in those beautiful rose cocktail glasses that I loved – a man who I recognized from our first day there came in and greeted Rico, then showed us to our seats in a private dining room.

That room had also been accented to match Miss Mexico's dress perfectly.

That must have been her...and Mexico's signature color. I made a mental note to ask someone later.

I thought about Ruby right then and how she was always surrounded by white. Then I thought about how she bought me the sapphire and told me to always buy sapphires from then on.

Involuntarily I glanced over at her, but of course, her eyes were only set on Rico's.

My eyes shifted over to Remmey, and then back to Miss Mexico. Remmey told us while we were waiting that a special guest would be joining us for dinner, and by the way Rico and the men who walked in with him were treating her, she had to have been who he was talking about.

We all continued to stare. Miss Mexico sparkled even more than Ruby. Everything about her was polished to perfection. I watched as Rico pulled out a chair for her next to the head of the table, and then marveled at how gracefully she took her seat. Rico pulled the chair out next to her, at the head of the table, for me.

"My love," he smiled and kissed my cheek as he scooted me in.

He silently noted that my face was calm, and that I didn't seem bothered at all by the woman's presence, or by the fact that he had pulled her chair out before mine. Rico looked more than pleased by this and nodded to Remmey, as if thanking him. Remmey nodded back.

His face never changed.

Rico sat at the other end of the table, at the head, and Ruby sat next to him. Lola sat next to her, and Remmey sat next to Lola. Rah sat next to Remmey, on the other side of me.

Christian sat on the other side of Rico, and Claire sat next to Christian, across from Remmey. The babies sat in highchairs between them. One of Miss Mexico's men sat in between Miss Mexico and Claire. The other two men remained standing, along with Chris.

Miss Mexico smiled over at me, and it suddenly dawned on me how big of a deal it was that she was there with us.

Wow.