A Waltz With Wolves (Book II in The Harrison Inc. Series) | ✓

Chapter Twenty-Four: Close Call

**

The next morning after settling in, I eat a plate of torrijas on the balcony of my room followed by a well-needed nap. I'm invited by a group of girls at the villa to go shopping in the city. Some of them are Quintanillas—Salvador's daughters or nieces that are the epitome of Colombian beauty with their long black hair and golden skin. The others in the groups are friends or girlfriends of the male attendees, and of course, Esmeralda—Salvador's wife.

I shower and decide on my outfit for the day—baby-blue sundress with comfortable sandals. As I get dressed, I'm tempted to check my phone, but talk myself out of the action.

"This is your time to relax," I remind myself while putting on my makeup. "Time to relax, and shop, and eat delicious food and improve on your Spanish."

That last part was said in much seriousness. I wish my Spanish was proficient enough to have completely translated Alejandro's letter to me; linking the messy, cursive-esque state of his handwriting with the message would have been profoundly more resonating with me, which is odd; I can't get that letter out of my mind even if I couldn't understand some of the words.

After spritzing on some perfume, I met the group downstairs in the foyer and introduced myself to everyone. Salvador's daughters, Yitzel and Guadalupe ('Lupita' for short) were a little older than I; maybe around Alejandro's age. Then there's Jillian and Sasha, with Esmeralda being our 'guide'—Esmeralda is of course leading the group. The first thing I notice is everyone's hospitality—they are all so nice and generous, welcoming me in with open arms and considerate questions.

We head to one of Barcelona's major avenues, Passeig de Gràcia, to start our shopping venture. In Stella McCartney, the associates tend to ever single need we have. Esmeralda and Yitzel speak animatedly to the employees in Spanish about the handbags with Jillian and Sasha, whereas Lupita and I look at the dresses they have. Seeing the "night-life" attire reminds me that I need to figure out what I'm going to wear for the date with Alejandro tonight. I don't think I have anything too appropriate for the occasion, so the best option would be for me to buy something while we're out.

Although both friendly, Lupita is a little gentler in her kindness than her sister, Yitzel—soft-spoken, sweet and humble. Yitzel, however, I can hear laughing and chatting up the staff while she tries on a pair of heels. Lupita quietly sifts through the hats, asking me for approval on the ones she likes while apologizing for her accent, under the impression that it's too 'strong' (contrarily, her English is excellent and her accent isn't as thick as she thinks). What amazes me is how 'normal' this is for the Salvador sisters. The guards that Salvador assigned with us are an everyday thing for them; this life of luxury and traveling is an everyday thing for them. I want to ask Lupita so many questions about it.

"Do you see anything you like?" Lupita asks me.

"Not yet—at least not for what I had in mind."

"For your date with Lobo, right?"

It takes me a minute to realize who Lobo is. Lupita smiles; I don't even ask how she knew about the date.

"Yeah. I don't think I brought anything cute enough."

"I'll help you today," Lupita proposes. "Is that okay?"

"Perfect, actually. I could use the help."

"Great." Lupita starts pulling out dresses from another rack—an associate quickly rushes to help her. "Are you excited?" she asks me.

'Nervous' is a better adjective. Honestly, this will be the first time that I have gone on a legitimate date with another man in a while. Yes, a couple of months ago, Sebastian and I had dinner at his house, but to us it wasn't a 'date' (even though we had sex later that same night). But this? This is a real fucking date. And my anxiety heightens as the hours roll by.