Page 21 of His Innocent for One Spanish Night

Gosh, it was gorgeous.

She took a couple of shots of the courtyard, and then looked over at a row of archways and saw black barrels, neatly stacked. But really it was the light that caught her attention. She took a few more shots, capturing the morning sun streaming through the high, round, stained glass windows in each archway.

Making her way down past the archways, she saw that there were many of them, and it dawned on her just how immense and magnificent the bodega was.

And then she saw him.

Alejandro.

She had thought he would be in an office, or still sleeping, but he was there, in an archway, leaning over a barrel.

She took a few shots of him.

‘Hey!’ Alejandro said, straightening up.

‘Sorry,’ Emily said. ‘I was just...’ She felt as if she’d been caught staring. ‘I wanted some natural shots.’

‘Don’t be sorry.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s good that you’re straight on to it. We want the website up and running as soon as we can. But it has to be right...’

‘The light’s beautiful in here.’

‘And brief,’ he said. ‘In summer that’s important, or it would get far too hot, but by eight the sun has moved on and internal lights come on for the tastings.’

‘So, this is where the product is stored...?’

‘And aged.’ He nodded. ‘The barrels are moved...rotated.’

‘Is that what you were doing?’

He laughed.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘I would like to say yes, but the truth is I was looking for a lost earring.’

‘Oh.’

Last night she had thought he looked ready for work. This morning she saw him when he actually was.

His jaw was clean-shaven, his hair still damp, and for a moment she wished, honestly, that she was the woman whose earring he looked for.

Ridiculous!

She wasn’t out of practice—she’d never even got as far as practising.

‘Hola!’

Emily turned and saw the elusive Sophia, elegant in white. She felt fat and frumpy and just so unglamorous.

‘I am so sorry about yesterday. My ankles...’ Sophia turned to Alejandro. ‘What are you doing in the bodega?’ she asked him. ‘I was going to give Emily a tour—I certainly didn’t expect you to.’ She turned to Emily. ‘I really am sorry I wasn’t there to greet you. But I’ve been ordered to rest, so you only have me for today.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘I have the most brilliant nanny, but unfortunately she can’t do my bedrest for me.’

‘You have a son?’ Emily checked, but she knew because she’d seen pictures of him on social media. ‘Pedro?’

‘That’s right—this little one is my second.’ Sophia said, affectionately touching her bump. ‘Pedro is going to be so jealous...’

‘If you’re going to talk babies,’ Alejandro cut in, ‘I am out of here. Sophia, can you see that Emily has a laptop and a phone?’

‘I have my own...’

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