Page 39 of Royal Caleva: Luis

“Not too shabby,” Grace murmured.

“Bienvenido!” Luis strode toward them, his face aglow with pleasure. He wore tailored trousers in silver-gray and a flawlessly pressed black dress shirt. The muted palette somehow made his blue eyes more vivid while his hair glinted with silver highlights.

A familiar shimmer of attraction rippled through Eve. And then he took her hands in his, the warm, strong fingers closing around hers as he leaned in for an air-kiss. The press of his palms against hers, the barest brush of his beard against her cheek, the swirl of his sea-and-air scent around her, all seemed to glide down to ignite deep in her belly.

She practically yanked her hands out of his so she could back away. He gave her a questioning look before he turned to Grace, who skipped past his outstretched hands to give him a hug. The delight on his face as he hugged his daughter in return touched Eve’s heart and helped her squelch her unwelcome reaction.

“Come!” Luis kept his arm around Grace’s shoulders as he took them into a vaulted living room furnished with a mix of square modern sofas and chairs combined with antique rugs and accent pieces. A massive stone fireplace centered one wall with uniformly cut firewood stored in niches around it. It looked like the photos in a fancy home decorating magazine.

Luis handed Grace onto one of the sofas and waited as Eve sat next to her before he took a chair across from them. The coffee table between them was made of polished stone and held an array of tapas arranged like works of art.

“What would you like to drink?” Luis asked, gesturing to a young woman in a server’s uniform who stood nearby.

Eve wanted an ice-cold beer to quench the internal flames Luis had lit—and she was sure his staff would conjure one up—but she thought that would be crass. “Red wine would be lovely,” she said.

“The same for me,” Grace said.

Luis nodded to the server, who vanished silently.

He turned back to them. “Since you treated me to Iowan specialties, I am offering you Calevan cuisine. We are surrounded by the ocean, so seafood features prominently.” He waved an elegant hand at the coffee table.

The server appeared with a silver platter and handed them each an exquisitely thin wide-bowled crystal glass filled with deep-red wine.

Luis lifted his in a toast. “To finding new family! It brings me great happiness.”

His voice rang with the truth of his words, and Grace looked as though she wanted to hug him again.

Eve wished she could hug him, too, but for entirely different reasons. Instead, she smiled and took a sip of the delicious wine.

“To the father I always hoped I had,” Grace said, lifting her glass in return.

Eve looked at her daughter with respect. That was a graceful toast to come up with on the fly. She touched her glass to Grace’s with an approving smile before she took a sip. Having her daughter living with her as a vet student sometimes made her forget that Grace was an adult with a mature confidence and sense of self.

Not that it stopped Eve from wanting to protect Grace and help her navigate this crazy new future.

“I have some unfortunate news, but it is balanced by what I hope you will agree is good news,” Luis said. “I must leave for Caleva right after our dinner tonight. A political matter needs my personal attention.”

The beaming pleasure on Grace’s face dimmed.

“On the other hand, my executive assistant, Bruno, has found a way to free you from your rotation schedule beginning next week.” Luis shifted his gaze to Eve. “We have invited the top five fourth-year students to come to Caleva so we may get their input on what they would like to see in the new veterinary school we are building there.” His smile held fatherly pride in Grace. “Your stellar academic record made it easy to manage this.”

Grace met his smile with a grin. “I’m glad my GPA was useful.”

And as he had promised, Grace wouldn’t be singled out since she was among the top students in her class.

“You are invited to add your perspective as a veterinary technician,” Luis said to Eve, his smile turning smug at his assistant’s cleverness. “If you both are willing to travel at such short notice, of course.”

He didn’t fool her into thinking she had a choice. He knew damn well that Grace would jump at this and that Eve would never let her daughter go alone. The man had gotten exactly what he wanted. She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment to show she wasn’t taken in. He raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment, but his smile remained.

“Are you actually building a veterinary school?” Eve asked.

“It is an important institution Caleva lacks.” He took a sip of wine. “Perhaps Grace can head up the project.”

Grace looked stunned and then eager. “That would be great, but I don’t think I’m qualified.”

“Perhaps not yet, but you will be soon,” her father said. “You can also hire experts to assist you.”

Shit! It was happening already. Grace was finding out how different her life could be if she lived in Caleva. Eve finished her wine in one gulp and wished she could go somewhere to cry. Yet she also felt a thrill for her daughter at the possibilities opening up for her.

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