Page 49 of Savannah Sweethearts

“What?”

“Who won the argument in your head?” He smiled wide, showing off his perfectly straight teeth.

Embarrassed, I looked down, unable to hide the grin that crept onto my own face. “Well, I guess I did.”

He slapped my knee. “Well, then, good job.”

We both started to laugh as we pulled into Maggie’s apartment complex. She was waiting for us outside, wearing the tiara I had gotten her and an adorable halter maxi dress.

With a kiss, Alonso greeted his sister and asked why she was so dressed up.

“For the story, dummy.” Maggie rolled her eyes.

Looking for a shady spot, I pointed to where I wanted to set up. “Over there, please.”

“Where’s your interviewee?” He truly looked like he had no idea.

Maggie and I both looked at Alonso with confusion. I put my hands on Maggie’s shoulders. “She’s the star on the piece. I want her to tell everyone about that nasty saleswoman. No names, just share her experience.” I crossed my arms and tapped my foot as I waited for him to pick his jaw up off the ground.

“No.” He stared at me, his face expressionless.

“No? Why?” Maggie tilted her head to the side. “I want to be on TV.”

Grabbing me by the shoulders, Alonso pulled me aside and whispered to me. “Piper, people will make fun of her. They’ll judge her.”

His concern for his sister was evident. But his understanding that she was a woman who deserved to be treated normally was clearly lacking.

“Everyone on the news gets judged. But Maggie faced this discrimination firsthand just recently. And she offered to be interviewed. It was her choice.” I crossed my arms and stood firm.

“Not my sister.” He was being incredulous and overprotective. Maggie was entirely capable of doing the interview, she wanted to do it, and he was stopping it?

Maggie approached us and pointed her finger into Alonso’s chest. “Ali, I am a grown woman. You are being just as bad as that saleswoman. You think because I’m different I can’t do this. But I can. Stop holding me back.”

Shame filled Alonso’s face and he hugged his sister close. “You’re right, Mags. I was holding you back. Because I love you and I never want to see you hurt. But you are grown and you can make your own decisions. I’m sorry.”

Then the wisest words I had ever heard came from Maggie Ortiz. “Everyone gets hurt from time to time. But being an adult means you pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and keep going. I can do that, Alonso. You just have to let me.”

We set up for the interview and Maggie was flawless, just as I expected she would be. Paired with another interview and some statistics, we had a compelling piece that I couldn’t wait to share. I just hoped the woman from the store caught it.

Lunch with Maggie was a given and she was certain she was about to get her fifteen minutes of fame. I adored every minute with her and promised to call her once the piece was ready to air.

On the way back to the studio, Alonso sighed and looked at me. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” I eyed him, unsure where this apology was coming from.

“For not seeing my sister as a capable adult. She’s still just a little girl in my mind. But you see her as a grown woman and I know she appreciates it.”

I patted him in the arm. He was a good brother. “She’s the one you need to apologize to.”

“I did. But I wanted you to know I’ve seen the err of my ways. But she’s all the family I have left and I just want to protect her. I’ve lost everyone else. I can’t lose Maggie, too.”

My heart ached for him and his sister. They had experienced a lot of loss. “I can’t imagine. My sister and I aren’t close at all, but I would still be devastated if something happened to her.”

“How did you pick yourself back up and keep going?” He looked over at me as we sat at a red light.

“What?”

Through a grimace, he mumbled. “How did you pick yourself back up after you ended things with your fiancé?”

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