Page 22 of Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort)
“Well, almost. I’m conversational in Spanish. You have to be playing football, it’s an international game.”
“Good point.”
“It also wasn’t that hard to pick up—I’m fluent in Portuguese,” he winked. As if she needed some kind of reminder that his stupid little name for her was in Portuguese.
“Let’s go inside. I can show you my room!” Josef interjected, somehow not noticing the energy that flowed between his coach and his sister.
“Lead the way, young man!”
The little white house was nestled in a neighborhood among a bunch of houses that all matched in their own way. It wasn’t a cookie cutter development by any means, but each structure was obviously built to reflect the same kind of style. It was a cute little neighborhood with a cul-de-sac at one end. It was the kind of place that people dream of raising kids. The house itself was well-kept for the most part. It needed a new coat of paint, one new shutter to replace a broken one, and a repair on a loose gutter in a spot or two, but other than those simple items, it seemed like a solid structure.
Once inside, the feeling of home engulfed him. The bench that sat by the front door was packed full of shoes, sweatshirts, purses, and Josef’s duffle bag. Family photos adorned the walls, showing off both Leona and Josef throughout the years. As beautiful as she was now, Leona might just have been even
cuter as a child. Her blonde hair and blue eyes sparkled in all the photos, just like they made her sparkle now.
Following Josef through the little foyer and into the kitchen, he found the busy hub of the house, alive with the sounds of dinner cooking, family chatter, and a TV on in the background. There were dishes in the sink and drying in the dish rack, as well as a grouping of papers posted to the fridge with some magnets. While there wasn’t a graded test or any artwork currently on the fridge, it was obvious that during the school year that was exactly where those kinds of things were displayed.
“Mr. Cruz, please come in,” an older woman who looked just like Leona said, ushering him into the kitchen. “I apologize for the state of the house. When I suggested inviting you to dinner, in my mind I had thought this weekend. Josef seems to have missed that part of the conversation. The house is a little…lived in, at the moment.”
Cullen didn’t mind the lived-in look. In fact, if it wasn’t for the young lady he paid to clean his flat once a week, his place would look a little “lived in” a lot more often. “It’s okay, Mrs. Filipe, the house is lovely. Reminds me a lot of where I grew up.”
“Oh, well, that’s nice of you to say,” she replied, smiling. She was a beautiful older woman who stood about the same height as her daughter, however her blonde hair had a touch of gray now woven through it. “Dinner is almost ready. If you’d like to wash up first, Leona can show you to the bathroom.”
“I’m sure he can find it on his own, Mama. It’s not that hard to find,” Leona retorted. Her mother cut her a look—one that Cullen understood all too well—telling her to be polite to their guest. If he had to guess, Leona’s mother was probably a lot like his own and could stop traffic with a single flick of her eyes.
Leona rolled her eyes in response, turning to him, saying, “It’s this way.”
He followed her through the living room, where the TV that he had heard earlier appeared to be turned to the news. Off the living room was a small, short hallway that had two doors to the left, one to the right, and one at the very end of it. She stopped short, just outside the door on the right, slipping her hand inside to turn on the light. The yellow glow illuminated a purple-ish wallpaper that seemed like it had seen some better days and reflected off a blue plastic shower curtain that had glitter on it.
“Is the glitter your decor choice?” he asked, smirking.
“No,” she replied curtly.
“Do I get to see your room after this?” he asked, trying to still poke at her a bit.
“I don’t live here. I live at the resort,” she informed him. “But you don’t get to see my room there either.” As she turned to go, he caught her arm quickly, pulling her into him.
“So you don’t have a room here at all? I’d love to see where you grew up, Menina.”
“Well, too bad,” she said, pulling her arm away. “And while you’re here, it’s Leona. I’m not explaining to my parents why you feel the need to call me something else.” She walked away back toward the kitchen, and he could tell she was cursing him under her breath.
Returning to the kitchen, he found the table had been set already, with a fifth table setting squeezed onto one side of the small table. He debated internally whether or not he wanted to sit next to Leona or across from her at dinner. Each option had its merits, but he finally decided it might be safer to sit across from her. At least that way she couldn’t stab him with a fork under the table.
A door off to the side of the kitchen suddenly opened and a tall dark-haired man walked in, wiping his hands with a rag. He made his way over to the stove where Anna was moving the meat she had been cooking to a plate and kissed her on the cheek. Without skipping a beat, he then made his way over to where Cullen was standing and reached out his hand.
“Cullen Cruz, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. Josef has gone on and on about you. I’m Roberto, and you’ve met my wife, Anna,” he said with a big grin, nodding toward his wife, who didn’t look up from the meal she was plating.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Filipe,” he responded.
“Please, please, it’s Roberto and Anna.”
“Mrs. Filipe is just fine if that’s what he would like to call me,” she called out, walking the food over to the table. “Dinner is ready.”
“Just ignore her—strong will, that one,” he said softly to Cullen.
So that’s where her daughter gets it, Cullen thought.
As they made their way over to the table, he noticed the older man was limping and reaching out to hold the counter or the backs of the chairs as he did so.
